-=> JIM WELLER wrote to DAVE DRUM <=-

DD> French dressing's standard of identity was not honest or fair

 JW> Or French for that matter.

That was noted in the article.
 
 JW> The North American sweet and creamy salad dressing is a far cry from
 JW> what the French actually put on their salads. They tend to use
 JW> fresh, handmade, simple oil and vinegar vinaigrettes most of the time.

That was not but was implied. Many salad dressings started as vinaigrettes
then morphed into something else. Most American restaurants refer to a
simple vinaigrette of oil and vinegar as just that  - "vinegar and oil"
dressing.
 
 JW> I bought a bottle of commercially made so-called French dressing
 JW> last week for the first time in decades. I'm not sure why. It is
 JW> nasty ... excessively sweet; I looked at the label and it has more
 JW> sugar than vinegar! I am going to be adding lots of vinegar and/or
 JW> lemon juice to the bottle. Or maybe use up that refugee bottle of
 JW> Kombucha hiding in the back of the fridge. It is essentially
 JW> vinegar, being mostly spoiled tea and germs.

 DD> Title: Zesty French Dressing
 DD> 1/2 c  Sugar
 DD> 1/3 c  Vinegar
 DD> 2 tb Ketchup
 DD> www.tasteofhome.com

 JW> Yeah, you nailed it.

 JW> I am skeptical about trying anything coming from Taste of Home. It
 JW> showcases the worst of mid 20th century Midwest cooking. Another
 JW> recipe source to avoid is Jean Pare's Canadian "Company's Coming"
 JW> series of cookbooks which highlights mediocre, old fashioned, small
 JW> town, western Canadian food.

It does NOT "showcase" the worst. It simply publishes "home" recipes.
Some are excellent and some are not. One is not "showcased" over the
other. Southern Living recipes are much the same.
 
 JW> Italian dressing is North American too, and not Italian as well.
 JW> Having said that I like it.

In my book Italian dressing is a zesty, tangy dressing that gets its 
flavour from bold ingredients like wine vinegar, raw garlic and lemon 
juice. Also traditional dried herbs found in most Italian dishes, like 
oregano and basil.

And it may be tarted up further. Two of my favourite marinades are of
the Italian dressing genre - straight and creamy.
 
MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
 
      Title: Creamy Italian Salad Dressing
 Categories: Dairy, Herbs, Cheese, Wine
      Yield: 1 1/4 cups
 
      1 c  Greek yogurt
      1 tb Red wine vinegar
      1 tb Dry white wine
           +=OR=+
      1 tb Lemon juice; Realemon is OK
      2 cl Garlic; minced
      1 tb Italian seasoning
      1 tb Dijon-style mustard
      1 tb Clover honey or other mild
           - variety
      1 tb Parmesan cheese; grated
      2 ts Olive oil
           Salt & pepper
 
  In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients until
  well combined.
  
  Uncle Dirty Dave's Kitchen
 
MMMMM

... "Eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside." -- Mark Twain
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