Cruets and Salad Dressing

infused olive oil and miso-sesame vinaigrette

Hello,

Cruets are containers with a tapered neck, a spout, a handle, and a stopper. They are used in pairs during communion in a Christian mass, one for the wine and one for the water.  In the kitchen or at the dining table they are also in pairs, with one typically holding oil and the other vinegar. Cruets found in middle-class households in the 19th century were often pressed glass. Molten glass was pushed into a patterned mold and the designs are smooth to the touch and the seams are often visible. The more expensive cut glass is made from molten glass and a mold, but the designs are hand carved on a diamond wheel.  My mother, who had a collection of antique cruets, would explain that you could identify cut glass by holding it to the light and seeing it refract like a prism.

Antiquing was an activity shared by my parents. Their appreciation for the aesthetics and workmanship of ordinary objects from an earlier era reinforced their interest in American history. My mother had an eye out for glass and my dad for leather. Unlike today, antique shops were not an uncommon sight, even on back-country roads. They were owned by individual proprietors that my parents frequently befriended. My parents took day trips between southern Vermont and the Catskills to visit these shops and perhaps bring home a small treasure. This is only from my limited observation, but today antique dealers band together to rent space in abandoned malls, undoubtedly for economic reasons, and that personal connection is lost. “Vintage” rather than “antique” is the buzzword, allowing all manner of periods to be sold together.

Garlic-infused olive oil is simple to make and can add maximum garlic flavor to any dish, plus it can be stored at room temperature for up to a week in a handy cruet. Place 1/2 cup of olive oil and 4 cloves of crushed garlic in a small sautee pan and warm over medium-low heat until the garlic just begins to brown and crisp slightly. Keep a watchful eye to prevent the garlic from burning and make sure you begin to warm the garlic and the oil at the same time. The process should take about 5 minutes.

Miso-Sesame Vinaigrette is a zesty compliment to a salad of crisp greens, julienned carrots, cucumber slices, and scallions, or to any combination of raw vegetables that strikes your fancy. This is based on a recipe that was originally in the New York Times by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. I substituted soy sauce for tamari, left out the brown sugar, and simplified the process, but you may want to check out the original. If you have never purchased miso before, it can be found in the dairy section of the supermarket. Just like everything else, it has become more expensive, but due to its high salt content, it can be stored in the refrigerator for one year. Do a taste test before using and add the sugar if it is too acidic for your taste.

Miso-Sesame Vinaigrette

Ingredients

2 cloves of garlic, smashed

1 small shallot, coarsely chopped

1 T. soy sauce

2 T. balsamic vinegar

2 T. red wine vinegar

1 T. miso

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 T. sesame oil

2 T. toasted sesame seeds

Directions

Grind the garlic in a mortar and pestle until it turns into a paste. Place in a blender along with chopped shallot, soy sauce, both vinegars, and miso. Blend on medium. Add vegetable oil and sesame oil. Emulsify. Add sesame seeds. Store in a cruet or a jar with a lid. Make sure that your container is large enough so that you can shake the contents before using. Keep it in the refrigerator.

Thank you for reading!

Vicki