This recipe was inspired by a tapa in an Andalusian bar, in a village surrounded by thousands of avocado trees. The dressing is a version of a recipe I learned from Jim Fisher at Cook in France. There, we used grain mustard and served it on a salad of blanched spring vegetables and poached eggs. I toned it down a little here so as not to overwhelm the avocados. I like this colourful salad so much I’m already imagining variations: crumbled feta cheese on top, for example.

Serves four:
Dressing
3 medium untreated oranges
1-2 tbsp cider vinegar
a cheffy pinch of salt (about 1/2 a teaspoon)
1 tsp Dijon mustard (smooth or grainy, depending on taste)
about 8 tbsp of a neutral oil such as peanut oil
walnut oil (optional)

Salad
The orange segments from the oranges used for the dressing
2 avocados
4 roasted piquillo peppers from a jar
a few walnuts
a few salad leaves

To make the dressing, wash the oranges and use a zester to remove fine strips of zest from two of them. Do this while holding the orange inside a pan so that the essential oils from the skin splatter the pan, not the air.

Cut a thin slice from the top and bottom of each orange. Then use a sharp knife to remove the peel and pith all the way round. Hold each of the zested oranges over a bowl, and one segment at a time, slice between the membrane and the flesh on either side, letting stray juice drop into the bowl. Add the segments to the bowl as they are done, then tip into a sieve over the pan with the zest in it. Set the segments aside. Squeeze the juice of the remaining orange and add it to the pan via the sieve. If this all sounds too fiddly, just go to Cook in France and get Jim to show you how to do it.

Bring the juice to the boil and simmer till reduced by half and almost syrupy. Strain into a bowl and leave to cool.

When cool, add most of the vinegar and the salt and whisk to dissolve the salt. Whisk in the mustard. Then start trickling the peanut oil in drop by drop, whisking all the time. You’ll need about 4 times the amount of vinegar, i.e. 4-8 tbsp, but once the dressing starts to thicken to the consistency of thin cream, start to taste it and don’t let it get too bland. Add a little more vinegar and/or salt if you think it needs it. It should “zing” in your mouth, without being unpleasantly acid. Finally, whisk in a little walnut oil, just enough to give it a nutty flavour. Check the seasoning again and adjust if necessary. Remember it will be “diluted” by the salad.

Just before serving, wash and dry the salad leaves and shred them into strips. Cut the piquillo peppers into dice. Halve the avocados, remove the stones, and cut the flesh into dice, then carefully remove from the skins using a teaspoon.

For a tapa or starter, put a thin layer of leaves into four small white dishes, and top with a mixture of orange segments, peppers and avocado pieces. Drizzle generously with dressing and scatter with a few halved walnuts.

Or this?

I know many people buy hollandaise in jars and OK, it’s acceptable. But it’s not true hollandaise. The real thing is easy and quick to make, and is infinitely superior. I’ve seen recipes that faff about with blenders or even food processors, but this is quite unnecessary A couple of small, heavy pans and a whisk are all you need.

A good hollandaise is a perfect blend between the smoothness of butter, the sharpness of lemon, and the velvety consistency of egg yolks. Wonderful with vegetables such as asparagus or artichokes, and with fish. Or, of course, eggs benedict.

about 150 g unsalted butter
2 egg yolks
juice of half a lemon
1 tbs water
salt and pepper (white pepper if you have it)

If you are nervous, have ready a large bowl of cold water. Reserve two cubes of butter each about the size of a walnut. Put the rest in a small pan and melt it. Set aside. In a small heavy pan (I use a tiny copper one from Villedieu-les Poêles) whisk the egg yolks for about 30 seconds. Then add the water and about a tablespoon of lemon juice. Put in one of the pieces of cold butter. Place over a very low heat and whisk constantly. Don’t try to hurry. The butter will melt, and after a few minutes the egg yolks will thicken very slightly; as you are whisking you should start to see the bottom of the pan occasionally. Do not overcook; snatch the pan off the heat and plunge the bottom into the bowl of cold water if you see any sign of lumps forming.

As soon as the egg starts to thicken, remove from the heat and whisk in the other piece of cold butter; this will stop it cooking further. Then gently and slowly pour in the melted butter in a thin stream, whisking constantly to stop it separating. Leave behind the white milk solids that have settled in the bottom of the butter pan.

Taste the sauce. You are aiming for a perfect balance between butter, egg, and lemon. You will probably find you need to add a little more lemon juice, but don’t overdo it; it shouldn’t be astringent, just slightly tangy. Then season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve warm.

Notes

• You can keep the sauce warm for a short while over a pan of hot water, stirring occasionally, but it’s really not advisable. It should be lukewarm anyway, not hot. And it only takes a few minutes to make, so there is no good reason to prepare it in advance.
• If you do manage to curdle or split the sauce, you may be able to rescue it by beating another egg yolk in a clean bowl and slowly whisking the sauce into it.

Cut the melon in half, remove the seeds, and cut the flesh into dice. Finely slice the onions and shallots. Then just put all the ingredients in a pan, and cook on a low heat for 5 minutes, crushing the melon with a wooden spoon as it softens. Then simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it reaches a jammy consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Note: I don’t think this is the sort of chutney that will keep; you need to consume it quickly, and keep leftovers in the fridge.

It may seem unnecessary to post a recipe for vinaigrette. But although I will admit to doing it myself sometimes when I’m in a hurry, putting a few ingredients in a jar and shaking it does not result in true vinaigrette in my opinion. Real vinaigrette is an emulsion with the consistency of thin cream, and a hopeful shake will not emulsify oil and liquid; it just blends them temporarily. So this is how you do it properly. It takes longer, but one benefit is that you need less of it, because it sticks to your salad leaves better!

A note on proportions: you often see recipes that specify two or three times oil to vinegar. This will be far too acid; you need to aim for 4 to 5 times. So measure out roughly that amount of oil, and taste the dressing as it thickens so you can adjust the amount to your taste.

Ingredients:
Dijon mustard, a clove of garlic, or both (see below)
vinegar of your choice, or lemon juice
extra-virgin olive oil, nut oil, grapeseed oil, or a mixture
salt and pepper

Theoretically you can make vinaigrette simply with oil, vinegar, and seasoning, but it’s a lot easier to emulsify if you start with either garlic or mustard. If using garlic, peel the clove of garlic, put it in a mortar, sprinkle with salt, and pound it to a paste. If using mustard simply put a teaspoonful (or more to taste) in the bottom of your mortar or small bowl.

Add a tablespon or two of vinegar; the classic is red wine vinegar, but I also like to use cider or sherry vinegar. You can use balsamic, but although it tastes good it does have the unfortunate effect of making your vinaigrette look like gravy. Some salads are nice with lemon juice (e.g. avocado). Stir the vinegar into the garlic or mustard.

Now take a small whisk and start beating the oil in drop by drop, as if you were making mayonnaise. I use a little oil can that drizzles the oil in a thin stream; it’s perfect for this. You can start adding it a little faster as it thickens. Taste as you go until the acidity is right for you. Add salt and pepper to taste. Done. Make sure your salad is thoroughly dry before adding the dressing and tossing to coat.

You can store leftover dressing in a jar and use within a couple of days; if you put it in the fridge it will probably separate, but shaking the jar before use will make it look presentable again.

Variation: you can make vinaigrette with single cream, replacing some of the oil; it’s less fattening (yep, cream is lower fat than oil!). In this case it’s easier to make; just mix together 1 tbs mustard, 2 tbs vinegar, 4 tbs olive oil, and 2 tbs cream. This is particularly nice on a simple green salad with walnuts and diced ham or cheese.

Put everything except the oil in the food processor, then add a couple of tablespoons of the oil. Whiz it until it becomes a paste — you’ll probably need to stop and scrape the sides down a couple of times. Then add the rest of the oil in a thin stream with the motor running, as if you were making mayonnaise. It should end up looking a bit like lumpy green mayonnaise. Serve with grilled fish (incidentally mackerel, one of my favourite fish, is excellent barbecued).

4 tbs granulated sugar
2 tbs water
2 tbs wine vinegar
1/2 pt stock
1 tbs thick-cut orange marmalade
2 large oranges
1 tbs cornflour
1 tbs water

Put the sugar into a dry saucepan and heat, stirring, till the sugar has turned to caramel — you need a good deep brown, without burning. Take off the heat and add the 2 tbs water, keeping out of range of splatters. Return to the heat and stir to blend. Then add vinegar, stock, and marmalade. Add the juice of one of the oranges. Cover and simmer gently for half an hour.

Meanwhile, shred the zest of the remaining orange and reserve. Cut a slice from the top and bottom of it and then use a sharp knife to remove all of the peel and pith. Separate into segments (do all this over a bowl and add any juice to the sauce). Put the shredded peel in a pan of cold water, bring to the boil, and drain. Replace with fresh water and simmer for about 20 minutes to soften the peel.

Back to the sauce: after the half hour is up, blend the cornflour and water, add a little hot sauce, stirring, and then add this mixture to the sauce. Stir over moderate heat until thickened, add the reserved orange segments and zest, and heat through.

100 g salted butter
200 ml whipping cream
100 g brown granulated sugar

Melt the butter and sugar together in a small pan, and allow to colour slightly, to a light golden brown. Pour in the cream, protecting your hands from splatters.

That’s it! Left-over sauce can be kept in the fridge and reheated gently.