It was so nice to come home tonight to dinner cooking. I do love a man who can cook! And Victor can definitely cook.
I’ve mentioned many times that a little twist is all it takes to go from simple to sumptuous. It’s that little bit of unexpected. Victor pulled that one off tonight with a roasted garlic vinaigrette to go atop a simple pork tenderloin. The concept came from Giada but the execution was pure Victor.
Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette
Roasted Garlic:
- 2 heads garlic
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
Slice garlic heads in half through equator. Place cut-side up on a square of foil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fold foil up to fully enclose garlic and roast at 350° for about an hour – or until garlic soft and golden brown. Cool.
Vinaigrette:
- Roasted garlic
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp water
- salt and pepper, to taste
Squeeze garlic into blender. Add Italian seasoning, sugar, vinegar, and 2 tbsp water. Blend well. With machine running, add olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Taste for seasoning and add salt & pepper, as desired.
It really did come out good. Roasted garlic is one of the nectars of the gods and when it’s blended with good balsamic vinegar and good olive oil, there’s just no stopping it! I first questioned why it needed additional sugar when roasted garlic and balsamic have a sweetness to them, already, but I think the pinch of sugar helps to pull the two somewhat-conflicting sweetnesses together. Whatever the reason, it worked.
It made a cup and a half of dressing and we really only used a couple of tablespoons at the most, so the rest went into the ‘fridge for salads later this week.
Yes, it definitely worked.