MAKES ¾ CUP
When we are putting a salad of baby greens alongside smoked poultry or brined pork, we will often use this orange-infused vinaigrette. The combination of mustard, orange zest, and balsamic vinegar is very appealing.
Vinaigrettes made with fruit zests and/or fruit juices are best made just before using so their flavors are lively and clear.
Some of my favorite food photos are from the now out-of-print Time-Life Foods of the World series. It was a brave new world of ethnic cookery when they were published in the 1960s and 70s, and it is sad to see them gone.
I learned to cook out of the Chinese volume, an extraordinary combination of superlative photographs, lively prose, and tell-it-all traditional recipes. One photograph in particular stands out in my mind. It was of several women workers in a mung bean noodle “plant”—an outdoor scene of bamboo drying poles layered with silken noodles. Somehow, the half-seen faces of these peasant women shadowed by bamboo hats and flowered bandanas, and the wide swathe of drying noodles held me spellbound.
Another photo, from the Japanese book in the series, held me equally captive. It showed a persimmon tree in a snowfall, with an icy contrast of white snow, orange fruit, and black branch. These are food photos to remember: They taught me about ingredients, put them in a setting, and fueled an intrigue that will be, I suspect, lifelong.
½ cup rice bran, corn, or peanut oil
¾ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¾ teaspoon finely grated zest from a well-scrubbed orange
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
½ teaspoon soy sauce
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of Roasted Szechwan Pepper-Salt (page 5)
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Shortly before using, whisk together all of the ingredients until emulsified. Leftovers can be refrigerated, but first strain out the zest, which can grow bitter. Bring to room temperature before using and shake well to recombine.