White French Salad Dressing

Around Christmas, my business partners and I took ourselves out to dinner.  We chose an upscale, local restaurant that has been around since the dawn of time.  They charge way too much for a tiny steak, but it's 5 minutes away and we can't afford to eat there any other time.

I quickly decided upon the Chicken Parmesan, which only came with a small side salad.  There was a wedge salad on the menu that included all that good stuff like sourdough croutons, bacon, blue cheese, and other goodness.  I had to have it.  It came with White French Dressing.  I am a Ranch girl at heart (or the occasional sweet and sour), so I asked for the dressing to be put on the side.  I asked for a side of Ranch too, in case I didn't like the White French.  Honey, let me tell you how good that dressing was!  If it wouldn't have been a classy establishment, I probably would have licked the dressing cup!  I assumed the primary ingredient was crack because it was downright addictive.

I've thought about that dressing a lot since then.  I may have even dreamed about it.

I recently mentioned that we decided upon a venue for our May banquet.  It's that restaurant.  As overpriced as the restaurant was, the banquet meals are actually quite reasonable.  When my mom and I had lunch there, we asked if the White French was an option for the banquet.  She explained that it's homemade by the chef, so she would see if he was willing to make that large of a quantity.  We told her how much we loved it and complimented it greatly.  "Oh it's just Hellman's mayonnaise...." and she started LISTING the ingredients!  My eyes widened and I tried my very best to memorize them.  I came home and Googled recipes, looking for something close that could give me and idea on measurements.  No such luck.  I decided to buy what I needed and give it a try on my own.

Today, I sat down at the computer and Googled it again.  My second hit seemed to find the perfect recipe!  It lined up perfectly with the ingredients she mentioned.

1 C Hellman's mayonnaise
1/4 C grated onion
1 t Dijon mustard
1 T plus 2 t white vinegar
1 T plus 1 t sugar

Place mayo in a bowl.  Grate onion, then mince by hand.  Measure onion; add to mayo.  Add remaining ingredients and stir well.  Refrigerate overnight.  Makes 1 cup.

I couldn't wait for it to sit overnight, so I indulged right away.  I'm watching calories, so I tried not to use too much.  But what I had was very tasty!  If you're in the mood to try your hand at homemade salad dressing, give this one a try.  It's quite simple.

Anyone ever heard of White French before?  Let me know if you ever decide to try this recipe!

(Note:  With any recipe I make, I typically cut down on onions.  I only used 1/8 C and can't imagine using any more.  I also added a pinch more sugar.)