gourmet babble

• 2 shallots, peeled and halved
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 5 - 8 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp dried tarragon
• 1/8 - 2+ tsp black or mixed pepper, ground

Preheat oven to 375°. Place the halved shallots onto a piece of aluminum foil. Add a teaspoon of oil and season to taste with pepper. Wrap up the shallots and cook in the oven for 45 minutes. (This can be done a day or two in advance.)

Using a food processor or blender add all remaining ingredients and pulse until smooth. You can keep adding oil until you reach the desired oil/vinegar balance, though be careful not to take the oil too far or you'll lose the emulsion. When done, pour the dressing into a jar and refrigerate until ready to use.

Notes: This is from a recipe that already has vanished from the internet (ah, the transience of the web). The sodium here is almost completely from the prepared Dijon mustard, so by choosing different brands, styles, and amounts of mustard, you can greatly vary the overall content. The "book" value per serving was 48mg of sodium; my calculations pegged it anywhere from 20mg to 60mg depending on how much dressing you like to use (I love vinegar, so I'm a dressing fiend; it's one reason I try to be very conservative with sodium in my dressings).