Recipe: Paesanos 1604 House Salad Dressing

PAESANOS 1604 HOUSE SALAD DRESSING
Source: My SA (San Antonio), 9/22/2010
Chefs' Secrets: Paesanos House Dressing by Pat Mozersky

Dear Pat: "Is it possible to get the chef at Paesanos 1604 to share the recipe for his amazing salad dressing? It is so light and delicious. When we bring out-of-town guests to Paesanos for dinner, they always try to persuade the establishment to sell them a bottle to take home! Thanks. - R.D."

Dear R.D.: "Paesanos 1604 executive chef Clark McDaniel is known for his out-of-the-box approach to creating recipes, bringing in ingredients that often surprise, but are sure to please. And so it is with his house dressing he served only at the 1604 location. Enter the surprising note of peppadews - small chiles that resemble cherry tomatoes. They're a naturally sweet, slightly piquant pepper that's marinated in a vinegar and sugar brine. Peppadews are a recent discovery, found on the Eastern Cape in South Africa in the early 1990s. If you haven't tried them - you must. You can find them on the olive bar at H-E-B.

The chef's recipe includes egg yolks to help emulsify the dressing. Paesanos always uses pasteurized egg yolks, but the product is not readily available in our markets. It can, however, be found on the Internet. McDaniel suggests you could use Eggbeaters, although they are all egg white and do not help thicken and emulsify the dressing. Or, you could coddle the egg.

*McDaniel has also developed his own line of spice mixtures, and he uses one of them in this recipe. In a pinch, you could use Italian seasoning, but for the true flavor of the dressing, drop by the 1604 location and pick some up."

PAESANOS 1604 HOUSE SALAD DRESSING
Source: Good Taste with Tanji

"The House Salad Dressing at Paesanos 1604 has to be one of the most popular in all of San Antonio. Just in time for summer, they agreed to share their recipe with me. It's very easy to make and tastes even better on the beautiful patio at Paesano's 1604 with a nice cold glass of white wine. If you haven't been to the Paesano's at 1604, you'll love the beautiful setting, gorgeous outdoor patio, but you'll also enjoy some of the delicious special signature dishes that you won't find at the other Paesanos. Viva La Difference!"

2 pasteurized egg yolks
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey or Karo corn syrup
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp Clark Mcdaniel's Seasoning (or Italian seasoning, see info above*)
2 tbsp kosher salt
4 cups oil
1/2 cup chopped peppadews

In a blender, blend all together except oil and peppadews. Add oil slowly while blending. Add pepperdews and pulse. Check seasoning and adjust as needed.