Vinaigrette

I don’t remember where I learned this one, but it never fails to bring raves.  I've had to give this simple recipe to numerous friends.

Put a large pinch of kosher salt in the bottom of a wooden bowl. Slice up one large or two small cloves of garlic and place on top of the salt. Use a hefty and narrow-tonged fork or even a mortar to crush the garlic well into the salt … making into a paste. Add a good dollop of Dijon mustard and the juice of one-half a juicy lemon (or all the juice of a not-so-juicy lemon). I also like to add a big splash of good red-wine vinegar now. Mix it well with a fork adding about 3 or 4 turns of a pepper mill. If you must add an herb, try chervil ... about 1/2 a tablespoon.  Next drizzle in about 4 or more tablespoons of good extra-virgin olive oil, mixing all the while with the fork to create a creamy emulsion.

The actual salad contents can vary greatly, but how about a package of mesclun-mix greens, a bunch of halved cherry or grape tomatoes and three sliced-up scallions? And maybe even some crumbled up blue cheese?