Bonnie: In general, the only time I add bottled dressings to my fresh salad is when I need to test them for Supermarket Sampler, my syndicated column where I review what’s new on the grocer’s shelf.
I prefer whisking together freshly squeezed lemon juice, a soupçon of a light vinegar, some Dijon mustard and some extra virgin olive oil. Sometimes I blend in fresh chèvre, and always add freshly ground salt and pepper.
So when we were asked to consider Lucini’s dressings, I hesitated. I do like their olive oil. So I thought, why not give them a chance?
The ingredients in these artisan vinaigrettes are sourced from sustainable farms and produced in small batches. And this Delicate Cucumber Shallot Dressing won the 2009 sofi™ Gold Award for best dressing/marinade at the NASFT Summer ‘09 Fancy Food Show, not only for its taste but also for its quality ingredients and packaging.
The delicate dressing is made from cucumber juice, not the fresh veggie, which works well for me as I have difficulty digesting cucumber skins or the seeds.
What a refreshing flavor for my greens!
Bryan: The beautiful thing about a salad is that it can be whatever you want it to be. I was with a friend at a sports bar recently; though I wasn’t eating, most at the table ordered cheeseburgers (what else?) except my friend, who ordered a garden salad. He was being teased for his choice until he added, “and toss some fried chicken and bleu cheese in there.” A salad still, but a salad reinvented!
Such is the nature of a dish that only requires multiple ingredients. A change as simple as your dressing choice can dramatically alter the flavor of the same ingredients. In fact, the dressing is really the most important choice you’ll make once you’ve decided upon your food mix. Adding a balsamic vinaigrette or adding a Dijon honey mustard will have very different outcomes for your creation.
Enter Lucini, a company that’s been crafting boutique Italian specialties for years, from olive oils to Umbrian lentil soup. Their newest foray into pleasing our collective palate is their line of salad dressings, with a particular flavor receiving much of our accolades: Delicate Cucumber & Shallot.
Crisp, cool and creamy are the self-described words that properly define this dressing. I find that the subtle hints of garlic and parsley play well with the milkiness of this dairy dressing, adding taste and flair to the simplest of ingredients. It’s even delicious just for dipping carrots!
Creating any bottled dressing that tastes homemade is not an easy task. Lucini Italia has achieved just that with their Artisan Vinaigrette. The entire dressing line is made in small batches, and only from fresh ingredients. The recipes drew inspiration from James Beard Award-winning chefs. Lucini really wanted to create dressings that would provide the taste and texture they desired, without the use of artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.
Lucini is another food company that is committed to supporting domestic production and sustainable local farming. All the dressings are fresh, containing no dried herbs or refined sugars. Their use of evaporated cane juice to offset the acidity allows for up to nine months of shelf stability without the use of preservatives.
Though the Delicate Cucumber & Shallot is the star vinaigrette, I would also recommend the Bold Parmesan & Garlic as well as the Fig & Walnut Savory Balsamic. Lip-smacking good!
Lucini Delicate Cucumber & Shallot Artisanal Vinaigrette won the 2009 Gold sofi™ Award for best dressing/marinade. Lucini was selected over 1200+ submissions for its great taste, quality ingredients and packaging.
Eric: I love a tasty salad dressing and, like my mother, prefer to create my dressing from scratch (the olive didn’t fall far from the tree). I have a pretty straight-forward philosophy on salad: if you’re going to go the distance and define it as I do — consisting of leafy greens and vegetables — then make sure to keep it healthy (i.e. leave out the fried chicken).
Thanks for sharing your explorations of the Lucini Italia Delicate Cucumber and Shallot dressing. It impressed me that although you all tend to concoct your own dressings on the spot, you were pleasantly surprised by your experiments with this small batch bottled dressing. I will keep my eyes peeled for it when I go to food emporia in “the lower 48” and I’d like to experiment with using it on Romaine leaves or mixed field greens topped by a grilled Alaska salmon fillet.
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This dressing is phenominal. It is the perfect balance of flavors. The best bottled dressing by far that I have ever tried. It was even on backorder from my grocery store as it sells out frequently. Usually found at more specialty grocery stores. Try it. You’ll love it!
I like to go through our canned food store, because they always have interesting items I’ve never seen before. I saw this cucumber shallot dressing by Lucini, and it sounded good, checked the expiration date and was a go.
One night I was serving Szechuan hot chili and soy/garlic marinated pork chops with rice. the hot chili is hot! So I wanted something to “cool it down”, but I wanted to keep an Asian theme going. I reached into the cupboard, pulled out the dressing, and my Good Seasons cruet. I put a tablespoon of Sesame Seed Oil in the bottom, added the bottled dressing and shook vigorously. I opened a bag of salad mix from the supermarket, snipped in some green onion tops, added a can of drained water chestnuts and tossed well. WOW! It made the plain salad taste like one of the cucumber/onion/carrot salads served in a rice-vinegar dressing they serve in Japanese restaurants! Very pleased with the results, and will be stocking up on this dressing — easy to expand, and I’m looking forward to playing with other flavor alterations (though it stands on it’s own very well). (Note: I bought my bottle for $1.50; already had the sesame seed oil, the salad mix was $1.50, so for three dollars, water chestnuts, 75cents, green onions, 75cents… so for around $4.50, I served salad to four people for the cost of one serving of this same-flavored salad at a good restaurant).