Light, refreshing lemon vinaigrette shines at Chophouse of Hiawassee

A: James Reaux is chef and owner of The Chophouse which has locations in Hiawassee, Lake Burton and Murphy, North Carolina. He also owns Hawg Wild BBQ and Catfish House in Clarkesville and Commerce. Reaux sent this recipe along with his photo of The Chophouse Salad. The salad is a combination of baby greens, carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes dressed with this Lemon-Herb Vinaigrette and served with flatbread croutons.

The restaurant’s recipe makes just shy of a half gallon of vinaigrette. We’ve scaled this down for home use.

The Chophouse Lemon-Herb Vinaigrette

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons honey

3/4 teaspoon minced shallot

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon chopped rosemary

1/4 teaspoon chopped thyme

1/4 teaspoon chopped basil

3/4 cup corn oil

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

In the jar of a blender, combine balsamic vinegar, tarragon vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, honey, shallot, garlic, rosemary, thyme and basil. Blend until smooth. Using the opening in the blender lid, slowly add corn oil and then olive oil and blend until mixture is emulsified. Makes: 1 3/4 cups

Per 1-tablespoon serving: 95 calories (percent of calories from fat, 97), trace protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, trace fiber, 10 grams fat (1 gram saturated), trace cholesterol, 7 milligrams sodium.