By Memorial Day weekend. I drove to Lakeview Cemetery Monday morning with a small jar of maple syrup for my father's grave and a small bunch of lilac for Helen's. The graves are in the same plot. I touched the top of Helen's headstone with my hand the way I always do. I stood for fifteen minutes. I left.
The new groundskeeper from last year was there again. We exchanged the brief polite nod. The cemetery looked good. I told her so on my way out.
Made the first charcoal grilled chicken of the season Sunday — the Weber out of the shed, the chicken legs marinated in lemon and garlic and oregano, on the grill at medium for forty minutes with the lid on. The first grill is one of the rituals that announces the season has shifted. I ate at the picnic table on the back porch with a green salad from the first lettuces.
Bill texted Sunday evening — his first grill too, pork chops, the best pork chops of his life by his account. I told him the first grill always tastes like the best because the body has gone six months without it. He called me a cynic. I called him a realist. We are both. We have been for years.
The green salad that night was as much a part of the ritual as the grill itself — the first lettuces of the year, still tender and cold from the garden, deserving something that didn’t overpower them. This apple cider vinaigrette is what I reached for: sharp and clean, with just enough honey to round it out. It dressed that bowl the way a good condiment should, quietly, without calling attention to itself, letting the season do the talking.
Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Prep Time: 5 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 5 min | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 small clove garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Combine base ingredients. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper until well combined.
- Emulsify the oil. While whisking steadily, pour in the olive oil in a slow, thin stream until the dressing is smooth and slightly thickened. Alternatively, combine all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously for 20–30 seconds.
- Taste and adjust. Taste the vinaigrette and adjust seasoning as needed — a touch more honey for sweetness, a pinch more salt, or an extra splash of vinegar for brightness.
- Dress and serve. Toss with tender spring lettuces just before serving. The dressing will settle over time; shake or whisk again before each use. Keeps refrigerated in a sealed jar for up to 10 days.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 185 | Protein: 0g | Fat: 20g | Carbs: 2g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 148mg