Something I learned from Andreas Viestad (author of Where Flavor Was Born) is that a deconstructed (for lack of a better term) salad dressing often works better.
Example: Take the ubiquetous cucumber & tomato salad. Make a vinegairette from lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, and salt. Try it on the salad. Then, for comparison, sprinkle the same salad with cumin, salt, lemon juice, and olive oil. You wind up with two completely different taste sensations.
I don't know why that works, but it does.
Something else I learned through the years: Most of us use far too much salad dressing. We bathe the salad in it, when, in fact, the salad ingredients should barely glisten with the dressing.
To really explore how little things can make big changes, just change the thinning agent in mayonnaise based dressings. For instance, if the recipe calls for milk, substitutute buttermilk, or yogurt, or sour cream. And a little mustard---Dijon or creole preferred--kicks up any salad dressing.
You can really ring the changes, too, merely by changing the acid. Try different vinegars, for instance. Or substitute a citrus juice for the vinegar. If the recipe calls for lemon juice, try making it with lime juice. Or tangerine. Or blood orange.
Thousand Island Dressing
2 cups mayonnaise
2 tbls tomato paste
2 tbls Worchestershire
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup onion, finely diced
1/4-1/2 cup sweet pickle relish
1 hard cooked egg, mashed
Black pepper to taste.
Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Let stand in fridge at least an hour for flavors to meld.
Cumin Vinaigrette
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tbls lime juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper to taste
Whisk together the lime juice, cumin, and salt. Season with pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.
Molasses Dressing
In a shaker jar combine 1/3 cp sesame oil, 1/4 cup lime juice, 4 teaspoons molasses, 1/2 tsp each of white pepper, dry mustard, and salt, and a few drops hot pepper sauce. Cover the jar, sahke the dressing vigorously, and pour over salad.
Parmesan Cheese Dressing
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp Worchestershire sauce
Mix ingredients.
Gorgonzola Dressing Zimmer
In a bowl mash 2 ounces Gorgonzola with a minched garlic clove. Crush together 1/2 teaspoon each of dried tarragon, oregano and basil and combine with the cheese. Work in 1/3 cup olive oil and 1 tablesoon red wine vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Combine well.
Avocado Dressing
2 very ripe avocados
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tbls balsamic vinegar
1 egg
Dollop of Dijon mustard
3-4 cloves garlic, mashed
1 tbls brown sugar
Dash hot sauce
Mash avocados. Stir in mustard and brown sugar.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, vinegar and hot sauce. Add oil in a stream, shisking steadily, until mixture is emulsified and slightly thickened. Add to avocado mixture.
If thinner dressing is desired, add more oil and vinegar.
It'll turn up sooner or later.