Croutons and the Best French Dressing

A couple techniques to try next time you're stumped for a way to dress a salad of simple greens (we had rocket, pea shoots and watercress).

For the dressing:

1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced fine
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil

Place in a jar and shake until blended.

For the croûtons:

Thickly cubed bread, crusts removed
Clarified butter
Salt to taste

Dry the bread out in a slow oven. This should take about 20 minutes at 225 degrees F.

Heat a generous amount of clarified butter over moderate heat in a heavy frying pan. Toss the croûtons in and cook until nicely browned. Toss in salt and remove to a bowl for serving.