I'm making a salad with simply, fresh cherry tomatoes, avocado, and corn. What dressing\vinaigrette should I use for that? Thanks!

I make this combination a lot, and try to make it simple with a touch of balsamic and a good quality olive oil, fresh ground pepper and a pinch of good salt... If the ingredients are really good, I find dressing to be an overkill. And I like how balsamic adds a new dimension to the dish.

Call the tomato vinaigrette by another name, but do try it! The flavor was quite a surprise.

Vinaigrette is just vinaigrette, plain and simple; oil, vinegar, mustard to emulsify and salt. You don't need to make it more complicated than that. You can get a little fancy with the mustard but adding other seasonings other than fresh herbs, well you are swerving off the map.

What's the theme of your dinner? What other dishes are you serving and how are they flavored? Those factors contribute to your choice of dressing for your salad. You want all the dishes to harmonize.

Melissa Clark's recipe for tomato vinaigrette published in yesterday's NY Times is lush. She puts it on a bean salad, but it would go well with your ingredients as well. I made it yesterday, finished it up today and practically licked my plate both times.

Here it is:
By MELISSA CLARK

TOTAL TIME15 minutes
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REPRINTS

INGREDIENTS

1/2 pound green beans, trimmed
1/2 pound yellow wax beans, trimmed
1 overripe large tomato
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon kosher sea salt, plus more as needed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup thinly sliced pitted kalamata olives
1/3 cup torn fresh basil leaves
PREPARATION

1.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Drop green and wax beans into boiling water for 1 to 3 minutes or until just tender. Drain and immediately transfer to the ice bath. When cool, drain and dry with a towel and place in a large bowl.
2.
Cut tomato in half across its equator and squeeze out seeds (use for another purpose or discard). Using the largest hole on a box grater, grate the tomato flesh. Discard skin and transfer grated flesh to a medium bowl. You should have about 1/2 cup. Stir in vinegar and salt, then stir in olive oil and garlic. Taste and adjust vinegar and salt as needed.
3.
Add just enough vinaigrette to coat beans, add olives, then toss well. Let sit for at least 10 minutes (and up to 4 hours) before serving. Add torn basil and serve.
YIELD 4 servings

Quality olive oil drizzle, squeeze of lemon or lime, fresh ground pepper and a pinch of quality sea salt. Lightly toss and serve.
Keep the dressing simple so the fresh flavor components stand out with their own flavors.

I would go with a drizzle of olive oil, grated garlic, some fresh herbs(oregano or basil), flake salt and pepper. Simple, yet full of flavor.

I'd go for a lime juice, garlic (powder) olive oil, salt, and pinch of cumin.
And pepper to taste.
Using smoked paprika would a nice addition, as would oragano..but don't over complicate it. Use some seasoning salt instead of salt and paprika.
I'd still like the lime, oil, seasonings for the base idea.

I favor a lime viniagrette for that. Cilantro lime viniagrette; honey lime viniagrette with cumin. Jalapeno lime viniagrette.