It's been weeks since my Sunday wasn't buzzing with business. I made sure I saved my kitchen duties until 2:00 so I could have an excuse to stay downstairs and listen to Splendid Table. And I didn't even care that it was a rerun!

Lynne did an interview with Michael Ruhlman, a smart chef who wrote a book explaining the ratios of good cooking. For example, the base for a good vinaigrette is 3 parts fat (oil) to 1 part acid (vinegar, lemon juice, etc.) I thought it was a brilliant scheme, and very easy to follow. I should never need a recipe for a basic vinaigrette sauce again!

On the website is the recipe for Warm Tomato Vinaigrette. I can easily imagine the sauce on some fresh grilled tofu. Or maybe mashed potatoes. How about you?

Although Michael says you can a fine dressing of 3 ounces olive oil and one ounce vinegar, the recipe proves that you can make it more challenging than that. Can you find the ratio in the Warm Tomato Vinaigrette? Five tablespoons olive oil plus one canola is six. Then, there's two tablespoons sherry vinegar.

6:2=3:1

Yes! It works! But here's my question: Doesn't the tomato offer a little acidic value as well or when it's warmed is it just more sweet? Perhaps one of you readers will help me understand this part. Meanwhile, I'm going to see if the library has this book.