I love many things about the salad bar at my local bougie grocery store, but I love their lemon-tahini dressing the most. It’s rich, nutty, slightly tangy and sweet, and makes any vegetable it touches — even the driest of broccoli slaw — infinitely more edible.

Any good vinaigrette contains oil and water-based ingredients which, if we remember our basic chemistry, are not particularly fond of each other. To help these diametrically opposed partners get along and work as one, you need an emulsifier.

Every salad dressing needs some sugar. It adds sweetness, yes, but it also curbs bitterness and tames acidity, marrying your various ingredients to create one cohesive flavour profile. Maple, honey, and agave are all good additions, but they bring their own flavours, in addition to pure sweetness.