Fresh buttermilk dressing takes only minutes to make from scratch–so why buy it? When you make it yourself, the fresh herbs really stand out, and there’s no MSG or calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate to worry about!
Using a basic recipe, you can also create your own signature flavors by making a few adjustments to ingredients for your summer salads. Buttermilk dressing keeps well up to 10 days, so make a double batch if you enjoy salads daily.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup mayonnaise
(use Best Foods)
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, mashed and minced
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh chives, minced
1 tablespoon fresh dill
, minced
METHOD:
In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, buttermilk, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic. Whisk until smooth. Add garlic and onion powder, salt, and sugar and whisk to combine thoroughly. Whisk in pepper and fresh herbs. Pour into a quart jar with a tight cover and refrigerate.
VARIATIONS:
- Add 1 cup of crumbled Roquefort or other blue-veined cheese. Replace dill with fresh thyme.
- Use lemon juice instead of vinegar, and add grated lemon zest. Substitute marjoram, lemon thyme, or tarragon for the herbs.
- Use lime juice instead of vinegar, and add grated lime zest, 1 tablespoon minced cilantro, and a little minced fresh jalapeno pepper for a Mexican-style taco salad with corn, black beans, corn chips, etc.
- Use 1-2 teaspoons of minced canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.
- No fresh herbs? Substitute 1/2 teaspoon of dried chives, dried dill weed, and dried parsley.
- No buttermilk? Use 1/2 cup sour cream. Thin with milk, if necessary.
