Waste not want not, right? I occasionally have leftover buttermilk and wanted to figure out how to use up some of the remainder before spoilage occurs. Not one to consume most baked goods, I discarded any notion of making buttermilk pancakes or the like. But salads we eat, so The Mr. immediately thought about concocting a buttermilk ranch dressing (which BTW is also great with crudités, chips or even wings!)
At first glance you may cringe at the lengthy list of ingredients—luckily most are staple pantry items. All of the herbs we had growing in our garden, but they are easy enough to obtain from a local farmer’s market or the grocery store (or your neighbor’s garden??).
This version was found on garlicandzest.com but actually hails from a Chicago restaurant, The Publican. It’s cool, creamy, tangy, garlicky and, honestly, good enough to eat straight from the jar—but please use a spoon. Once you’ve made ranch dressing from scratch, you may never go back.
Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 3/4 tsp. white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 3/4 tsp. sugar
- 3/4 tsp. fish sauce
- 1/4 tsp. lemon zest
- 1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp. fresh parsley
- 1 1/2 tsp. fresh chives
- 3/4 tsp. fresh tarragon
- 3/4 tsp. fresh oregano
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Directions
- In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, buttermilk, garlic powder, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, cayenne, Dijon, sugar, fish sauce, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, chives, tarragon and oregano. Whisk together until smooth and creamy.
- Taste for seasonings and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Transfer the dressing to a glass container with a lid such as a canning jar, and refrigerate for several hours so the flavors can marry and the dressing thickens. Serve over salad or with crudite.
- Dressing will keep up to one week in the refrigerator.
Recipe from The Publican, a bar/restaurant in Chicago
Accounting for Taste 