Make your own fresh, creamy salad dressing to liven up summer
Summer is the time to improve your salad game. It is the time to keep indoor cooking to a minimum and highlight young tender vegetables, foods off the grill and all the bounty of the season. You need some solid salad dressing recipes in your repertoire—creamy and tangy, flavorful and yummy, and not too hard to whip together for lunch or dinner. Here are two base recipes, one with bacon and the other with tahini, that both have big flavor. Each can be paired with a variety of foods, and each works on a different technique: emulsifying and using starches as thickeners. Once mastered, these dressings are easy to modify, and I include suggestions for other variations such as bacon grilled scallion dressing and tahini ranch dressing. Use these dressings for sturdier salads such as spinach or kale, or shredded cabbage and carrot, or as a sauce for grilled poultry and seafood. They would also be good with grilled vegetables such as asparagus or eggplant, or even as a stand-in for a creative Caesar salad.
Creamy Lemon Tahini Dressing
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP, 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
Tahini is made from just one ingredient, sesame seeds, ground into a paste. So lus and smooth, it has rich texture and deep flavor, all from a pale golden seed. Use th and intensity of tahini for a rich dressing with surprisingly smooth texture.
Ingredients:
*1 garlic clove, finely minced
*1/4 cup water
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*2 tablespoons lemon juice
*1/3 cup sesame tahini paste
*2 tablespoons olive oil
Directions:
1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the garlic and salt. Whisk in the tahini.
2. Combine water and lemon juice and slowly add to the tahini mixture. Depending on the thickness of the tahini, more water may be needed to get a creamy dressing-like consistency. (Tahini is a starchy puree and, like most starches, will oddly thicken or clump when mixed with water. Gradually the sauce will loosen as the amount of liquid increases and incorporates into the tahini.)
3. Next whisk in olive oil.
4. Store in a lidded container or jar, refrigerated, for up to 7 days.
Variations: Tahini Ranch Dressing: Add 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon honey and a dash of Tabasco sauce. Ginger Yogurt Tahini: Substitute 2 tablespoons olive oil with 1/4 cup plain yogurt, and add 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger.
Serving suggestion: Use tahini dressings with Cucumber Mint Chopped Salad with Shrimp. For each serving, use 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce, 1/4 cup diced cucumber, 1/4 cup diced tomato, 2 tablespoons diced red pepper, 2 tablespoons diced red onion, 2 tablespoons crumbled feta, 1 tablespoon minced fresh mint, 1/8 teaspoon salt, grind of black pepper and 2 tablespoons Creamy Lemon Tahini Dressing.
Creamy Bacon Vinaigrette
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP, 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
In this recipe, the starch in the mustard and shallots help to form the emulsion, and the bacon drippings give the dressing a smooth texture. Adding oil to the bacon drippings will help keep the dripping liquid at room temperature so it doesn't become solid and greasy. It also mellows the flavor, which can get a little rich and overpowering.
Ingredients:
*1 medium shallot, minced
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
*1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
*1 teaspoon water
*1 tablespoon finely sliced chives pinch black pepper
*6 slices bacon cut into 1/2 inch or smaller pieces
*1/3 cup olive oil
*2 tablespoons sour cream
Directions:
1.Toss minced shallot with salt in a small mixing bowl. Wait a few minutes for the shallot to moisten and soften in the salt. This will help cut the heat and bite of the raw shallot and draw out moisture.
2. Whisk red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, water, chives and black pepper into the bowl of shallot. Set aside.
3. Put the cut bacon in a medium sized sauté pan on medium low heat. Cook the bacon, stirring often with a wood spoon, until fully crisped, about 8 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat. Strain bacon drippings into a medium sized mixing bowl and add oil to the strained fat. Remove cooked bacon and store in a small container at room temperature for up to 7 days. These tasty morsels are great with almost anything, but especially salads.
5. Slowly drizzle the bacon drippings and oil mixture into the shallot and vinegar mixture, whisking constantly and vigorously until all the oil has been added. Whisk in sour cream to finish dressing.
6. Store in a lidded container or jar, refrigerated, for up to 7 days. Shake or whisk before serving, and serve at room temperature.
Variations: Bacon Blue Cheese Dressing: Substitute 1/3 cup sour cream for 1/3 cup neutral oil, and add 3 to 4 tablespoons blue cheese crumbles. Bacon Grilled Scallion Dressing: Substitute 1 tablespoon chives for 1/2 bunch scallions brushed with oil, grilled and chopped.
Serving suggestion: Try bacon dressings with a Spinach and Grilled Chicken Salad to make it a meal. For each serving use 11/2 cups baby spinach, 1 tablespoon crispy bacon pieces (from dressing), 1 grilled chicken breast, 1 sliced mushroom, 2 tablespoons blue cheese crumbles, 1/4 cup grated carrot, 1/8 teaspoon salt, grind of black pepper and 2 tablespoons Creamy Bacon Vinaigrette. ■
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