About 10 years ago, I moved in with my now-husband and wanted to get everyone eating more vegetables. Knowing that carrot sticks are a gateway vegetable, that was where I was going to start my introduction.
Of course, I would serve them with Ranch.
The classic buttermilk dressing that is now famous in the United States for dipping everything into it, from pizza to French fries.
When I was a kid, my mom would make Ranch dressing back in the ’80s, with a packet, purchased at the store, from the now-famous Hidden Valley.
I could just buy the shelf-stable bottle, but after making my own salad dressings for so long, I can taste the preservatives in it from a mile away.
In culinary school, we learned to make this dressing by chopping fresh herbs, mincing garlic, then whisking it all together with salt, pepper, and buttermilk. But I wanted something even faster, that would come together on the fly, while I was making the rest of the meal.
So the thought came to me that I could ease my suffering by buying something. I ventured down to the nearby grocery store and took a look at the packet and the ingredient list on the back. And somewhere in between the MSG and the mystery “spices,” I realized that I didn’t need the packet anymore. I set it back on the shelf and came home, and this recipe is the answer.
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice or white vinegar (rice, white wine or apple cider is better, but the plain old distilled version will work too)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or granulated garlic or onion or garlic salt (just omit the regular salt)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper (You get gold stars for owning a pepper grinder, but it will still be better than the packet if you have it ground already.)
• 1/2 cup of mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream or buttermilk or any type of plain yogurt (The thicker the consistency, the thicker your final product. Sour cream or Greek yogurt, works well for a dip, and thinner yogurt and buttermilk are suitable for a salad dressing)
Mix well and let it sit, if possible, but not necessary.
You see, what I came to realize is that you can put fresh herbs in the dressing but, the main flavor components that you are looking for are coming from the pepper and salt. There might be a few bits of dried parsley in a packet or a bottle of dressing, but that’s not what is giving it the signature flavor.
Now I won’t argue that chopping fresh chives, parsley, and garlic doesn’t improve the dressing. But you can save time and improve the product considerably over the bottled version, with just a few staples in your kitchen.
Julie, I can hardly wait to make both the scones and the Ranch dressing. I learned about you from your mother. She and I are friends, and I’m her new neighbor. I LOVE your blog! It’s bright, educational, interesting and helpful to us wishing to eat simply and healthfully. Thanks, Julie.
Karen Kotoske