Ranch dressing

Hello to my two readers - I have been neglecting you quite a bit this summer, sorry! I have good reasons, I think: a) it has not been easy to find time to cook, much less blog; b) I've been making a lot of "repeats" - stuff I've made and posted about already, or slight variations of them, e.g. chana masala, chicken cacciatore, enchiladas, pancakes, noodle salad, etc.; c) some of the things I've been making are not blog-worthy (do you really need to see another sandwich I've made?); and d) it's just been too hot this summer to really get into cooking.

That said, one of my big experiments this summer has been making ranch dressing from scratch.

I love ranch dressing - the kind you buy in bottles or find at salad bars. I try to avoid it though, as I always heard it was incredibly indulgent and fattening, and sometimes it's a little too heavy. But I had a terrible craving for it this summer, and was really inspired to try to make it on my own.

As I do with many types of foods, I researched a bunch of different recipes to get a sense of what it would involve. I saw tons of different variations but essentially, it came down to sour cream (or yogurt, as you'll soon see), mayo, buttermilk, garlic, chives, and parsley.


Chopped chives.


Chopped parsley.


My preferred way of mincing garlic - using a microplane grater. It completely pulverizes the garlic. Garlic is one of the essential ingredients to ranch dressing. I never realized how much flavor it could provide. The longer you let it sit, the more the flavor intensifies too. This can be kind of dangerous too, as it will intensify on your breath as well (I had to stop taking this dressing to work for lunch as a result).


Minced shallots. Optional, but they are highly recommended in salad dressings so if I have it on hand, I'll add it to this dressing.


Strained yogurt and a little mayo. Ok, so this is where a little variation comes in. I like using sour cream, but a) I don't have it on hand very often, and b) I worry about the fat and caloric intake. So I'll get a tub of plain, nonfat yogurt and strain it (using a coffee filter). All the water is released and you get an incredibly thick yogurt - like Greek yogurt except cheaper to buy. Personally, I like the flavor in this ranch dressing. I don't go too crazy with the mayo, because of the calories, and I don't really want to taste the mayo, after all. I do find it important to add mayo though - I tried versions just using yogurt and buttermilk and found that it does add flavor and consistency.


Some buttermilk to consistency.


Salt (mostly) and pepper (a little) to taste.


I keep it fairly thick, dip-worthy. This way, it serves two purposes - as dip and, thinned out with buttermilk prior to serving, as dressing.


A turkey BLT salad...


Poached chicken and avocado salad...


And the most indulgent of all, blue cheese dressing (blue cheese added or mixed in). Soooo good.

And salads aren't even the only way to use ranch dressing. I've slathered it onto bread for sandwiches, I hear it's great for quesadillas, and I've added a dollop to some basic rice and beans.

Variations I have seen for ranch dressing add vinegar, Worcestershire or lemon/lime juice. I find these to add too much tang, but they are useful for certain types of salads that use heartier vegetables like cabbage.

As you can see, this was clearly a summer-long endeavor!

I mostly used the Pioneer Woman's recipe, with a dash of the Smitten Kitchen and the Kitchn, and a little consulting from Chowhound (the Home Cooking board has been a great research tool).