Thursday, July 7, 2016

Steakhouse-style blue cheese dressing

Steakhouse style blue cheese dressing with big chunks of bleu cheese


One of the reasons I decided to try a low-carb diet when it was time to improve my health (although I hate that word, diet, so let's call it a low-carb style of eating) is that I cannot live without blue cheese dressing.

This is not hyperbole.

The first time I tasted blue cheese dressing on a salad I was nine. It was late winter. My parents had decided to drive the family out to the east end of Long Island for a seafood dinner, so maybe we were in Greenport, or Orient Point, or even Montauk.

I'm not sure what prompted me to order blue cheese dressing for my salad. But with my first bite, these words formed clearly in my pre-adolescent brain:

I can't live without this.


I don't ever recall a stronger reaction to a taste. Not before that day, and not since.

Ever since I committed to myself that I was going to get healthier, I have been packing raw vegetables in my lunchbox every day, along with a container of this homemade blue cheese dressing. I love to dip. Lettuce, cucumber, radishes, carrots, bell peppers, celery, kohlrabi, cherry tomatoes: They all taste better dunked in blue cheese dressing.

This easy recipe takes less than five minutes to put together. The key is to let it sit overnight. It's much, much better after a rest in the refrigerator.



print recipe

Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing
This steakhouse-style blue cheese dressing is packed with umami-rich chunks of pungent blue cheese. Let it rest in the refrigerator overnight for maximum flavor. This makes a very thick dressing - if you prefer a thinner consistency, add a little water or heavy cream.
Ingredients
  • 1 pint (2 cups) sour cream
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about half a lemon), or to taste
  • a few dashes hot sauce, like Tabasco
  • 1 Tablespoon Asian fish sauce (can substitute Worcestershire sauce)
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
  • 12 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
Instructions
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, hot sauce, fish sauce, and pepper. Add the crumbled blue cheese and stir to combine, mashing the cheese with the back of your spoon if the chunks are too big.Transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate overnight before serving.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 4 cups


This thick, chunky homemade blue cheese dressing makes the perfect umami-rich dip for raw vegetables or salad

5 comments:

  1. WOW! I am enjoying your posts so much and drawing inspiration as well. I have recently started eating differently and with care, and working on my health in numerous ways, and these have been such a gift. This one in particular --- making this for sure.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I also love blue cheese dressing and will definitely try this! Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Intrigued by the addition of fish sauce!

    ReplyDelete
  4. You are rockin' my world with the fish sauce in here.

    ReplyDelete