Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Homemade Ranch

I love ranch dressing, especially the homemade ranch that most restaurants serve. It is slightly thick yet thin and runny all at the same time and the taste, oh my the taste is amazing compared to the bottled stuff. I just love ranch, I swear it is an all purpose condiment. You can dip burgers and fries in it, you can dip pizza crust or breadsticks in it and most important it makes almost any veggie edible. ;) Chelle showed me this recipe a few days ago and I decided that after trying every bottled ranch dressing I could find in the stores and having not loved any of them I just knew I had to try and make it.


For this recipe I used parsley and a pinch of dill for the herbs. I omitted the scallions and added a dash of onion powder. The results were great, but not quite what I think of as ranch. I am not sure what but it just seemed to be missing something. It was also a little more runny than I would have liked so next time I would thicken it up with some sour cream or more mayonnaise. I shall now continue on my quest for the perfect homemade ranch. :)



New Fashioned Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Source:
Prudence Pennywise

Ingredients
2 small cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mayonnaise, or whole milk yogurt
1 cup low fat or fat free buttermilk
Juice of one whole lemon
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro (parsley, basil, or dill also work well)
2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Dash of cayenne or chipotle chili powder, or other spicy chili powder

Directions
You can make this in the blender by processing all ingredients until smooth, or follow the directions below.

In a small bowl, mash garlic and salt to form paste. Stir in mayonnaise and buttermilk, whisking until smooth. Add in lemon juice, cilantro, scallions, pepper, and chili powder. Taste dressing and adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Storage
Dressing will keep for two weeks in the fridge, if you are careful not to dip in a finger-good luck with that!

14 comments:

What's Cookin Chicago said...

Hope you find your perfect ranch dressing!

Anonymous said...

I'm the same way about ranch dressing ... I bought some of the Original Hidden Valley the other day cause I was craving it so bad, but it's not quite right! I'll probably try this one since I've seen it floating around ... thanks!

Anonymous said...

Have you tried Pioneer Woman's Ranch dressing recipe?? It is delicious. Not exactly like restaurant ranch, but it is really good!

Anonymous said...

Yum! I love a good ranch! I personally like Pioneer Woman's version.

That Girl said...

I think its so cool that you're making your own ranch!

Anonymous said...

I share your love of restaurant ranch, I am going to have to try this!

Maryanna said...

I love ranch dressing. This recipe looks like one worth trying.

Cassi said...

Call Hacienda... Ask for their recipie! Better yet, I'll ask rebecca... since she works there. Their ranch is the BEST!!!!!!!

I saw your picture.... when did you start liking cucumbers? UGH

giz said...

I like to see exactly what's in the dressing and I can totally see enjoying this with the lower fat options. Great job.

Anonymous said...

Have you tried making it from the Hidden Valley packets, milk and mayo? That's my fav! Good luck in your quest.

Suze said...

I LOVE homemade ranch. I've been wanting to make some..thanks for the post!

Megan said...

I made this last week, and I found it too garlicky and too thin - it was more like dip than dressing. That being said, it was still good, just not quite "ranch".

Anonymous said...

I've been wanting to try this exact recipe! :) Thanks for the review!!

Mary Ellen said...

I love restaurant ranch too! This looks great. Did you use the fat free or low fat buttermilk?