The Sauce: Bleu Cheese Dressing – Bleu cheesy, this dressing has bleu mixed right into the creamy sauce plus plenty of crumbled cheese for a chunky texture. It’s tangy and rich.
‘Great Sauces Transform Good Food into Gourmet’
Bleu baby bleu
Aged in moist, dank caves, bleu cheese is made with cultivated bacteria creating the blue-green veins. Very pungent and a bit salty, it has a strong, tangy flavor. It’s an acquired taste so you could start with half the bleu cheese for a mild tangy dressing and increase the amount of cheese to your liking over time. If you’re already a bleu cheese lover, this potent sauce is ready to drizzle over salads or dunk buffalo wings. At my house this dressing doesn’t last long so I love that it only takes 5 minutes to make. I keep bleu cheese on hand and generally have the rest of theseingredients, too. You’ll never want go back to bottled bleu cheese dressing again.
You might also enjoy Buffalo Wings, Park City Salad, Maytag Bleu Cheese Terrine, Bleu Cheese Ball, Bleu Cheese Wedge Salad and Bacon, Rockamole and Bleu Egg Salad Sandwiches.Click here for more about bleu cheese.
Recipe: Chunky Bleu Cheese Dressing
Prep Time: 5 Minutes | Cook Time: 0 Minutes | Yield: 3 Cups | Level: Easy
Ingredients
- 2 cups crumbled bleu cheese, divided, 8 oz
- 6 Tbsp sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 6 Tbsp buttermilk
- 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 10 chives, cut in thirds
- 4-6 grinds of pepper
- salt
Special Equipment – blender or food processor
Instructions
1 Combine 1 cup bleu cheese, sour cream and mayo in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth.
2 Add buttermilk, vinegar, chives and process.
3 Stir in the remaining cup of bleu cheese and pepper. Taste and adjust for salt if needed.
Information
Notes
Bleu is a fairly salty cheese so added salt may not be needed. Taste before salting as it depends on the type of bleu cheese used.
Purchase a good flavor bleu cheese. Top of the line bleu can be very expensive and not necessary in this dressing. Choose a variety you love that is not too waxy and not extra creamy. Somewhere in the middle works great because in Step 1, if it’s not too waxy it will process into the dressing and make it creamy and cheesy. In Step 3, if it’s not too creamy it will mix well enough to add small chunks that don’t stick together for chunky texture.
If a thinner dressing is preferred, add a little more buttermilk.
For a creamy, smooth dressing omit the second cup of crumbled bleu cheese.
Applications
Spoon over tossed green salads. Especially good on Park City Salad. Also great for dipping Buffalo Chicken Wings. Works well for a dipping sauce for vegetable crudités.
Brown a couple of pounds of bacon, crumble and freeze. For a simple dinner salad, chop some crunchy lettuce and top with diced tomatoes and some crumbled bacon. Spoon bleu cheese dressing over all.
Dish Designer
- Exchange the white wine for white balsamic, white, tarragon, red wine or cider vinegar.
- Exchange chives for scallions tops.
- Add a pinch of garlic powder.
Inspiration – Saucy Cuisine Kitchen
SaucyCuisine.com
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Written by Helen Horton
Photographs by Helen Horton
Updated: February 1, 2013
I like this dressing because it’s lighter than many bottled bleu cheese dressings but still has rich taste. You can tell it’s fresh.