Buffalo Ranch Buttermilk Dressing
I adore ranch dressing with a touch of buffalo wings. It's cool, creamy, and has a slight buffalo wing flavor, complemented with celery!
I adore ranch dressing with a touch of buffalo wings. It's cool, creamy, and has a slight buffalo wing flavor, complemented with celery!
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 1 cup mayonnaise any kind
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup buttermilk more or less
- 1/3 cup flat leaf parsley minced
- 2 tbs green onions green parts only, minched
- 1 tbs dried dill weed or fresh dill minced
- 1/2 tsp distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp paparika
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp cayenne up to 1/4 tsp depending on your taste
- Carbohydrate 2.2496678124999 g
- Cholesterol 26.7225 mg
- Fat 20.990196796875 g
- Fiber 0.117219531267881 g
- Protein 1.440778125 g
- Saturated Fat 7.3906655625 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (74g)
- Sodium 153.667942708328 mg
- Sugar 2.13244828123202 g
- Trans Fat 1.668802171875 g
- Calories 199 calories
Step-by-step
- Pour the salt over the chopped garlic, using a knife or fork or any flat edge, smush the garlic and salt together until it makes a nice paste.
- In a medium bowl, using a whisk, mix all the remaining ingredients except the buttermilk.
- Once blended slowly add the buttermilk until you get your desired consitentency.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and if you can wait, refrigerate for 24 hours for optimal flavor.
- This makes about 2 cups of the best Ranch dressing I've ever had!
Mayonnaise forms the structural backbone of this dressing, providing the permanent oil-in-water emulsion necessary for stability. Without a heavy base of mayonnaise and sour cream, the acidic components and hot sauce would rapidly break the emulsion, resulting in a thin, watery liquid rather than a clingy dressing. Creating dressings from a thick dairy base allows fat-soluble capsaicin molecules from the pepper sauce to distribute evenly across every serving. Mashing the raw garlic cloves directly with kosher salt using the flat edge of a knife ruptures the cell walls mechanically. This technique releases sulfur compounds and allicin much faster than mincing alone, while the abrasive salt crystals grind the garlic into a smooth paste that dissolves seamlessly into the dairy fats without leaving harsh chunks.
Balancing Acid and Viscosity
Maintaining control over the buttermilk addition dictates the final viscosity of the emulsion. Pour the buttermilk in gradually while whisking vigorously so the dairy starches and fats hydrate without thinning the sauce beyond repair. Substituting heavy cream for the sour cream alters the moisture balance and reduces the necessary quantity of buttermilk to achieve pourable consistency. Distilled white vinegar provides a sharp, clean acidity that cuts through the rich fat content of the mayonnaise base.Resting for Optimal Flavor Integration
Cold-steeping the mixture for at least two hours allows the dried dill, paprika, and cayenne pepper to hydrate and release their essential oils into the surrounding fats. Extending this resting period up to twenty-four hours in a refrigerator set below 40 degrees Fahrenheit lets the garlic mellow while the herbaceous notes fully permeate the dairy proteins. Whisking the dressing thoroughly after its initial rest ensures that any separated moisture re-incorporates prior to serving over greens or fried wings.
