Roquefort Salad Dressing Recipe – A Classic Stinky Cheese Salad Dressing
Suzy F. emailed and asked if I had a good Roquefort salad dressing recipe. The recipe below is a classic and easy to prepare at home.
Roquefort cheese is a type of blue cheese made from sheep’s milk, originating from the region of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in France. It is one of the world’s best-known blue cheeses, with a distinct tangy flavor and characteristic blue veins running throughout.
Roquefort cheese is aged in natural limestone caves, where the unique mold Penicillium roqueforti naturally occurs. This mold gives Roquefort its signature blue-green veins and contributes to its complex flavor profile.
Roquefort is often enjoyed crumbled over salads or as a flavorful addition to various dishes. It has protected designation of origin (PDO) status in the European Union, meaning that only cheese produced in certain regions of France and according to specific methods can be labeled as Roquefort.
Why Roquefort Cheese Is Great In Salad Dressings
Roquefort cheese is often used in salad dressings because of its unique flavor profile and texture, which can elevate the taste of salads in several ways:
- Distinct Flavor: Its bold and tangy flavor with complex undertones adds depth and richness to salad dressings. Its characteristic sharpness can balance out the flavors of other ingredients in the dressing, creating a well-rounded taste.
- Creamy Texture: Roquefort cheese’s creamy texture allows it to blend smoothly into salad dressings, giving it a luxurious and velvety consistency. This texture helps to coat the salad ingredients evenly, enhancing the overall mouthfeel of the dressing.
- Umami Boost: It contains naturally occurring glutamate compounds contributing to its flavor. Adding Roquefort to salad dressings can enhance the savory taste of the dressing, making it more satisfying and flavorful.
- Contrast with Sweet or Fruity Ingredients: Roquefort cheese’s tangy and salty notes can complement and contrast with sweet or fruity ingredients commonly found in salads, such as fresh fruits, candied nuts, or honey-based dressings. This creates a harmonious balance of flavors in the salad.
- Versatility: Roquefort cheese can be used in various types of salad dressings, from creamy blue cheese dressings to vinaigrettes. Its versatility allows for experimenting with different flavor combinations, making it suitable for various salad recipes.
Other Ingredients
Buttermilk
Buttermilk is a tangy and acidic dairy product that is commonly used in cooking and baking. Traditionally, buttermilk was the liquid left over after churning butter from cream. Nowadays, it is typically made by adding a bacterial culture to low-fat milk, which ferments the lactose and produces lactic acid, giving buttermilk its characteristic tangy flavor.
Buttermilk has a thick consistency and a slightly sour taste, making it a versatile ingredient in savory and sweet dishes. It is commonly used in marinades and brines to tenderize meat and add flavor. It can also be used as a base for salad dressings, soups, and sauces or enjoyed on its own as a refreshing beverage.
Buttermilk is also valued for its nutritional benefits. It is rich in calcium, protein, and probiotics, which promote gut health and digestion. Additionally, buttermilk is lower in fat and calories than whole milk, making it a healthier option for those watching their calorie intake.
Sour Cream
Sour cream is a versatile dairy product renowned for its tangy flavor, creamy texture, and culinary versatility. Produced through the fermentation of regular cream with lactic acid bacteria, sour cream has been a staple in cuisines worldwide for centuries. Its rich and creamy consistency makes it a popular ingredient in savory and sweet dishes. Its smooth texture and tangy flavor make it an excellent base for dips, dressings, and sauces, adding depth and richness to recipes.
Sour cream comes in various fat content levels, ranging from full-fat to reduced-fat and fat-free options, allowing for flexibility in dietary preferences and culinary applications. Additionally, it can be easily flavored or seasoned with herbs, spices, or citrus zest to create customized dips or spreads.
Beyond its culinary uses, sour cream also offers nutritional benefits. It contains essential nutrients such as protein, calcium, and vitamin B12. However, due to its relatively high-fat content, moderation is key.
Tabasco Sauce
Tabasco sauce is a popular and iconic hot sauce known for its bold flavor and fiery heat. Originating from Avery Island, Louisiana, Tabasco sauce has been produced by the McIlhenny Company since the mid-1800s, making it one of the oldest hot sauce brands in the United States.
The key ingredient in Tabasco sauce is tabasco peppers (Capsicum frutescens), which are aged in wooden barrels with salt for up to three years before being mashed and strained to extract the flavorful pepper mash. The resulting liquid is mixed with vinegar and aged for another period to develop its signature flavor profile.
Tabasco sauce is characterized by its intense heat and tangy, vinegary flavor. It adds a fiery kick to various dishes, including soups, stews, sauces, marinades, and Bloody Mary cocktails. Tabasco sauce is also commonly used as a condiment to enhance the flavor of foods such as pizza, tacos, eggs, and burgers.
Worcestershire Sauce
Worcestershire sauce is a complex and flavorful condiment with a rich history dating back to the 19th century. Originating from Worcester, England, Worcestershire sauce is a fermented liquid condiment created by the chemists John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins.
Legend has it that the duo initially made the sauce as an attempt to replicate a recipe brought back from India by Lord Sandys, a former governor of Bengal, but upon tasting it, found it unpalatable. They set the barrels aside in their cellar, where they aged and fermented for two years, after which the sauce had developed its distinctive flavor profile.
This versatile condiment is used in a wide range of culinary applications. It is commonly used as a flavor enhancer in savory dishes such as stews, soups, marinades, sauces, and gravies. Worcestershire sauce adds depth and complexity to dishes, balancing sweetness with acidity and hinting umami richness.
Roquefort Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
- 1½ cups mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon Tabasco
- 5 ounces Blue Cheese Roquefort or some other style
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients except for the cheese in a bowl and whisk them until smooth.
- Crumble in the blue cheese and mix together gently if you like clumps of cheeses in your dressing or more aggressively if you like it more smooth.If you want it really smooth, you may want to combine everything in a blender but I think you lose the mouth feel when you lose the texture from the chunks of blue cheese.
- Taste and adjust seasonings with a little salt & pepper.
- Serve on greens or try it on grilled chicken breasts. I bet it would work well with steamed or grilled vegetables like asparagus.
9 Responses
This reminds me so much of the old Chart house Blue cheese recipe. If I had some buttermilk I would try it tonite!! Could you use Plain Yoghurt instead of Sour cream, or no?
Thnx
R
it works well
Made this today. Turned out great. Best BC dressing ever.
This is really good on leftover Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches–rye bread with tomato, lettuce and onion!
Great recipe loved it on fresh greens with black olives and mozzarella cheese
Hey Brock, thanks for letting me know how you served it. – RG
WOW! This Recipe sounds excellent,I’m so EAGER to try it! Hmmm…. i agree with the author to possibly use a less Expensive Blue cheese,Because the DELICIOUS RoQuefort WILL lose Much of its “FLAVOR” when synthesized with the various other ingredients,then You could CRUMBLE More of the DELICIOUS Roquefort on top of your Salad or other Items.THNX!
You are welcome. – RG
G.Bush administration, because of European Union’s refusal to use our beef,
socked a 300% tariff on Roquefort Chees
then, Obama adm. brought it back to 100%…but it’s still too expensive…I can not find it in Phoenix.
WOW!
I have some leftover Butttermilk from a fried chicken dinner prep. I also have everything else needed in the refrigerator (how often does THAT happen)! Looks like tonights dinner will be a lettuce wedge salad with Tuna and this dressing.
YUM!
This is a fantastic recipe. I’ve made this 3 times in the last 2 weeks! I’ve up’d the amount of the Roquefort cheese to 6 oz. or so, as we love this cheese. And for ease of making and consistency, the sour cream measures out to 60g. and the mayonnaise to 312g.