NO FAIL MAYO and FRESH RANCH DRESSING?

Cooked Honey Mayo (front) and Fresh Ranch Dressing (rear)

With all this hot weather, I confess I can really only cope with throwing a salad together, grilling or BBQ-ing some chook or beef and with occasional bread of some description thrown in (because bread IS the staff of life after all!) and is the only thing to fill the hollow legs of my growing lads. But does that get me away from the Thermomix? Oh no?certainly not!

If I had a dollar for every query I get at work about mayonnaise, I could retire?(please send payment to PayPal?) I had heard of cooked mayonnaise of course, so fiddled around and absolutely wonderful success?no fail. This will also help if you are worried about the consumption of raw egg.

So first up Honey Mayonnaise?cooked.

NEED:

3 egg yolks

20g water

20g white wine vinegar

1tsp dry mustard

1tsp honey

Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste

200-250g grapeseed oil

DO:

Place egg yolks, water, vinegar, mustard, honey and salt and pepper into Thermomix bowl and cook for 5 minutes at 80°C on speed 2-3.

Allow to cool in Thermomix bowl for at least 10 minutes. Insert Butterfly and whip egg yolk mixture for 1 minute on speed 3.

Add oil through hole in lid slowly over a 3 minute period on speed 3-4.

Voila?cooked Honey Mayonnaise. This will lengthen the shelf life of your mayonnaise as opposed to the uncooked variety and I think you will find it pretty faultless. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge.

OR: Try adding fresh herbs, no more than a few sprigs. Chop first , remove from bowl and then proceed with recipe, adding herbs at the end of emulsification.

Add 1-2 anchovies, a clove of garlic and a few capers. Chop first with just a squeeze of lemon juice, and then proceed with recipe as directed.

Do I need to explain Lime Mayo? Add fresh lime juice apres mixing step but it will alter the texture.

Add 1-2 tsp curry paste of choice with first step for Curry Mayonnaise.

If you have ever been to the United States, you will know that one of the most popular salad dressings over there is Ranch Dressing. I have to say, I get it?and unfortunately in Australia, we are pretty limited in that department. I LOVE Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing and I am pretty positive there are some nasties in it, but when my friend offered me a recipe for ranch dressing, I jumped at the chance. Of course, I lost that recipe, but remembered there were Saltine crackers in it?so?my version is the fresh version; no dried herbs around here, added buttermilk of which I have surplus at the moment and creme fraiche, which is really just  a poncy way of talking about sour cream?it there anyone out there who can clarify the differences to enlighten us all??

Buttermilk Ranch Style Dressing

NEED:

2 cloves garlic

4 shallots/spring onions

3 sprigs parsley

3 sprigs thyme

1tsp sea salt

a few black peppercorns

10g Salada plain crackers (2 whole ones)

150g uncultured buttermilk (in other words, make it yourself!)

55-75g Creme Fraiche

200g mayonnaise (see above)

Sea salt to taste

DO:

Place garlic, herbs, salt and pepper and crackers into Thermomix bowl and blend for 5 seconds on speed 7.

Add remaining ingredients and blend for 30 seconds on speed 5. Place into an airtight jar and allow flavors to socialize for a few hours before using.

There you have it folks. No more skulking through customs with packets of powder to make the ranch dressing…you have it here! Fresh, delish and swish!

What is your favorite salad dressing?