Buttermilk dressing
The first time I ate pizza with my New York friends, I learned that Texans have a special relationship with buttermilk dressing. When the pizza arrived, I pulled a jar out of the refrigerator, grabbed a slice of pizza and drizzled some of the creamy, tangy dressing all over it.
“What are you doing?” said my friends.
“You don’t put buttermilk dressing on your pizza?” I said.
“No! That’s disgusting!” said my friends.
I shrugged and then continued to eat my buttermilk-dressing soaked pizza. And it was good.
When it comes to buttermilk dressing, Texans don’t just stop at pizza. We, of course, put it on our salads. But we also use it as a dip for our steak fingers, onion rings, fried okra, cheese fries and leftover fried chicken, among many other things.
Buttermilk dressing has long been a popular staple in a Texan’s larder. Its presence harks back to a time when dairy was ubiquitous and cheap, so it made sense to craft a dressing out of buttermilk and eggs rather than oil, which was scarce.
In the 1960’s, buttermilk dressing became branded as ranch dressing, but I prefer to call it by its proper name, especially as the stuff you buy in a bottle has almost no relationship to what you can make at home. And yes, buttermilk is indeed the star.
I was reading recipes for buttermilk dressing from almost 100 years ago, and back then it was a boiled dressing made with eggs, vinegar, buttermilk, herbs and spices. In the late 1930’s, however, both vegetable oil and commercial mayonnaise became more available and so people started using those ingredients to make their buttermilk dressing instead.
I have to say that the latter method is how I’ve been making my buttermilk dressing for years as it takes minimal effort to achieve maximum flavor. But I was curious about the boiled method. My grandma has no fond memories of the boiled dressing my great-grandmother made and perhaps the use of mayonnaise indeed marks progress. That said, I decided to make a batch of buttermilk dressing the truly old-fashioned way.
In researching recipes, I discovered that Craig Claiborne (the longtime New York Times food editor and fellow Southerner) also found his mother’s boiled dressing distasteful. No matter, I decided to persevere in making a batch.
Well, after boiling together a concoction of eggs, apple-cider vinegar, mustard, cayenne, buttermilk, and butter, I was left with a thick, acidic custard that smelled so bad I had to throw open the windows and leave my apartment for a spell. (Note to self: if both your grandma and Craig Claiborne hate something, you will probably hate it, too.)
So indeed, progress has been made by the advent of widely available commercial mayonnaise. And thankfully, making buttermilk dressing is a snap, which means that you can have it whenever the occasion arises. So go on, what are you waiting for? You just know that slice of cold pizza sitting in your fridge needs an embellishment, and nothing makes leftovers, fried foods, or salads sing like a good dose of creamy, tangy, spicy buttermilk dressing.
Buttermilk dressing
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 Serrano chile, seeded and finely diced
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Stir together the mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, lime juice, garlic, Serrano pepper, cilantro, chives, and cayenne. Taste and add salt and pepper.
I lived in Weatherford (TX) for a while before moving to Florida and back up to CT. The Pizza Place in Weatherford always included a side of creamy Italian dressing with every pizza order. Having lived in NYC and California, it was the first and only time I'd ever seen that. I thought they were nuts…until I tried it! Now when we have pizza and salad at home I always end up putting the leftover dribs and drabs of the salad and dressing on the remains of the pizza and crust…so good! (Yikes-this is like True Confessions) I am thrilled to have a really good
buttermilk dressing recipe. I love your site and writing – everything I prepare from your recipes is great!
The funny thing is that I grew up in Texas and have lived here for most of my life and never until I got married to a Yankee did I ever discover dipping pizza in ranch/buttermilk dressing. So THAT's what those big bottles of ranch dressing were for in our highschool lunchrooms!
Hot pepper flakes on the other hand…
Hello again ~ I forgot that donairs and donair sauce are mostly a local phenomenon. Donair meat is ground beef with lots of spices that is cooked on a spit, then shaved off and loaded into a warmed pita with lots of chopped onions, tomatoes and donair sauce. We make our own sauce at home – it's just sweetened condensed milk, white vinegar and garlic, but I haven't yet made a version of the meat that I am happy with. Fortunately the local pizza place makes a fantastic donair. The sauce and pizza are incredible together, and most local pizza places also serve a donair pizza. Now I'm hungry!
Farmer Jen–You're very welcome.
Twobarkingdogs–Hope you enjoy it!
Katie–Do you have Mexican crema? You could also use regular yogurt, either as is or strained so it's more thick like Greek yogurt.
AmandaG–Well, there you go–it's popular in West Texas!
Whitney–I agree, Hidden Valley Ranch is just awful.
Ann–Oh, yum! Never tried dipping pizza in blue cheese, but I bet that tastes awesome!
Jane–Now that's quite a list you have there!
Lissa–Thanks! And I've never tried dipping garlic bread into it, but that sounds fantastic!
Kelly–Glad to hear you've converted your Yankee husband to our way of eating!
Denise–Oh, I'm with you, but sadly there are those who have a genetic disposition toward disliking cilantro. Sad, isn't it?
Courtney–That brings back memories. In college we used to go to Mr. Gatti's all the time and fill up on it's all-you-can-eat pizza, drenched in dressing, of course!
Anh–You're very welcome. Enjoy!
DeceiverofMen–I have not put guacamole on my pizza, but I will be doing that STAT!
Nina–You sound like me, pizza is just a vehicle for the wonderful buttermilk dressing!
Lisa–Interesting, I guess the habit has crossed many borders.
Heidogoseek–I'm a big mayo gal myself. Don't tell anyone, but I can eat it straight from the jar.
Nikki–That sounds like a wonderful meal! And I need to figure out how to make fried pickles.
Melissa–Yep, totally reminds me of college.
Kalyn–These ingredients have your name written all over them!
Steff–It is indeed dip!
Texas John–French's mustard? Oh, my!
BHDancegirl–Thank you, and I sometimes put the whole salad on top as well. Yum!
Screwed Up Texan–That's very interesting. Hmmmmm….And a big YES to hot-pepper flakes!
Seven–Thanks for the explanation, sounds like an interesting sauce–I'll have to try making it.
LOVE buttermilk dressing. I use it on a salad from Martha Stewart with smoked salmon, bacon, avocado, and hard boiled egg.