Ranch DressingFebruary 24, 2005 I was eating at a neighbourhood restaurant the other night and I was reminded how much I used to enjoy ranch dressing. They served it on their salad and it kept me going back for more. Ranch dressing was invented in the late 1950s by a former plumber named Steve Henson to satisfy diners at his Hidden Valley guest ranch in California. He blended a dry mix of herbs and spices with buttermilk and mayonnaise. It was very popular and guests often went home with a jar of it in their luggage. One guest wanted enough to take home for a big party he was planning in Hawaii. As Steve didn't have enough jars, he mixed up packets of his mixture and instructions on how to make the dressing. Steve developed the formula and soon had a team working for him preparing it at the ranch. His mail order enterprise grew rapidly and a multimillion dollar enterprise was born. Steve and his family sold their salad dressing business in 1972 and moved on to other activities before retiring. The business continues. You can read more of the story at http://www.hiddenvalley.com. I was first introduced to ranch dressing when a fellow foodie in the United States sent me a packet of the dressing mix to try out. I enjoyed it so much she sent me her own recipe for ranch dressing. She used ordinary sour cream but I prefer light sour cream. This dressing gives a lift to a simple salad such as the rocket and yellow pepper one pictured. You can vary the flavour by blending in some blue cheese or parmesan, dried dill or fresh coriander or basil. Keep refrigerated. Ranch Dressing
Place the peeled garlic and salt in a mortar and pound it till the garlic is well mashed and the mixture creamy. Place in a large screwtop jar and add the remaining ingredients. Shake vigorously until everything is well blended. Add a little more salt if required.
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