Old-Fashioned Boiled Dressing

A dressing is not a compote
A dressing is not a custard
It consists of pepper and salt,
Vinegar, oil and mustard.
~Ogden Nash

While olive oil has a long and storied past in the Ancient World, vegetable oil wasn’t a part of North American diets until the late 1800s.

Long before cooks had access to the overwhelming range of salad dressings available on a typical supermarket shelf, they were whipping up boiled versions like this old-fashioned one.

These simple cooked dressings use eggs and vinegar to create a smooth, tangy base with a texture like mayonnaise.

The sauce-like dressing is perfect warm or cold on salad, over potatoes and other cooked vegetables, or with coleslaw, eggs and chicken.

There are lots of variations: this one is adapted from the Mennonite Girls Can Cook Coleslaw Dressing.

I reduced the sugar, used cider vinegar, added a touch of pepper, and reduced the sour cream while adding a bit of buttermilk. If you don’t have buttermilk available, you can use all sour cream.

This recipe for Old-Fashioned Boiled Dressing will keep in the fridge for about one week.

Print

Old-Fashioned Boiled Dressing

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

5 mins

Total Time

15 mins

 

This tangy cooked dressing is easy to make and perfect with fresh or cooked vegetables, or over eggs and chicken.

Servings: 1 -1/4 cups

Author: Mary Gillespie

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons / 30 mlsugar
• 1-1/2 tablespoons / 22.5 ml flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons / 7.5 ml dried mustard
• 1 teaspoon / 5 ml salt
• 1/4 teaspoon / 1.25 ml ground white pepper
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup / 80 ml apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup / 125 ml water
• 1/3 cup / 80 ml sour cream
• 1/3 cup / 80 ml buttermilk

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, mix together sugar, flour, dried mustard, salt and pepper.
2. Add egg and stir until mixture is smooth.
3. Stir in vinegar and water until smooth.
4. Place pan over medium heat and bring to boil. Stir continuously until mixture thickens. This should take about 3-4 minutes. (If it takes a bit longer, don't worry. It will start to thicken.)
5. Remove mixture from heat and let cool slightly.
6. Stir in sour cream and buttermilk.
7. Serve warm or cold.
8. Store dressing in the fridge.