The Real Secret to Amazing Salad Dressings - Xanthan Gum, The Thickener of the Future

Author: Whats4Chow

Recipe type: Salad / Dressings

In today's episode we're looking at a remarkable thickener called xanthan gum. This powder is classified as a hydrocolloid, and is bipolar, but not in a bad way. Bipolar means that it grabs water-based liquids and oil-based liquids simultaneously, creating suspension.

Ingredients

Plain Simple Salad Dressing

240ml Oil (olive, sunflower or peanut)
45ml Freshly squeezed lemon juice
2.5ml Xanthan gum
10ml Mix dried herbs of your choice
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Gourmet Blue Cheese and Anchovy Dressing

160ml Olive oil
60g Anchovies in oil
45ml White wine vinegar
2.5ml Paprika
5ml Crushed garlic
2.5ml Hot English mustard
2.5ml Sugar
2.5ml Himalayan rock salt
Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco
100g Strong creamy blue cheese
2.5ml Xanthan gum

Instructions

For the first, and simplest of all dressings, add the lemon juice to the oil.
To this we are only going to add a half teaspoon of xanthan gum. The remarkable thing about this powder is that it works brilliantly with hot or cold liquids.
Add the dried herb mix of your choice.
And then a good dose of roughly ground black pepper and salt.
Zap this all with your stick blender for 60 seconds. You can do this in a regular blender just as well.
And there it is, a perfectly blended salad dressing that will not separate or precipitate, and will keep indefinitely in an airtight container, preferably refrigerated.
Next up is the best salad dressing I have ever tasted... a thick dressing of anchovies, blue cheese, herbs and spices.
Pour the lemon juice and wine vinegar into the olive oil.
Add a half teaspoon of xanthan gum.
Add the anchovy fillets with their oil.
Add the paprika, crushed garlic and hot English mustard.
Break the blue cheese into the mix as well. A strong creamy blue cheese is best for this .... Rosenberg is my favorite.
Then we'll turbo charge this all with a dash of Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco.
Zap the whole lot with your stick blender and again you'll see an instant personality change into a creamy, thick dressing.
This dressing will not separate or precipitate and refrigerator and freezer stable.
To thin this dressing, use the regular pourable dressing we made previously, otherwise use spooned in dollops over your salad.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's episode where we're making the most amazing steak using this same dressing.