Just 40g of crumbled Roquefort or Gorgonzola goes into Delia Smith’s blue cheese dressing for 4 to 6, stirred in last with spring onion. Before that, soured cream and mayonnaise are whisked into a garlicky base of lemon, balsamic, mustard and oil, about 20 minutes’ work with the croûtons. Crisp croûtons scattered over the leaves are her finishing touch.
She first printed it in her Summer Collection (1993), saying it’s her favourite of the American dressings she loves, and at her Fourth of July barbecue for 8 it went over cos, Webb’s lettuce and rocket with the Parmesan croûtons from her Caesar salad. By the time of her second How to Cook book in 1999, Gorgonzola had taken over from Danish Blue as the second choice, while the croûtons had a recipe of their own. What you get is thick enough to cling to crisp leaves, tangy from the soured cream and lemon, with salty, soft pockets of blue cheese.
Delia Smith’s American Blue Cheese Dressing
Course: SaladsCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings10
minutes10
minutes320
kcalSoured cream and mayonnaise whisked into a garlic, mustard, lemon and balsamic base, then crumbled blue cheese and spring onions stirred through, with crisp baked croûtons to finish the salad. It’s printed on page 163 of How to Cook Book Two.
Ingredients
- For the dressing:
40g (1½oz) blue cheese, such as Roquefort or Gorgonzola, crumbled
1 large or 2 small cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt
1 rounded teaspoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons light olive oil
150ml (5fl oz) soured cream
2 tablespoons good-quality mayonnaise
2 spring onions, finely chopped
freshly milled black pepper
- For the croûtons:
110g (4oz) bread, cut into 5mm (¼in) cubes
1 dessertspoon olive oil
Directions
- Croûtons: Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan), gas mark 5. Toss the bread cubes with the oil in a bowl, spread them out on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
- Garlic: Crush the garlic with the salt in a pestle and mortar until it becomes a creamy mass, then work in the mustard powder.
- Base: Add the lemon juice, then the balsamic vinegar and finally the light olive oil, and mix everything together well.
- Cream: In a separate bowl, mix the soured cream with the mayonnaise, then gradually whisk it into the garlic base.
- Finish: Once it’s smoothly blended, stir in the spring onions and the crumbled blue cheese and season with black pepper. Toss it through your salad and scatter over the croûtons.
Notes
- The cheese needs real character, because Delia warns that a mild blue gets lost among the other strong flavours.
- For 8 people, double everything, as she does for her barbecue menu.
FAQs
Which blue cheese is best?
Roquefort if you want to splash out, says Delia, or Gorgonzola, which crumbles particularly well. Her 1993 version named Danish Blue instead, which she also says crumbles well, and a strong Stilton would work too, which is my own call.
Whatever you pick, crumble it with your fingers rather than mashing it, so there are still small pieces through the dressing.
What salad does it go with?
Crisp, sturdy leaves, since soft ones collapse under a thick dressing. Delia says cos lettuce can take strong, thick dressings, and cos is the base of her Fourth of July salad too.
Add the croûtons at the very end so they stay crunchy. At that barbecue, the salad came before her beef burgers, the All-American Half-pounders.
How long does it keep?
Up to 2 days, covered in the fridge, which is my own guide for a dressing made with soured cream and mayonnaise. Give it a good stir before using, and keep the croûtons separate in an airtight container.
If it has thickened in the fridge, loosen it with a spoonful of milk.
Can I make a lower-fat version?
Yes, her Waist Watchers’ Blue-Cheese Dressing, from her third How to Cook book, swaps the soured cream and mayonnaise for 150g of 0 per cent Greek yoghurt. It uses just 25g of Gorgonzola Piccante with a small clove of garlic, a tablespoon of semi-skimmed milk and snipped chives, all whizzed together for 3 or 4 people.
She puts it at 34 calories a serving.
Is this the dressing on her American chef’s salad?
No, that’s a different one. Her American chef’s salad in the same book has a soured cream and mayonnaise dressing with wholegrain mustard, white wine vinegar and lemon, but no cheese in it, as 75g of Roquefort is crumbled into the salad itself with bacon, garlic sausage, mushrooms and avocado.
