Russian Dressing

From last week’s Beef Stroganoff recipe, I decided to share another “Russian” recipe with you although it did not originate from Russia despites its name and it is my Russian Dressing! This East Coast American creation is an incredible condiment and quite versatile as it can be used in many other recipes besides salads. I use it as a spread in Reuben and Tripleta sandwiches. There’s also another way I use this dressing and it is when I make my “Oeuf à la Russe” (Russian Eggs) as well as in many other recipes… I have to keep your curiosity going…

My first taste experience of this great dressing was when I ordered a green salad at Desjardins Seafood Restaurant located right in downtown Montréal on Mackay Street. It was my father who took me to this prestigious restaurant for the first time. In the 70s’ and 80s’, Desjardins Seafood Restaurant was one of the finest places to enjoy any fish or crustaceans that the sea/ocean could offer. It was quite an expensive place to dine and as a high school student, this was definitely not a restaurant I could have afforded. Later on though when I started dating, I went there regularly – if a guy was asking me where I would like to go that was the restaurant I suggested… Poor them! I can just imagine how much it cost…

If you’ve never had this kind of dressing, it is incredibly delicious! If I may, it’s similar to Thousand Island dressing except for a few ingredients. Thousand Island uses hard-boiled eggs, orange juice (you can always substitute lemon juice instead) and cream while the Russian dressing don’t. Now if we compare Catalina and Russian dressing, what sets them apart is that one is sweet and the other is spicy. I’m not going into too much detail here as this blog is not based on differences between these three dressings. What I’m trying to say is Russian dressing is awesome! With horseradish and hot sauce just to name a few, this is a flavorful recipe to have around.

For some incomprehensible reason, it seems that it disappeared from restaurant menus in the 90s’ therefore forcing me to make my own – homemade always tastes better anyway… Vanishing at the same time as shoulder pads and the last episode of Dallas, this lovely condiment hasn’t come back yet. I believe it is our culinary duty to bring it back by spreading the recipe around… or at least on our Reuben sandwich! Give it a try, you’ll understand why this Russian Dressing should still be popular…
Bon Appétit!

 

For ingredient amounts and much more, visit http://clubfoody.com/recipe/russian-dressing/