Lately, I have developed an obsession with the creaminess of avocado, so when I saw this recipe for an avocado-based green goddess dressing in the May issue of Bon Appetit, I was immediately intrigued. The fact that it was in Molly Wizenberg’s column Cooking Life only made it that much better – I love reading and cooking from both Molly’s blog, Orangette, and her book, A Homemade Life. She always has a great story with each recipe and, whether the recipe is her own creation or an adaptation, I always seem happy with the results.
The recipe did not disappoint – it’s creamy and delicious. But, as you will see from my note below the original bookmarked recipe, which I am, incidentally, submitting to Bookmarked Recipes this week (see after the recipe on how to participate), I have also made a dairy-free variation, and a slightly less complicated variation.
Bookmarked from Bon Appetit, May 2009
1/2
ripe medium avocado (about 7 ounces)3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 oil-packed anchovy, very finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon sugar
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 small shallot, finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
Blend first 7 ingredients in processor until coarse puree forms. With machine running, gradually add oil through feed tube; blend well. Transfer mixture to bowl; whisk in cream. Add parsley, tarragon, cilantro, basil, and shallot; whisk to combine. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill at least 3 hours (dressing will separate if not chilled). Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes and rewhisk before serving. Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
CGL Note: This recipe is sinfully creamy and delicious, but it comes out equally well if you omit the cream. I have made this recipe several times, in fact, and have omitted the cream after I made it according to the recipe the first time. In addition to omitting the cream, I also cut the oil by half because I like the dressing thick (it also makes a fantastic dip for baby carrots that way). Finally, all those herbs can be hard on the wallet so feel free to alter the number and balance of herbs. I really enjoyed the version where I just used parsley and tarragon and increased those quantities to make up for leaving out the other herbs.
I am submitting this recipe to Bookmarked Recipes, created by Ruth of Ruth’s Kitchen Experiments, and hosted this week by Divya at Dil Se. If you do want to join Bookmarked Recipes this week, here is all the info:
To take part here’s what you do…….
1. Pick a recipe from a book/magazine/blog/website/tv show and make it. (Note you can only submit 1 recipe per week)
2. Blog about it- include where you got the recipe in your blog post (including a link to their website if possible)- include a link to this post or this blog in your blog post- include the logo (see left) for Bookmarked Recipes in your blog post- include a photo of your recreation on your blog post. Email bookmarkedrecipes[AT]gmail[DOT]com, mentioning Bookmarked Recipes #52, with the following information:
– Your name
– The name of your blog
– The URL for your blog
– The permalink for your entry
– A photo of your entry
– A note of where you got your recipe from
The roundup comes out every Monday.
General Disclosures & Disclaimers
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this looks and sounds fantastic. i will definitely try it. once i get some tarragon i’ll have all the herbs to make it growing in my very own little garden