Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Russian Dressing

I just love reuben sandwiches! Many people insist that a reuben sandwich needs to be served with Russian Dressing. Most of the reubens I was served growing up came either with no dressing or with Thousand Island Dressing. When my mom made them she used to use dark pumpernickel bread, sauerkraut, Carl Budding corned beef and processed Swiss cheese slices. I don't ever remember her putting any dressing on.

I decided to try a reuben served with Russian dressing, but the choices at the grocery store for Russian dressing we less than impressive. I did a little research into Russian dressing. I decided to make one with homemade mayonnaise. I selected a blend of ingredients that I have thought were especially tasty when served on a reuben. This is not true Russian dressing, just my version specifically designed for reuben sandwiches.

Homemade Russian Dressing

First you need to make homemade mayonnaise. It is easy, don't be scared. To warm the egg to room temp, put it in a bowl and cover it with warm water. Let it sit for just a few minutes.

Mayo:
1 egg at room temperature
1/2 T lemon juice
1 t Dijon mustard
1/4 t salt
1/8 t pepper

Oil mixture:
1/2 cup vegi oil
1/4 cup olive oil

Dump those ingredients in a blender and turn it on. Through the hole in the lid of the blender pour the oil mixture in a slow, steady stream.
Blend until it thickens up like mayo.

Now to make the dressing Russian. Dump the following ingredients into the homemade mayo, stir and chill:

1/8th cup chili sauce
1/4 t paprika
1/2 t celery seed
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1/2 T very finely minced onion
1/2 T very finely minced celery
1/2 T minced sweet pickle of some sort
1/2 t horseradish
1/2 t sugar