Boiled Dressing

[ludja]

A recent discussion on people's favorite uses of Miracle Whip (here) took some interesting turns.

Some people also spoke of trying to replicate the taste and feel of Miracle Whip at home and that led to some discussion contrasting the ingredients for Miracle Whip and commercial mayonnaise. See here: click

Then I ran across a good recipe for Southern Boiled Dressing...

Coincidentally, I came across something interesting that reminded me of this thread.  I was skimming through "The Gift of Southern Cooking" by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock and was reading the recipe for boiled dressing.

A quote from the intro to the recipe:

Unfortunately, you hardly see it anymore; in the age of refrigeration, boiled dressing has largely been replaced by mayonnaise.  But it is worth turning back the clock to enjoy its creamy sweet and tart flavor in potato salad or coleslaw, in deviled eggs, on a cold pork sandwich, or even over hot boiled potatoes.

This reminded me of the uses many have mentioned here for Miracle Whip. Also the recipe has a significantly larger amount of vinegar (cider) than a mayonnaise and is also cooked as Badiane noted. The "fat" here is provided by eggs, cream and butter rather than soybean oil.

I've made a boiled dressing for coleslaw before that includes celery seeds and it is actually a favorite recipe.

Here is a version of the boiled dressing in "The Gift of Southern Cooking" with my version of the directions in case you want to try this as a substitute for purchased Miracle Whip. (The ingredients are bit more real!) I suspect the texture will be thinner than Miracle Whip so it would not serve as a substitute in all applications.

1 cup cider vinegar

3 egg yolks

2 tsp granulated sugar

1 tsp dry mustard

2 tsp all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 Tbs unsalted butter

1/3 cup heavy cream

Place egg yolks in a small bowl and mix in all ingredients except for the vinegar, butter and cream. Bring vinegar to a good boil in a saucepan and slowly whisk it into the egg mixture. Pour dressing back into pan, stir constantly and cook over medium heat until it thickens. Remove from heat and stir in butter; then stir in cream and cool. Will keep for 2 weeks in fridge, covered.

I would be curious if anyone tries this and thinks it has a similar flavor profile to MW. (One could also add in paprika, dried garlic, etc.)

←

As mentioned above, I've been making a boiled dressing with cider vinegar and celery seeds for years as my standard cole slaw recipe. In Jean Anderson's "New DoubleDay Cookbook", she refers to this as an "old-fashioned carolina coleslaw with celery seed dressing". I love it; it's creamy, tart and a little bit sweet but not overly thick and I think it makes a great classic coleslaw.

Do you still make a boiled dressing similar to that given above? What are your favorite things to use it with?

Edna Lewis, above, mentions the following: potato salad, coleslaw, in deviled eggs, on a cold pork sandwich, and over hot boiled potatoes.

[ludja]

Here is another article on boiled dressing along with a recipe: click

Salads have always been an important dish on the Southern table. A century before "green" salads became a regular element in the American diet, Mary Randolph, through "The Virginia Housewife," gave detailed instructions on making a fresh garden salad with a dressing which included tarragon vinegar and hard-boiled eggs.

The Southern states had essentially no vegetable oils until the late nineteenth century, which meant that vinaigrettes and mayonnaise were confined to the tables of the wealthy who could afford imported olive oil. Boiled salad dressings were the solution for the rest of the people, using cream or a combination of butter and milk for the fat. Similar to hollandaise sauce, it is not actually boiled, but gently cooked in the top of a double boiler.

[Megan Blocker]

This sounds really good...I'll have to try it the next time I make potato salad!!!

[ludja]

...

As mentioned above, I've been making a boiled dressing with cider vinegar and celery seeds for years as my standard cole slaw recipe.  In Jean Anderson's "New DoubleDay Cookbook", she refers to this as an "old-fashioned carolina coleslaw with celery seed dressing".  I love it; it's creamy, tart and a little bit sweet but not overly thick and I think it makes a great classic coleslaw.

...

←

The recipe from Edna Lewis (that I have not tried) uses a lot more vinegar than the version I have made from the DoubleDay Cookbook. Here are the ingredients for the recipe that I have made many times:

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp powdered mustard

3 Tbs sugar (I use less; usually about 2 Tbs; then taste at the end)

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup cider vinegar (heat to boiling)

1 Tbs butter

1 1/2 tsp celery seeds.

The procedure is similar to that described above, although I mix the eggs, mustard, sugar and salt together on top of a double boiler; then beat in the cream and finally the boiling vinegar--slowly, in a thin stream while stirring constantly. Cook, stirring, until thickened and then whisk in butter off heat.

[Ktepi]

Do you think there would be a problem with halving (or thirding) either of these recipes? I'd love to try it, but I live alone and just moved. The ingredients are cheap enough that it's not a big deal, but waste not want not.

I have some leftover roast beef for sandwiches, and a pork picnic currently slow-cooking in the oven. I'd make deviled eggs, but I just made some Tuesday to use up the last of the pimento cheese.

[ludja]

Do you think there would be a problem with halving (or thirding) either of these recipes?  I'd love to try it, but I live alone and just moved.  The ingredients are cheap enough that it's not a big deal, but waste not want not.

I have some leftover roast beef for sandwiches, and a pork picnic currently slow-cooking in the oven.  I'd make deviled eggs, but I just made some Tuesday to use up the last of the pimento cheese.

←

I'm not sure if that would be a little tricky--i.e. if you halved 'my' recipe there would only be one egg... This recipe, which is smaller than Lewis', dresses one medium-sized cabbage, about six servings. You could also shred some cabbage and make up some slaw with the leftover sauce. It will keep for at least five days or so... The call is up to you; it might work.

The consistency you are looking for after cooking the sauce over simmering water in a double boiler and before taking it off the heat is that of a stirred custard, or the proverbial, "coats the back of clean spoon". I dip the spoon into the sauce and then use my pinky finger to draw a line on the back of the spoon. If it has enough thickness to leave a clean path, then it is thick enough. It is a balance between 'thick enough' and 'not too thick' that is easy to determine after a few times or if you've made pouring custard before.

You may or may not want the celery seeds depending on your application and as mentioned, I go lighter on the sugar because I don't like too much sweetness in the finished sauce. You can always add more in later if you like.

Edited June 8, 2006 by ludja (log)

[divalasvegas]

Hi ludja. Thanks for all of the detective work on boiled dressing. I agree that this dressing would be fantastic for potato salad, deviled eggs, etc. But the more I look at the ingredients and recipe, I think this would make a fantastic dressing for ham salad. It's also got me craving something I haven't had for a while: a chef's salad, homemade with really good meats and cheeses. I think this dressing would match perfectly.

[moosnsqrl]

A recent discussion on people's favorite uses of Miracle Whip (here) took some interesting turns.

Some people also spoke of trying to replicate the taste and feel of Miracle Whip at home and that led to some discussion contrasting the ingredients for Miracle Whip and commercial mayonnaise.  See here: click

Then I ran across a good recipe for Southern Boiled Dressing...

Coincidentally, I came across something interesting that reminded me of this thread.  I was skimming through "The Gift of Southern Cooking" by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock and was reading the recipe for boiled dressing.

A quote from the intro to the recipe:

Unfortunately, you hardly see it anymore; in the age of refrigeration, boiled dressing has largely been replaced by mayonnaise.  But it is worth turning back the clock to enjoy its creamy sweet and tart flavor in potato salad or coleslaw, in deviled eggs, on a cold pork sandwich, or even over hot boiled potatoes.

This reminded me of the uses many have mentioned here for Miracle Whip. Also the recipe has a significantly larger amount of vinegar (cider) than a mayonnaise and is also cooked as Badiane noted. The "fat" here is provided by eggs, cream and butter rather than soybean oil.

I've made a boiled dressing for coleslaw before that includes celery seeds and it is actually a favorite recipe.

Here is a version of the boiled dressing in "The Gift of Southern Cooking" with my version of the directions in case you want to try this as a substitute for purchased Miracle Whip. (The ingredients are bit more real!) I suspect the texture will be thinner than Miracle Whip so it would not serve as a substitute in all applications.

1 cup cider vinegar

3 egg yolks

2 tsp granulated sugar

1 tsp dry mustard

2 tsp all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 Tbs unsalted butter

1/3 cup heavy cream

Place egg yolks in a small bowl and mix in all ingredients except for the vinegar, butter and cream. Bring vinegar to a good boil in a saucepan and slowly whisk it into the egg mixture. Pour dressing back into pan, stir constantly and cook over medium heat until it thickens. Remove from heat and stir in butter; then stir in cream and cool. Will keep for 2 weeks in fridge, covered.

I would be curious if anyone tries this and thinks it has a similar flavor profile to MW. (One could also add in paprika, dried garlic, etc.)

←

As mentioned above, I've been making a boiled dressing with cider vinegar and celery seeds for years as my standard cole slaw recipe. In Jean Anderson's "New DoubleDay Cookbook", she refers to this as an "old-fashioned carolina coleslaw with celery seed dressing". I love it; it's creamy, tart and a little bit sweet but not overly thick and I think it makes a great classic coleslaw.

Do you still make a boiled dressing similar to that given above? What are your favorite things to use it with?

Edna Lewis, above, mentions the following: potato salad, coleslaw, in deviled eggs, on a cold pork sandwich, and over hot boiled potatoes.

←

Wow, I just made Ms. Lewis' recipe and it's too tart for my yankee palate. Whew! I'm going to take half of it and try to tame it into submission for a slaw I'm taking to some neighbors.

[ludja]

I wonder how it woudl tame down just by mixing and mellowing with the slaw? Good for you for tyring it!

The Jean Anderson recipe I've made uses proportionallly less vinegar but I may try Edna Lewis' recipe next time for comparison.

[ludja]

Googling and reading around I've found that the sauce was also used around other places. It's common in Amish cooking and was also in general cookbooks from the late 1800's. Perhaps the cider vinegar is a more Southern touch.

I guess it really must be buried in old-style Southern cooking though. I thought the topic would provoke more comments from our Southern contingent.

[suzilightning]

i've been making coleslaw with a cooked dressing for years. it comes from The Old-Fashioned Cookbook by Jan McBride Carlton it uses equal parts sugar, water and cider vinegar(1/2 cup), 1 Tbsp cornstarch, t tsp dry mustard, 1 tsp salt, 1 beaten egg and 1 Tbsp butter. i have added 1/2 tsp celery seed to it. you combine sugar, cornstarch, mustard and salt in a saucepan. stir in everything except the butter and celery seed an cook until thickened. stir in the butter and celery seed and chill.

[shugga]

We just had a Labor Day picnic in our neighborhood and they had it catered. The gentleman came with his huge smoker and made a pig and some sausage. His wife made the best cole slaw. When I went back for seconds and complimented her on it, she told me the recipe was from Betty Crocker. So I dug out my old BC cookbook and found this recipe for the dressing.

Creamy Boiled Dressing

1/4 cup sour cream

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp. vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. dry mustard

dash of freshly ground pepper

pinch of dill seed

Mix ingredients in top of double boiler. Cook over hot water until mixture begins to thicken, stirring constantly. Cool. Store in covered jar in refrigerator.

Makes 1/3 cup.

Guess you could double the recipe if needed. This was from a Betty Crocker cooking for 2 book.