Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

We made this dressing to top our Monterrey salads last night.  Awesome -- this dressing puts Hidden Valley Ranch, my old stand-by, to shame.  We used fresh chives and dill from our garden.

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Inspired by Simply Recipes

1/2 c cultured buttermilk
1/4 c mayonnaise
1/2 tsp lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp chopped fresh chives
2 tsp chopped fresh dill
dash of paprika
dash of pepper

1) In a small bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well.
2) Refrigerate until needed.

Ghee (Clarified Butter)

Ghee is good for high heat cooking because the lack of milk solids prevents it from burning as quickly as butter.  I used this site and this site for inspiration.  Ghee is solid at room temperature and does not need to be refrigerated.  I used 3/4 lb of butter which yielded about 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 c ghee.

Milk solids skimmed off the top

Ghee (Clarified Butter)

butter (preferably organic and unsalted)

1) In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
2) Allow butter to come to a gentle boil; keep butter boiling steadily; do not stir.
3) You will notice a white foam on top of the butter and sediment settling to the bottom of the pot.
4) Continue boiling until the liquid is transparent, and you can clearly see the bottom of the pot.
5) Remove from heat; allow to cool for 15 minutes or so.
6) Skim off any foam; pour liquid through strainer into a clean jar allowing the sediment to remain in the pan.

Crockpot Yogurt

So I made yogurt for the second time today, and I'm sad that it didn't work out. The first time I used a quart of whole, regular (non-organic) milk from Wegmans because I couldn't find organic in that size. This time I used Homestead Creamery milk from Whole Foods. I bought it because it comes in a glass bottle which really appealed to me. Even though the milk is labeled "pasteurized" (vs. "ultra-pasteurized"), I found through subsequent research that they heat their milk to higher than required temperatures (170 deg vs 145 deg). I'm thinking that's why my yogurt didn't turn out this time. It makes me mad because it was a waste of expensive milk. Anyways, I will try again in a few weeks with a different brand.

The first time I made this, I didn't plan properly, and I let the yogurt sit for 12.5 hours (instead of 8). It turned out fine. I saved about 1/4 c from my first batch and froze it to use in my next batch. I read here that freezing does not destroy the cultures.

Here's a way to make yogurt without the crockpot. I think I'll give it a try next time. This crockpot recipe turned out great the first time, but I haven't been able to replicate that success for some reason.

Crockpot Yogurt

1 qt (4 c) milk (not ultra-pasteurized!)
2-3 T plain yogurt with live active cultures

1) Put milk in the crockpot and heat on low for 2.5 hours.
2) Turn crockpot off, wrap the crockpot in a few towels and let sit for 3 hours.
3) Ladle 1-2 scoops of milk from the crockpot into a bowl and whisk in the yogurt.
4) Stir the mixture back into the milk in the crockpot.
5) Wrap the crockpot in towels and let sit for 8 hours.
6) For greek-style yogurt, strain the finished yogurt through cheese cloth.