Right ranch can make salad, day perfect - JSOnline

http://www.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=Right+ranc...

SAVE THIS | EMAIL THIS | Close

Home Features Food and Cooking Food and Cooking Bio

Sandy D'Amato | The Kitchen Technician Right ranch can make salad, day perfect
Posted: Sep. 21, 2008 What are the ingredients for a perfect day? No. 1 seems to be weather. It could be sunny with a tropical breeze, or it could be raining or snowing but youre bundled up in front of a roaring fire. A perfect day usually includes friends and loved ones to share and reinforce the ultimate time. For me, food is a definite factor. Without nourishment, both solid and liquid, a sense of unrest and general grouchiness eventually would work its way into the fray. Finally, a bit of melancholy is good to balance the euphoria that marks a grade-A day. One of my perfect days occurred when I was in my early 20s. It was in the middle of the summer. I had recently become unattached after a fairly serious relationship. It was far enough in the past that I was moving on, but the melancholy certainly was still there. I was between jobs, which put me at zero on the work stress meter. I had been spending the days and evenings with my good friend Mark and his girlfriend, Sue, at her house, a large Victorian duplex near the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The days were spent listening to music, playing cards and board games all mixed together with a bit of light imbibing. On the day in question, Mark and I were waiting for Sue to get home. He said, "Grab some beers. I want to show you something." I followed him upstairs to a small window in the attic. He nudged it open and we waddled out onto a slightly

1 of 3

12/3/2008 2:09 PM

Right ranch can make salad, day perfect - JSOnline

http://www.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=Right+ranc...

precarious perch on the widow's peak. We both lay back on the warm asphalt roof, cracked open a beer, stared into the incredibly blue sky pelted with billowy clouds and talked about how good life was. This scene was right out of "The Way We Were," the one in which Robert Redford and Bradford Dillman lie back on their sailboat. I opted to be Redford (as this was my fantasy) as we waited for Babs (Sue) Streisand to get home. She finally arrived, and we went downstairs and made the most delicious dinner: incredible fried chicken. But the real star of the meal was supplied by Sue. She took out this mysterious envelope of dry ingredients, shook it into a bowl, added some buttermilk and "Oh my God" ranch dressing. Move over Thousand Islands, there's a new sheriff in town. I thought I was quite food savvy, but Sue showed me the way to the promised land. This is my tribute to the perfect day. It's the simple things.

Recipes: Boston Salad with Easy Buttermilk Herb Dressing

Makes 8 salads Easy buttermilk herb dressing (see recipe) 4 large heads Boston bibb lettuce, trimmed Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 6 to 8 radishes, washed, trimmed and cut into thin slices ( to cup) Prepare dressing and refrigerate until ready to use. Cut each head of lettuce into two wedges through the core. Wash, dry, cover and refrigerate. When ready to assemble: Divide heads of lettuce among 8 plates. Add a light sprinkling of salt and pepper and place desired amount of dressing over and around each portion of lettuce. Garnish with radish slices, then lightly season with additional salt and pepper.

Easy buttermilk herb dressing:

Makes about 2 cups 2 green onions (1 ounce), trimmed, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons tightly packed fresh cilantro leaves 1 tablespoons tightly packed tarragon leaves 2 tablespoons tightly packed Italian parsley leaves cup medium-packed dill fronds 1 cup mayonnaise (divided)

2 of 3

12/3/2008 2:09 PM

Right ranch can make salad, day perfect - JSOnline

http://www.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=Right+ranc...

2 tablespoons sour cream cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk 1 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper Rinse green onions under warm water and drain. Place with herbs in a small food processor and process until fine. Add cup mayonnaise and continue processing until well-mixed. Remove from processor and add to a bowl. Add remaining mayonnaise and sour cream and whisk until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and whisk until combined. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Refrigerate until ready to use. You will have some dressing left over. Sanford S " andy"D'Amato, chef/co-owner of Sanford Restaurant, 1547 N. Jackson St., Coquette Cafe, 316 N. Milwaukee St., and Harlequin Bakery, is a James Beard Award winner. For more information, visit www.sanfordrestaurant.com. Archives When in Rome, do as the taste buds would Cranberry tart brings meal to a sweet close Hazelnuts roasting set the heart afire Hearts melt when cheese meets bread Squash dumplings fit the season and senses Bikers in Italy take to wheels of cheese 2,000 filets gave me the willies Follow taste buds, not chef Fishing for fond memories Shrimp dish good enough for jumbo billboard Dramatic service won't upstage veal piccata Yes, folks in Milwaukee want to eat good food Ring dinner bell for Asian chops Grill tuna for a quick dinner Guess who wins in showdown between chef and popular dish? Getting to the root of a good lunch in N.Y. Scratching that 11-year itch When it comes to chowder, I'll take Manhattan Cool gazpacho stretches out summer Young chef changes rooms and his perspective

Find this article at:

http://www.jsonline.com/features/food/32531739.html SAVE THIS | EMAIL THIS | Close Check the box to include the list of links referenced in the article.

3 of 3

12/3/2008 2:09 PM