The fourth time was the charm. You know the saying “if at first you don’t succeed, try try again”? That so very much applied to what should have been a simple task. Homemade dressings are, to me, very easy to make. There are basic formulas for vinaigrettes or creamy ones. I swap out flavors, adjust for texture, and create new ones in a jiffy. Not so much this time. I kept on, worked through it, and Meyer Lemon Tahini Dressing finally made it as a recipe to share.
What happened with the failures? Before I get to that, I should say my main flavor component to work with was tahini. The kind folks at Soom Foods saw my Double Chocolate Tahini Swirl Brownies and sent a jar of their tahini for me to try. It’s the smoothest and best tasting I’ve had to date. The texture called out to be a part of a dressing.
Yogurt came to mind first. A thick and creamy dressing that would coat and pair up with greens like arugula was the plan. I wanted a freshness aspect so I decided on cilantro because fresh herbs are the bomb in dressings. I mixed up the ingredients and gave it a taste. Awful. Beyond awful actually. I couldn’t pour it down the drain fast enough.
Spices were my next option. Two batches only resulted in more awfulness. I started to get discouraged. I left it for a few days. Then on my next trip to the grocery store I spotted meyer lemons. The lightbulb went off. Last year I made a creamy lemon tahini dressing and knew lemon and tahini were a great match. This time I decided to go with a simpler version. You will see there are only a few ingredients whisked together in a bowl.
How is the meyer lemon tahini dressing? It’s creamy without any sort of dairy. It’s nutty without nuts. A touch of ginger and garlic in the background enhance the sesame flavor. There is honey for sweetness. It definitely stands up to mixed greens including bitter or peppery ones like arugula. All the failures lead to such a success. This is one dressing I’ll make often. I’m only sad I went through almost the whole jar of tahini in the process. Oh well, that can be easily solved with ordering Soom tahini on Amazon (affiliate link). Now answer this question for me: what was the last failure you worked through to success?
Meyer Lemon Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons meyer lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons well-stirred tahini
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger paste or grated fresh ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
Instructions
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Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl until well combined.
Recipe Notes
Meyer Lemon Tahini Dressing is easy to make, full of flavor, and wonderful on a salad of mixed greens or arugula. It's nutty with the brightness of citrus.
Disclosures: I received a jar of tahini from Soom Foods at no charge. I was under no obligation to post a review. All opinions are my own unless otherwise stated or contained within a guest post. This post contains an affiliate link to Amazon.
Lauren @ Sew You Think You Can Cook
Sunday 8th of February 2015
Made this tonight. We loved it! Thanks for sharing. :)
Renee
Tuesday 10th of February 2015
I'm so thrilled to know you loved it. Thank you ever so much for coming back here and letting me know.
Kelli's Kitchen
Sunday 11th of January 2015
I finally found a tahini I like and with the addition of Meyer lemons, which I love, this dressing sounds wonderful!
Stacy
Sunday 11th of January 2015
Your dressing looks and sounds absolutely wonderful, Renee! I always have tahini on hand but I may have to make it with normal lemons. Haven't seen a single Meyer lemon yet this year.
Demetra
Friday 9th of January 2015
I can't wait to try this dressing recipe, it sounds great. The lemon and ginger is a fantastic combination.
Julie @ Texan New Yorker
Friday 9th of January 2015
I adore all those flavors! And once you start making your own salad dressings, you cannot ever go back, I've discovered. This one is very unique!