The sauce with the symbolic name “Thousand Islands” has developed an amazing culinary life. If you look at the map, you can see an archipelago consisting of 1,864 islands between Canada and the United States. Tiny pieces of land scattered along the bed of the St. Lawrence River attract the attention of tourists. The islanders live their own cultural life; there are ancient castles, beautiful bridges and monuments, cozy beaches and beautiful nature. They also created a unique thousand island sauce that delighted the owner of the New York Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The sauce recipe was written down on the hotel restaurant menu, and soon became one of the favorite sauces among its visitors.
The most ordinary products, but they all combine so harmoniously with each other that the result is a dish with a delicious taste. Having left the islands and fallen into the hands of professional chefs, the Thousand Islands sauce has undergone some changes, but its basis has remained the same. Some have shortened the list of ingredients, others, on the contrary, have added something of their own. For the first acquaintance with the taste component of the dish, we suggest you prepare Thousand Islands according to the classic recipe.
Authentic recipe
Adapting an original dish to the taste preferences of a particular region of the Earth is a tradition of the culinary world. However, without knowing the classic version of the dish, it is impossible to change it.
Classic Thousand Island Sauce is made from the following ingredients:
- mayonnaise – 200 ml;
- ketchup – 50 ml;
- pickled cucumber – 30 grams;
- onion – 30 grams;
- wine vinegar – 40 ml;
- egg – 1 boiled;
- sugar – 30 grams;
- sweet green pepper – 40 grams;
- salt, garlic powder and black pepper - to taste.
Preparation:
- We start by chopping a boiled egg, pickled cucumber, onion and sweet pepper. All these ingredients must be finely chopped or grated on a fine grater.
- The next step is mixing mayonnaise, ketchup, wine vinegar and sugar. Mix them well, add chopped vegetables and egg to them, mix again. If you want the sauce to be smooth, like McDonald's, put the resulting mass in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour the mixture into a gravy boat or deep bowl, put it in the refrigerator to let it sit there for 20-30 minutes to develop the flavor.
The infused gravy is served with a variety of dishes.
McDonald's version of the sauce
The famous McDonald's could not pass up such a culinary delight, so the company's chefs began to use Thousand Island sauce for hamburgers, chicken nuggets and other dishes. After tinkering with it a little, they came up with their own recipe for Thousand Island Sauce.
If you want to make something similar at home, you will need:
- mayonnaise (any - to your taste) - 1 glass;
- wine vinegar - 2 tablespoons;
- ketchup – ¼ cup;
- onion - half a head;
- sweet green pepper - half a fruit;
- salt – 1 tablespoon;
- ground pepper - to taste;
- fresh parsley - to taste.
Preparation:
- Finely chop the sweet pepper, parsley, and half an onion. Mix everything with a blender.
- Add mayonnaise, wine vinegar, ketchup. Mix all ingredients again. Salt and pepper.
If you notice, there is no garlic powder in this recipe. Catering establishments try to take into account the opinions of their visitors. The smell of garlic after lunch or a simple snack does not suit everyone, so they decided not to use it in this gravy.
Culinary tricks
The wine vinegar in the sauce is responsible for the piquant sourness, but if that doesn't suit you, you can replace this ingredient with lemon juice. The pickled cucumber present in the classic recipe can be replaced with pickled green olives.
When adding sugar and salt, do not pour it all at once, add it in small parts, try it so that you like their concentration.
The peculiarity of the sauce is that it can be combined with a wide variety of dishes of Russian cuisine and is excellent for dressing salads.
The prepared gravy is stored in the refrigerator for no more than 5 days. It does not contain strong preservatives, so it quickly loses its freshness and spoils.
Thousand Island sauce is made from mayonnaise and ketchup (or some other sweetened tomato sauce) with eggs and vinegar. Its classic version should have a sweet, spicy taste.
At home, a hard-boiled egg, crushed through a fine sieve, is added to the sauce. The named ingredient is not often found in recipes these days, but it used to be a common thickening agent.
A cooking technique such as very finely mashing an egg can improve not only the taste, but also the texture of the dish.
History of the sauce
Thousand Island sauce has many origins. Thus, it was allegedly invented at resorts in the Thousand Islands region, in the northernmost regions of New York State in the USA and in southern Ontario in Canada, at the very beginning of the 20th century.
According to another version, it was first prepared at New Hampshire resorts around the same time. According to both versions, the sauce was intended as an upscale meal, served with fresh herbs and aimed at those who could afford “summer” products at any time of the year.
Despite its origins, Thousand Island sauce was put into mass production in the 70s of the last century, and today it can be found in all salad bars and fast foods. At the same time, during industrial production it began to contain numerous preservatives and artificial flavors, which is why its taste began to differ very much from the original. If you cook it at home, you will get a classic product.
Thousand Island sauce: recipe
What you will need:
- 1.5 cups store-bought or homemade mayonnaise;
- 1/2 cup ketchup;
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar;
- 1.5 tablespoons of heavily chopped or grated onion;
- 1 teaspoon salt;
- 1/2 teaspoon chili or freshly ground black pepper;
- 1 large hard-boiled egg, peeled;
- 1 teaspoon crushed pimentos or roasted red pepper (optional).
In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, onion, salt and chili pepper and stir until smooth. Press the egg through a fine mesh sieve and combine with the remaining ingredients. This sauce can be served immediately, but tastes even better if refrigerated in a covered container for 12 to 24 hours. It can be stored for about 4 days.
In addition, there is a low-calorie version of this sauce, invented by supporters of light diets. It consists of the following components:
- 1/2 cup of pureed low-fat cottage cheese;
- 1.5 tablespoons of tomato ketchup;
- 1 teaspoon chili sauce;
- 1 teaspoon sugar;
- 1/4 spoon of tea mustard;
- 2 teaspoons of finely chopped onion;
- salt to taste;
- 2 tablespoons skim milk.
How to use it?
As you can see, Thousand Island Sauce is formulated to work with most different foods. Today it is used as a salad dressing and served with steaks and burgers. Some people think it goes well with seafood too.
What salads can you dress with it? As experts say, it goes best with raw vegetables and even fruits.
Salad with Thousand Island Dressing
Fruit and vegetable salad contains vitamins A and C, as well as fiber and other nutrients. To prepare you will need:
- 1 head iceberg lettuce, torn into pieces;
- 1/4 cup peach slices;
- 1/2 cup grated carrots;
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped celery;
- 2 cups diced apples;
- 1/2 cup cut into halves;
- 2 tablespoons chopped raisins;
- Thousand Island sauce.
Mix all the salad ingredients in a deep bowl, add the sauce and mix well. You can use both classic and low-calorie dressing options.
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