There are few things better than a salad dressed in homemade, creamy dressing to cool off a summer afternoon. The earthy flavors of dill combined with the subtle tartness buttermilk in this recipe make it the only dairy-based dressing I make with any frequency.

This recipe was inspired by a restaurant here in Chicago called Swim Cafe. They used to serve a salad of spinach, mushrooms, brie and dill topped with a buttermilk dressing.  They still offer something similar, but it was this former version that used to make me venture miles out of my way to enjoy as a summer lunch.

Buttermilk Dill Dressing

Ingredients

1/2 C buttermilk, shaken

1/3 C mayonnaise

3 Tbl fresh dill, chopped

1 Tbl shallot, minced

salt

pepper

Method

Whisk together the buttermilk and the mayonnaise.  Stir in the dill and shallot and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate any unused portion.