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| The goods Photo Credit: TH |
- One (1) bag of coleslaw mix OR four (4) cups of shredded cabbage and one (1) cup shredded carrot
- One (1) cup mayonnaise
- One (1) tablespoon white vinegar
- One (1) tablespoon lemon juice
- One-half (1/2) teaspoon ground mustard powder
- One-quarter (1/4) teaspoon celery seed
- Two (2) tablespoons white sugar
- Two (2) garlic cloves
- Three-and-a-half (3 1/2) ounces bleu cheese
Combine mayo, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard powder, celery seed, and sugar in bowl and whisk. Press the two cloves into the mixture and whisk again. If you do not have a garlic press, chop finely and fold in. Crumble bleu cheese into the dressing and mix with a wooden spoon. Add dressing mixture to the shredded vegetables and mix with wooden spoon. Let sit for at least one (1) hour before serving.
I don't know where I saw the concept for bleu cheese coleslaw before. It's not an original idea though, but I just can't place where I saw it first. Regardless, it was an idea that stuck with me over the years. The acidic and refreshing flavors of coleslaw pair well in theory with the funky and creamy bite of bleu cheese. I wanted to recreate it to pair with some mango-habanero sausages my wife Amanda got me a few months back that I never got the chance to eat. Well, with the family down the shore and me staying at home to watch our dogs over the weekend, it was the perfect time for not only sausages, but for coleslaw.
Making the slaw was a learning experience. There's no real consensus way to make it, and I like to go technique over recipe anyway, so I was looking at the different proportions people used. Basically, the formula was that you would use mayo in cups and the acid in tablespoons. A coleslaw dressing is a balance between unctuous fat and cleansing acid, and everything else is just seasoning. Mayo by itself is generally not my bag, but it is integral to a good slaw, and I have been known to enjoy that particular thing from time to time. The flavor in the dressing comes from mustard or mustard powder, and some sugar to dull the acidity from the vinegar/citrus. A lot of slaws use celery seed. My big warning with that ingredient is that it is STRONG. I went with a half-teaspoon in this batch, but honestly, you should halve that amount going forward. You probably could lessen the sugar used too. Again, technique is the key thing. The above ingredient list is something that can and should be tinkered with.
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| Photo Credit: TH |
The bleu cheese comes in not really as an ingredient to the slaw itself, although it is combined so that it's immersed within the mixture. It's more of a balancing force. But the summit of the crisp and the indulgent creates this amazing flavor profile, one that ends up having the brightness of coleslaw and the funky creaminess of bleu cheese. It's a wonderful paradox, and the perfect thing to put on top of a spicy-sweet piece of sausage. Obviously, you don't have to activate your grill-pill just to make this as a sandwich topping. It's an all-seasons take on a classic dish that works as a side on its own with any number of entree choices. Try it out the next time you want a new take on slaw, or if you want that particular dish bad and the mediocre, Sysco-brand stuff your local pizzeria throws on the side of your chicken tender platter just isn't doing it for you anymore.
