The Secret Ingredient That Adds That Extra Tang To Blue Cheese Dressing

What's more satisfying than a goey blue cheese dressing on the side of spicy chicken wings or liberally coating a wedge salad? It's hard to imagine a better sauce in these instances. Contemplating how this sauce could be enhanced to be even more delicious is inconceivable. However, Worcestershire sauce might bring a tangy punch you'd never even knew your blue cheese dressing needed.

Worcestershire sauce might appear an unconventional pairing with blue cheese dressing, but its tangy and sweet flavor profile adds another layer of complexity to this sauce without taking center stage. Don't worry; the blue cheese is still the star of this show. Alongside these flavors, Worcestershire has a slight umami edge, which adds extra savoriness and depth to the creamy and cheesy elements in the dressing. It might be tricky to say, but Worcestershire sauce is not difficult to include – here's why you must give it a go.

While Worcestershire sauce brands can vary slightly in taste, the main ingredients are typically vinegar, molasses, sugar, tamarind, spices, and fermented anchovies. Echoing similar sentiments of fish sauce and soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce brings an underlying umami burst to its paired ingredients. However, its taste is also likened to brown sauce, which has similar tart and sweet notes.

If you're apprehensive about the fermented fishy undertones ruining those wonderful blue cheese layers in your dressing, it can be reassuring to know this flavor pairing is not uncommon. The iconic British cheese on toast uses a few drops of Worcestershire sauce, which adds a funky tang that enriches the creaminess of the cheese. As well as this, the molasses adds a slight sweetness to the cheese, while the vinegar introduces a touch of acidity. The flavors accentuated here are mirrored also when Worcestershire sauce is incorporated into blue cheese dressing. Salty, sweet, tangy, and creamy, it's simply irresistible.

There is a superb range of Worcestershire sauce brands to select for blue cheese dressing; some lean into sweeter notes, others contain a more sour profile, and there are even those with a spicy kick. Depending on the blue cheese you intend to use in the dressing may impact which Worcestershire sauce you want to add.

Stilton and Roquefort have a more robust blue cheese flavor and are usually paired with sweet fruit or honey to create a savory-sweet balance. In this instance, a sweeter or more fruity Worcestershire sauce would complement these blue cheeses well. 

On the other end of the blue cheese spectrum is Gorganzola, which has a much milder flavor. While it will work well with sweet Worcestershire sauce, it will complement tangyier brands too. Finally, American blue cheese is another reliable cheese option for this dressing. Its flavor falls somewhere between the mild and strong versions, so it will work well with a variety of Worcestershire brands: sweeter or tangy.

Get creative and experiment with different Worchestershire brands and cheeses to see which pairing works best. Your blue cheese dressing is sure to exceed your expectations.