What would a summer barbeque or family gathering be without a Creamy Coleslaw? We were recently hosting family from Wisconsin for the graduation of our youngest. Oven Baked Beans, Macaroni and Cheese and Picnic Potato Salad accompanied the casual fare of the requested burgers and dogs. Wait! Don’t forget the Very Berry Pretzel Salad ! Plenty of choices for all palates were available to enjoy. Except for the mac and cheese, the rest can be prepped ahead of time and placed in the refrigerator. That way, you can spend some quality time entertaining your guests, which is what it is all about, right? 
Peering through my copy of Cook’s Illustrated Make-Ahead Recipes, I found a recipe for Creamy Coleslaw. Directions included a step to help the dressing from becoming thin and watery. You’ve probably had coleslaw somewhere that has had that characteristic, at least I have. This step is worth trying to avoid that consistency which detracts from the flavor. Simple enough to follow, this will remove a lot of the cabbage’s water prior to adding the dressing thus allowing its flavor to coat the ingredients before you take that first bite.
Let’s start by quartering and coring the cabbage.
Take a few layers of leaves at a time. Flatten and thinly slice(1/4″) lengthwise then halve them. I needed 6-7 cups of cabbage. This was a rather large head of cabbage and it turned out that I needed only half or 2 quarters of it.
To this, I added the shredded carrot and onion.
Toss these ingredients in a bowl with the salt and place them in a colander with a bowl of similar size underneath just so you can see what drips off. You will be surprised what that salt will draw off of this mixture in an hour’s time!
Look below! This is crazy! Can you imagine what your dressing would look or taste like with this excess water?
The salt will be rinsed off with some cool running water, so don’t worry about that salty taste. By comparing the picture below to the one above prior to salting, you can see a visible difference in its form. It appears to be less rigid, perhaps because of the salt removing some of its water.
Lay this on a clean dish towel and roll it up. Give it a gentle twist and unroll it. Then pat the top with a few paper towels to remove any remaining excess water.
Place mixture in a clean bowl.
Blend dressing ingredients together and pour over the veggies. Get ready for the love, cabbage!
Mix the luscious dressing throughout and chill in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours before serving.. We actually didn’t serve this until the following day and it was perfect! The dressing was not runny and coated the cabbage mixture with precision! Yum I now have some other thoughts about another type of dressing and other ingredients, for another version this Creamy Coleslaw, so stay tuned!
Prep time:
Total time:
- 6-7 c. green cabbage-quarter, core, hand-slice
- ⅔ c. shredded carrots
- ¼ c. red onion-shredded with box grater
- 2 t. table salt
- [u]Dressing:[ /u]
- ¾ c. mayonnaise
- 2 T. Apple Cider vinegar
- 3 T. sugar
- ½ t. celery seeds
- 2 T. Dijon mustard
- Remove the outer leaves from the cabbage.
- Follow up by quartering and coring it.
- Take a few leaves at a time and flatten them with the palm of your hand.
- Slice them into ¼' slices lengthwise then halve them. Continue this process until you have 6-7 cups of loosely packed cabbage. Place in a bowl.
- Shred the carrots and onions with a box grater and add to the cabbage.Toss to mix.
- Sprinkle the salt over the cabbage mixture and toss to thoroughly distribute. Place this mixture in a colander over a bowl of similar size for about an hour. Check out the liquid removed from cabbage!
- Thoroughly rinse the salt from the mixture with cool running water, tossing and stirring to reach all of the mixture.
- Place cabbage mixture on a clean kitchen towel. Roll it up and gently twist to absorb water. Unroll and dab with dry paper towels to remove any excess water remaining. Place in a clean, dry bowl.
- Blend the dressing ingredients together and pour over the cabbage mixture. Stir to combine and coat throughout.
- Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
