Smooth Tahini-Garlic Dressing

1. Blend Garlic and Lemon Juice

Start by combining the peeled garlic cloves with the fresh lemon juice in a blender. The acidity of the lemon juice will mellow the sharpness of the garlic, giving you a more balanced flavor. Blend these two ingredients together using about 15 short pulses until you achieve a smooth puree.

2. Strain Garlic-Lemon Puree

Transfer the garlic-lemon puree into a fine mesh strainer set over a large bowl. Use a spoon or a rubber spatula to press the mixture through the strainer, extracting as much liquid as possible. This step ensures that your dressing is smooth, without any bits of garlic.

3. Combine with Tahini and Cumin

Return the strained lemon-garlic juice to a clean bowl and whisk in the ground cumin and tahini paste. As you whisk, you’ll notice the mixture will seize up and turn pasty. This is perfectly normal and indicates that the ingredients are combining well.

4. Adjust Consistency with Cold Water

Gradually whisk in cold water, a little at a time, until the dressing becomes smooth and light. You’ll know you’ve added enough water when the dressing slowly loses shape when dropped from the whisk. This step is crucial as it determines the final consistency of your dressing.

5. Season with Salt

Season your dressing with kosher salt to taste. Once seasoned, you can store the dressing in the refrigerator for up to one and a half weeks.