Sesame Cream

Photo: flickr user (nutmeg)

Ingredients

1 Garlic cloves -- crushed

cup Raw sesame tahini

cup Water

cup Lemon juice

Preparation

The thicker sesame tahinis, which are preferable to the runnier ones, usually have a layer of oil on top when you open the jar. Since the objective is to reduce all fats, I pour this oil off rather than stirring it back into the tahini, as is sometimes directed. The product doesn't suffer in the least; it keeps just as well in this slightly drier form and is just as tasty. -Author of The American Vegetarian Cookbook (whose name I can't remember)

This is not a sweet cream; it is savory. Use it in salad dressings and pita sandwiches to replace mayonnaise, on burgers, in sauces where a little savory cream is needed as a thickener and as a binder. Make a batch and keep it in the refrigerator in a covered container.

Blend garlic, tahini, and water on high to turn into paste. Add lemon juice, which will thin paste. Add more water to thicken to desired consistency, then blend in desired seasonings.