Ruth’s Chris Creamed Spinach

Earlier this year, I went to Ruth’s Chris for the first time. And yes, it was the best steak I’ve ever eaten, but let’s face it, I’m rarely going to spend that kind of money on dinner.

Now that my husband has perfected his sous vide blowtorch filet mignon, we’ve started serving it to guests. What better to accompany a steak than with the sides that are offered at Ruth’s Chris?

Is this the authentic Ruth’s Chris recipe? I have no idea. It was tasty, though. I blanched the spinach for two minutes, and everyone agreed that it held its color and texture better than what they’ve had in restaurants.

And no, there won’t be a photo for this one. There’s just no good way to photograph creamed spinach.

Ingredients

• 6 Tbsp butter, divided into 4 Tbsp and 2 Tbsp
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 whole clove (or 1/4 tsp ground; whole is preferred)
• 2 cups whole milk
• 20 oz fresh spinach

Instructions

Cook spinach in large pot of boiling water just until wilted and tender, about 2 minutes.

Transfer to a large bowl filled with ice water. After 2 minutes in the cool bath, drain the spinach.

Use your salad spinner to drain as much moisture from the spinach as possible. Allow the spinach to sit and drain some more while you work on the cream sauce.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir until light golden, about 7 minutes.

Stir in onion, bay leaf and clove. Gradually whisk in milk. Continue whisking until mixture boils and thickens, about 10 minutes; the longer you wait, the thicker it gets.

Reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes longer, whisking frequently; the sauce should be very thick by now, almost the consistency of yogurt. Remove bay leaf and whole clove.

Transfer spinach to processor and finely chop; 2 or 3 pulses should do it.

Add spinach to warm sauce, simmer over low heat until spinach is heated through, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, because butter makes everything better. Or more buttery. Either way.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Results

The Tiny Kitchen Assistant will not touch it because a) it comes from a leafy vegetable, and b) it looks too much like soup. Adults liked the fact that the color and texture was more vibrant than with typical creamed spinach.

Tags: guest-worthy, milk, Recipe, side dish, spinach, stovetop, vegetable, veggie

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