Steakhouse Cheese Bread

 

A couple of weeks ago my friend took me for dinner at Caesar's Steakhouse & Lounge in downtown Calgary. I have been there a handful of times in the past and love the food and throwback atmosphere. The steak is always great but the thing I crave the most is their cheese and garlic bread. I have a feeling that they are so good mostly because they are doused in butter, garlic, and cheese. 
Jess and I went to Canmore this past weekend made a "steakhouse" dinner including Teriyaki steak and mushrooms, stuffed potatoes (recipe coming), and my version of Caesar's cheese bread. I don't think their recipe includes the cheese sauce that I used but it ended up being very tasty, easy to prepare, and different than the usual.

*** If you are at all concerned about calories, salt, fat, carbs or your general health I recommend avoiding this recipe at all costs... if you are a glutton like me continue on to your destiny.

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf of French bread
• 1 can cheese sauce/soup (I used Campbell’s Condensed Cheddar Cheese soup)
• Parmesan cheese (I used a 1/3 of a shaker of Kraft Parmesan Cheese)
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Directions:

1. Slice bread lengthwise. 
2. Coat both sides with the melted butter.
3. Turn your broiler on low.
4. Apply a thick layer of cheese sauce. 
5. Shake a thick layer of Parmesan over the cheese. 
6. Put in oven until the Parmesan browns and it looks like boiling lava. 
7. Serve hot.

Caesar Salad Dressing

Living in one of the best beef producing areas of the world I grew up with an affinity for "Steakhouse Classics". Our family menu would usually consist of steak marinated in teriyaki sauce, fried mushrooms, stuffed potatoes, bread and Caesar salad. My Dad was the grill master, my mom would make the potatoes and my brother always made the salad dressing. I usually would just show up and stuff my face.
This dressing recipe is not for the faint of heart (excuse the idiom) because it includes two things that make some people squeamish and makes me salivate. Raw egg yolk and anchovies are two of the stars of this dressing and quietly make your taste buds explode without realizing you are devouring raw unborn chicken mixed with preserved oily fish.
I once watched a documentary on these old Spanish ladies hand stuffing tins of anchovies and was amazed at how methodical they were. The taste can be overpowering but if you find the right balance they can make a great addition to many meals.

Ingrediants:

• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 6 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2-3 anchovy fillets
• 1 cup parmesan
• fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1. Place everything but the cheese in a food processor and puree.
2. Toss the salad with the cheese and dressing.