Ruth's Chris Steak House Creamed Spinach

By cassiestott

"Ruth's Chris Steak House" is such a difficult name to spit out that a restaurant critic suggested it be used as a sobriety test. Surely anyone who could say the name three times fast couldn't possibly be intoxicated. But the hard-to-say name has probably worked well for the steakhouse chain; it is surely a memorable one. The name came from the first restaurant that Ruth purchased in 1965 called Chris Steak House. When she opened a second restaurant with that same name, the previous owner, Chris Matulich, tried to sue her. She won the case but to avoid future law suits, she put her name in front of the original and it became the tongue twister we know today.

The delicious creamed spinach served at Ruth's Chris inspired this recipe that has just a hint of cayenne pepper in it for that Louisiana zing. The recipe requires a package of frozen spinach to make it convenient, but you can use the same amount of fresh spinach if you prefer.

Ingredients

• 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• dash pepper
• dash nutmeg
• dash cayenne pepper

Preparation

Step 1

The delicious creamed spinach served at Ruth's Chris inspired this recipe that has just a hint of cayenne pepper in it for that Louisiana zing. The recipe requires a package of frozen spinach to make it convenient, but you can use the same amount of fresh spinach if you prefer.

1. Cook the spinach following the directions on the package. Drain and squeeze all the liquid from the spinach when it's done.

2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Be careful not to burn it.

3. Add the flour to the melted butter and stir until smooth.

4. Add the cream and heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Stir constantly so that sauce does not burn.

5. Add the spinach, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne. Cook 2 to 4 minutes, stirring often. Serve hot.