Recipe Swap - Original: Recipe straight from restaurant

By: By Michael Hastings | JOURNAL FOOD EDITOR
Published: April 08, 2009

Several readers responded to a request from William Schiebel of State Road for the blue-cheese dressing served long ago at the Town Steak House restaurants.

Betty Hutchins and Tom Peddycord of Winston-Salem and Peggy Gabard of Clemmons sent in copies of the same recipe.

The recipe was reported to have come directly from the late Mary Chamis, who founded the Town Steak House restaurants with her husband, Bill, in 1940.

Mary Chamis ran the restaurants, on Lockland Avenue and in Thruway Shopping Center, after her husband's death in 1965.

The restaurants operated under different owners for years after her death in 1971.

The recipe makes restaurant quantities -- 9 cups.

A third, similar recipe was submitted by Eloise Masche of Bermuda Run. She said that though she got it from a friend, she believes that it came from Town Steak House.

Masche's version makes a more manageable quantity for home cooks. This version also has a higher proportion of cheese to mayonnaise.

Mary Chamis' Roquefort Dressing

Submitted by Tom Peddycord and Betty Hutchins.

The amount of tomato juice may be varied slightly to achieve the desired consistency.

2 quarts mayonnaise

¾ pound blue cheese, chopped fine

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

10 ounces tomato juice

1 teaspoon brown sugar

Mix all ingredients until well combined. Keep refrigerated.

Makes about 9 cups.

Roquefort Cheese Dressing

Submitted by Eloise Masche.

1½ cups mayonnaise

4 ounces tomato juice

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon brown sugar

½ teaspoon vinegar

Garlic salt to taste

4 ounces Roquefort cheese, crumbled

Mix all ingredients until well combined. Keep refrigerated.

Makes about 2½ cups.

Help

□ Recipe Swap would like a recipe for baked sweet-potato fries.

□ Nancy Monk of Lexington would like the recipe for the thousand-island dressing served at the former Staley's in Winston-Salem.

■ Send requests or recipes to Recipe Swap, c/o Michael Hastings, Food Editor, Winston-Salem Journal, P.O. Box 3159, Winston-Salem, NC 27102; or e-mail to mhastings@wsjournal.com. Please include name, address and a daytime telephone number. Previously published recipes are available in the Recipe Database at www.journalnow.com/swap.