Throwback Thursday: Original Al's Steak House Creamy Garlic Dressing

After coming back from a trip to Montreal in 1967, Al Saikali decided Ottawa needed a steakhouse on par with those he saw in Quebec. Later that year in Bells Corners, he opened Al's Steak House in a building that's been around since the 19th century, and though it is now based on Elgin St., Al's has been satisfying their customers for more than 40 years. A friend of mine posted a link to what someone is claiming to be Al's creamy garlic dressing recipe, given to them by Al himself. You may take that with an appropriately sized grain of salt if you want, but for garlic lovers, this recipe looks legit enough to at least give it a try.


Ingredients

1 large egg white
160 mL salad oil (canola or any plain cooking oil)
60 mL white vinegar or red wine vinegar
3.2 to 4.25 g pure garlic powder
2.125 g dry mustard
dried parsley for colour

1. Beat the egg white well in a small bowl with a hand whip until the egg gets frothy and foamy. (Don't worry if it gets like a meringue, it just makes it thicker and creamy, and doesn't hurt the flavour in any way.)
2. Gradually drizzle the salad oil while beating the egg white in until it resembles a light white mayonnaise like texture. Stir in the vinegar, garlic powder, and dry mustard.
3. Cover well and refrigerate immediately. It will keep for a week or more in the fridge as the vinegar stops the egg from spoiling. Serve in a jug for pouring or a dish with a big spoon. Let people salt and pepper to their own taste.