Garlic Spread, Restaurant-Style
The creamy garlic spread served at steakhouses and restaurants for the bread before the main course. It's made by roasting whole heads of garlic with butter until the cloves turn golden and completely soft: no peeling raw garlic, no separate cooking step, the oven does all the work.
- 2-3 whole heads of garlic
- 45-60 g (3-4 tbsp) butter (15-20 g per head)
- 75 ml (5 tbsp) mild olive oil or neutral oil
- A splash of milk (optional, for a creamier paste)
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary (optional)
- Lemon juice, to taste (start with 1 tbsp and add more as needed)
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
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1
Prep the heads of garlic
With a knife, slice off a 1 cm (½ in) cap from each whole head of garlic, on the root side (not the pointed side). No need to peel or separate the cloves: roasting cooks them and practically peels them for you.
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2
Set up the tray
Place the heads on a baking tray, cut side up. Put a piece of butter (15-20 g) on top of each one. If using rosemary, tuck the sprig in among the heads on the same tray so it roasts alongside the garlic and perfumes it.
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3
Roast
Bake in a preheated oven at 175°C (345°F) for 25 minutes. Take out the tray, carefully flip the heads over (they'll be hot and soft), and bake 25 more minutes on the other side. About 50 minutes total: the cloves should be golden and completely soft.
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4
Let cool and pop them out
Let them cool enough to handle without burning yourself. Squeeze each head from the base so the roasted cloves pop out through the cut side, almost peeled at this point. Scrape up the butter and browned juices left on the tray too: that's where a lot of the flavor is.
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5
Process into a paste
Put the roasted cloves, the butter and tray juices, and the oil into a small food processor. Process until smooth and spreadable (or leave it a bit more rustic and textured, if you prefer). If it's too thick, loosen it with a splash more oil, or a splash of milk if you want it creamier (not required, it's just a texture extra).
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6
Add lemon and season
Add the lemon juice a little at a time: start with 1 tablespoon, mix, taste, and add more only if needed. It's easy to overdo it: even less than you'd expect already gives a noticeable fresh lift. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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7
Fold in the parsley
Stir in the chopped parsley by hand, not in the processor: that way it stays as fresh green flecks instead of dyeing the whole paste a dull grayish green.
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8
Rest and serve
Transfer the paste to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes: this lets the flavors settle and come together. Take it out 10 minutes before serving so it's not ice-cold, and serve with warm bread.
- Cutting on the root side (not the pointed side) keeps the heads more stable standing on the tray, and it's the same side you'll squeeze the cloves out from later.
- No need to peel the cloves beforehand at all: 50 minutes in a 175°C oven leaves them so soft they slip right out of their skins when you squeeze the head.
- Save the butter and browned juices left on the tray: that's where a lot of the caramelized garlic flavor is, don't toss it.
- The splash of milk is optional and only affects texture, it doesn't soften anything here (the oven already did that): add it if you want a creamier, mousse-like paste, skip it if you prefer it thicker and more spreadable.
- Add the lemon juice gradually and taste as you go: even a small amount stands out a lot, so it's easier to overdo it than to underdo it.
- Keeps 5-7 days in the fridge, in a well-sealed jar with a thin layer of oil on top to keep air out.
- Cutting on the pointed side instead of the root side: makes it harder to stand the heads upright on the tray while they roast.
- Taking them out of the oven before they're fully golden and soft: if they're undercooked, it's much harder to squeeze the cloves out afterward.
- Tossing out the butter and juices left on the tray: a lot of this recipe's flavor is right there.
- Processing the parsley together with everything else: the paste loses its fresh green color and turns dull.
- Adding all the lemon juice at once: it's easier to over-acidify than to underdo it, so add it in gradually instead.