Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2
Page 2
Clint and I would really hit it off as we went on and on about cloning America’s favorite brand-name foods. Eventually he’d realize that he has fallen way behind on his schmoozing, and say that, regretfully, he has to go. He’d offer me front-row tickets to his next show and then he’d ask when the new book is coming out. I’d tell him it’s called Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2, it’ll be out very soon, and I’m writing the introduction right now. I’d also tell him that it’s my best work.
He’d shake my hand and move into the crowd, and I’d feel like I just made a new friend. Before he’s too far away, he’d turn back and offer me an enlightening Clint Holmes nugget of wisdom : “Hey, Todd,” he’d say “Don’t spend too much time on that introduction. It sounds to me like it’s those clone recipes people really want.”
I’d promise to take his advice, because, deep down, I know Mr Clint Holmes gets it. And he’s right.
If you’re new to Top Secret Recipes, you are about to experience a cookbook concept unlike any other. This book is a collection of 150 original recipes to clone signature items from America’s largest casual restaurant chains. All the recipes have been created from a process of reverse-engineering, using common ingredients and simplified steps.
In the 10 years since Top Secret Restaurant Recipes was released, I have received thousands of e-mails and letters filled with cloning requests for chain restaurant appetizers and entrees and desserts that I hadn’t thought about before, or that I never got around to dissecting for the first book. I’m happy to say that this latest collection is assembled with replica recipes from those mouthwatering suggestions. There are more full-service restaurant clone recipes included in this book than in any previous Top Secret Recipes volume.
In a full house, where the kitchen is the hub of activity, the process of preparing tasty meals can be a rewarding event in which all can participate. The reason I first created these Top Secret Recipes is that I found cooking home duplicates of favorite famous dishes adds an extra sprinkling of joy to the process. It’s a real kick digging into a dish you made at home that comes out tasting just like a menu item from a famous restaurant chain. And now, with these clone recipes to assist you, a combination of taste-alike versions of your favorite courses from different chains can be served in one meal creating a dining experience you couldn’t have in any one restaurant.
These days we spend nearly half of the money designated for food on dining outside of our homes. Emeril Lagasse, Rachael Ray and Martha Stewart are more popular than ever, but on any given day 44 percent of adults are filling their bellies in a diner, cafe, coffeehouse, bistro, sub shop, dinnerhouse, pizza joint, cafeteria or buffet somewhere in America rather than preparing food in their own shiny home kitchens. Speed and convenience are obviously major factors that play into our decision to pay someone to make food for us, but what about the cost? Out of curiosity, I priced each ingredient for a dozen recipes in this book and then broke those totals down by serving. If you’re into saving a little coin, you’ll see from this list how making food at home will usually cost much less than dining out:
I first started hammering out these recipes immediately following the release of Top Secret Restaurant Recipes, so what you have here is the culmination of work that spans a decade. The process is time-consuming and tedious, and I resisted releasing this book before it contained the very best collection of clone recipes I could muster. Within the mix are many recipes that required repeated tooling over 6 months or more before I finally struck gold. If a recipe doesn’t pierce the bull’s-eye, I keep shooting until I score. If the final product isn’t a direct hit, that recipe doesn’t make the cut. Because of this strict process, I believe in my formulas, and I’m confident that you will find the results rewarding.
If you’d like additional input on these recipes, check out the Top Secret Recipes website (www.TopSecretRecipes.com), where fellow clone rangers have added their comments and suggestions for many of these formulas. The important thing is to enjoy the creative freedom you now have with this collection. Cooking at home means having the liberty to experiment with a variety of ingredients, and the ability to customize recipes to suit varying tastes and dietary requirements. I encourage you to make these recipes uniquely yours.
Until next time, I’ll be down here in the top secret underground lab, dissecting away, to come up with another big batch of recipes that helps you create kitchen clones of America’s favorite brand-name foods. Happy cloning!
APPLEBEE’S MUD SLIDE
MENU DESCRIPTION: “Bury your sweet tooth with smooth Kahlua, creamy vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and rich Hershey’s chocolate syrup.”
Sure, there’s a little Kahlua in there, but this famous Applebee’s drink is more dessert than cocktail, really And the presentation will make you look like a pro because you spiral the chocolate syrup around the inside the glass before adding the drink. It looks cool and it’s easy to do ... even after you’ve had a couple. Grab a straw and prepare to crave another when this one’s gone. No wonder this drink also comes in a larger size.
2 cups vanilla ice cream
2 ounces Kahlua coffee liqueur
Hershey’s chocolate syrup (in a
squirt bottle)
canned whipped cream
1. Measure 2 cups of ice cream into your blender. Add the Kahlua and blend until smooth.
2. Prepare a 16-ounce wine glass by swirling chocolate syrup around the inside of the glass. Hold the wine glass by the stem with one hand and twirl the wine glass as you squeeze the chocolate. Slowly move the chocolate up toward the rim of the glass so that the chocolate makes a continuous spiral around the inside of the glass.
3. Pour the drink from the blender into the glass, Add a pile of whipped cream to the top of the drink and drizzle additional chocolate syrup over the whipped cream. Add a straw and serve.
• MAKES I DRINK.
APPLEBEE’S PERFECT APPLE MARGARITA
Here’s a great twist on the traditional margarita. Sour apple schnapps and apple juice join forces with tequila and sweet and sour mix in a martini glass that’s rimmed with cinnamon sugar Hey, it’s like drinking apple pie! This recipe makes one drink, but it’s easy to double up. That’s a good thing, since it seems like one is never enough.
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ounce Sauza Hornitos tequila
1 ounce DeKuyper Sour Apple
Pucker schnapps
2 ounces sweet-and-sour mix
2 ounces cold apple juice
GARNISH
olive
lime wedge
1. Mix sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl, then pour the mixture onto a saucer or small plate. Moisten a napkin or clean towel with water. Run the wet napkin around the rim of the martini glass. Invert the glass and dip the moistened rim into the cinnamon/sugar. Set the glass aside for now.
2. Drop a handful of ice into a cocktail shaker.
3. Add the tequila, schnapps, sweet-and-sour, and apple juice. Shake vigorously
4. Strain drink into the prepared martini glass, spear an olive and small lime wedge on a toothpick and drop it in the drink, and serve it up along with the shaker if there’s any left over.
• SERVES 1.
APPLEBEE’S PERFECT SUNRISE
Applebee’s latest cocktail creation is a tasty warm-weather companion. The combination of tequilas, juices and syrups is served up in a chilled martini glass as the perfect re-creation of the classic tequila sunrise.
1¼ ounces 1800 Silver tequila
¼ ounce 1800 Reposado tequila
½ ounce simple syrup (see
Tidbits)
½ ounce lime juice
1½ ounces sweet-and-sour mix
4 ounces orange juice
½ ounce grenadine
GARNISH
maraschino cherry
1. Fill a 10-ounce martini glass with ice and add cold water to chill the glass.
2
. Drop a handful of ice into a shaker Add tequilas, simple syrup, lime juice, sweet-and-sour and orange juice. Shake well.
3. Dump ice water out of the glass and strain the drink into it.
4. Drop a maraschino cherry into the drink and serve it up with the grenadine on the side in a shot glass.
• MAKES I DRINK.
TIDBITS
Make simple syrup by combining equal parts hot water and granulated sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Allow syrup to cool before using. Simple.
APPLEBEE’S ONION PEELS
MENU DESCRIPTION: “Crisp-fried tender onion strips served with a creamy horseradish dipping sauce.”
This signature appetizer from Applebee’s is the chain’s reaction to overwhelming success of Outback’s Bloomin’ Onion and Chili’s Awesome Blossom. But, while accurate kitchen cloning of a Bloomin’ Onion requires a special slicing device, cloning Onion Peels requires only the most basic kitchen prep and tools: Slice the onion, separate the slices, dip the slices in batter and fry. Just remember to make the essential horseradish dipping sauce in advance so that the ingredients can mingle and really get to know one another as they chill out in the fridge.
CREAMY HORSERADISH DIPPING SAUCE
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon prepared
horseradish
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ketchup
¼ teaspoon medium grind black
pepper
⅛ teaspoon dried oregano
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
dash garlic powder
dash onion powder
6 to 10 cups vegetable shortening
(as required by fryer)
1 large white onion
BATTER
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup Progresso plain
breadcrumbs
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 ½ cups milk
1. Make horseradish dipping sauce by combining ingredients in a medium bowl with a whisk. Mix until creamy then cover and chill the sauce.
2. Heat the shortening to 350 degrees in a deep fryer.
3. Slice the stem end and the root end off onion, then, with the onion resting on a flat side, cut down through the onion, slicing it in half. Slice each half 4 to 5 more times in a spoke fashion to create wedges of onion. Separate the onion pieces.
4. Create batter by combining all dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk in milk until batter is smooth then let the batter sit for 5 minutes. It should thicken. Whisk batter again.
5. When the oil is hot dip each onion piece in the batter, let some of the batter drip off then drop the coated onion piece carefully into the hot oil. Fry 8 to 12 peels at a time for I to 2 minutes or until light brown. Drain on a rack or paper towels. Repeat until the onion is used up, stacking the newer batches on top of the old ones to keep them warm. When they’re all done, serve the fried onion slices on a plate or in a paper-lined basket with horseradish dipping sauce on the side.
• Serves 4 TO 6.
TIDBITS
While shortening works best for this recipe, you may also fry these with vegetable oil or canola oil.
APPLEBEE’S BAKED FRENCH ONION SOUP
It may not be listed on the menu, but this is Applebee’s most ladled soup each and every day. Just be sure you have some oven-safe soup bowls on hand before you jump into this clone, since you’re going to pop the dish under the broiler to brown and melt the cheese on top. Under the gooey melted provolone of the original version you get from Applebee’s is a unique round crouton that’s made from bread that looks like a hamburger bun. In fact, that’s exactly what we’ll use for our clone. The round shape of the buns is perfect for topping the soup.
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 medium white onions, sliced
8 cups beef broth (Swanson is
best)
1 cup water
2½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
5 plain hamburger buns
10 slices provolone cheese
10 teaspoons shredded Parmesan
cheese
1. Add 3 tablespoons oil to a large soup pot or saucepan over medium/high heat. Add the sliced onions and saute for 20 minutes until the onions begin to soften and start to become translucent. You don’t want them to brown.
2. Add the beef broth, water, salt, garlic powder and black pepper to the pan and bring mixture to a boil. When soup begins to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
3. To make the croutons cut off the top half of each top of the hamburger bun so that the bread is the same thickness as the bottom half of each bun. Throw the top crusts away. Now you should have 10 round pieces of bread—5 bottom buns, and 5 top buns with the tops cut off. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place the bread in the oven directly on the rack and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until each piece is golden brown and crispy Set these croutons aside until you need them.
4. When the soup is done, spoon about I cup into an oven-safe bowl. Float a crouton on top of the soup, then place a slice of provolone cheese on top of the crouton. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of shredded parmesan cheese over the provolone.
5. Place the bowl into your oven set to high broil. Broil the soup for 5 to 6 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown (you may need to broil longer if you are making more than one bowl at a time). Sprinkle an additional ½ teaspoon of shredded parmesan cheese over the top of the soup and serve. Repeat process to prepare remaining servings.
• MAKES 10 SERVINGS.
APPLEBEE’S SANTA FE CHICKEN SALAD
MENU DESCRIPTION: “Grilled chipotle chicken breast with guacamole and sour cream on a bed of greens tossed with two cheeses, pico de gallo, tortilla stnps and our Mexi-ranch dressing.”
Create a robust chipotle marinade that fills your chicken fillets with flavor. As you wait for the chicken to marinate you have plenty of time to throw together clones of the Mexi-ranch dressing and fresh pico de gallo. Now most of the work is done, and you’re standing in front of the gate to salad heaven. When you’re ready to enter, simply grill the chicken, assemble your salads and open wide.
You should know that if you don’t have buttermilk for the dressing, and don’t want to buy a whole carton to use just a single tablespoon, simply substitute regular milk. You’ll find ground chipotle pepper where all the spices are in the market (I use McCormick). If you can’t track down ground chipotle, use ground cayenne pepper Just be sure to measure roughly half the amount, since cayenne packs more heat than chipotle.
MARINADE
2 cups water
⅓ cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon ground chipotle
pepper (or 1 ½ teaspoons
ground cayenne pepper)
2 teaspoons hickory smoke
flavoring
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
I teaspoon ground black pepper
4 skinless chicken breast fillets
MEXI-RANCH DRESSING
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 tablespoons diced tomato
1 tablespoon buttermilk
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
I teaspoon canned chopped mild
green chiles
¾ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
pinch dried dill weed
pinch ground cumin
pinch cayenne pepper
PICO DE GALLO
2 medium tomatoes, diced
⅓ cup diced red onion
<
br /> 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
2 teaspoons lime juice
8 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 cup chopped red cabbage
1 cup fancy shredded Cheddar
cheese
2 teaspoons minced fresh Cilantro
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black
pepper
1 cup fancy shredded Monterey
Jack cheese
4 handfuls tortilla stnps or chips
½ cup sour cream
½ cup guacamole
1. You want to mannate the chicken for 2 hours in advance, so make the marinade first by combing all the ingredients for the marinade in a medium bowl. Stir well until the sugar has dissolved. Drop the chicken breasts into the marinade, then cover and chill for 2 hours. You don’t want to marinate for much more than 2 hours or the chicken could get tough.