by Wilbur, Todd
size strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into bitesize
strips
1 chopped red onion
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
OPTIONAL GARNISH
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1. Make scampi sauce by melting butter in a preheated pan over medium/low heat. Add 2 tablespoons minced white onions and saute for 2 to 4 minutes or until the onion begins to brown. If the butter begins to burn, turn down the heat. When the onion is beginning to brown, add the minced garlic and saute for another 30 seconds. Don’t let the garlic burn. After about 30 seconds add the wine, salt, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and black pepper, and bring mixture to a simmer. Simmer for approximately 15 to 18 minutes or until the sauce has reduced by half. Add parsley and heavy cream and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes. Do not let mixture reach a boil.
2. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the angel hair pasta and cook for about 4 minutes or until pasta is al dente, or mostly tender with just a slight toughness. Drain the pasta in a colander or sieve when done, then hit it with some cold water to prevent sticking and to keep it from cooking further
3. If preparing all four servings, preheat the oil in 2 large skillets over medium heat (if making just 2 servings, you’ll need only one skillet and half of the total ingredients—save the rest for another meal). Lightly salt and pepper the chicken tenderloins, then coat each one in the flour that has been measured into a large bowl. Arrange all of the coated tenderloins on a plate before sautéing 6 tenderloins in each pan. Cook the tenderloins for 3 to 5 minutes on one side or until golden brown.
4. When the chicken is brown on one side, flip each of the pieces, and move them to the side of the pans, then add an even amount of the sliced peppers and chopped red onion to the center of each skillet. Continue cooking the chicken and vegetables for 4 to 6 minutes or until the chicken is browned and the veggies are beginning to brown on the edges.
5. Divide the scampi sauce in half and pour it over the chicken and other ingredients in each pan. Add 2 portions of pasta to each pan, then toss everything a bit and continue to cook for a couple minutes or until the pasta is heated through. Prepare each dish by serving equal amounts of pasta onto each of four plates. Use a spoon or tongs to add the peppers and onion on top of each pile of pasta. Arrange three chicken tenderloins onto the center of the pasta.
6. Sprinkle each plate with about ½ teaspoon of fresh parsley and serve it up with freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired.
• MAKES 4 SERVINGS (BUT CAN BE EASILY DIVIDED INTO 2 SEPARATE SERVINGS FOR 2).
OLIVE GARDEN CHOCOLATE LASAGNA
MENU DESCRIPTION: “Layers of rich chocolate cake and sweet buttercreom icing.”
To simplify this clone recipe, we’ll start with a box of cake mix and tweak it a bit to add a little cherry flavor. The buttercream frosting spread between the three layers of the “lasagna” is a breeze to make from scratch. The real secret to this Top Secret Recipe is how we put it all together You’ve got to make two slices through the edge of the baked cake to create the three thin layers, so grab a long serrated knife. Lay down some wax paper under the cake to help you turn the cake while you slice. Slide the whole thing over near the edge of the counter so that you can keep the knife parallel to the countertop, and you should have no trouble at all. Another technique is to drag a long piece of dental floss through the cake twice. The floss will glide right through the cake with ease, giving you two clean slices. You can use your favorite chocolate cake mix for the recipe, but be sure not to use one with pudding in it or one that is “extra moist.” (Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe is one such brand.) These mixes make slicing and layering difficult because the baked cake falls apart so easily.
1 18.25-ounce box dark
chocolate or chocolate fudge
coke mix (not too moist)
1¼ cups water
⅓ cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 teaspoons cherry extract
vegetable shortening
BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
1 ½ cups butter, softened
(3 sticks)
4 cups powdered sugar
¼ cup milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chilled
1. Make the cake in a 13x9-inch baking pan following instructions on the box of cake mix, but add cherry extract to the mix. (Preheat oven to 350 degrees; mix cake mix, water, oil, and eggs together in a large bowl; pour batter into pan greased generously with shortening.) Allow the cake to cool completely.
2. When cake is cool, make buttercream frosting by first whipping the soft butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed. Add two cups of the powdered sugar, mix well, then add remaining powdered sugar. Add ¼ cup of whole milk and vanilla, then mix on high speed for 2 minutes or until frosting is smooth and creamy.
3. Turn cake out of the pan onto wax paper. Using both hands, carefully flip the cake over, so that it’s right-side up, onto another strip of wax paper. Now you’re going to cut through the cake twice, creating three layers. We’ll start at the bottom slice. First slide the cake over to the edge of your kitchen counter. This way you can drop your hand with the knife down below the counter at the edge to get a nice, straight cut through the cake. Using a long bread knife or other long serrated knife, cut through the bottom third of the cake. Spin the cake and wax paper so that you can cut through all sides (your knife probably won’t get all the way through to the other side). When the cake is sliced, carefully flip the top section over onto the other sheet of wax paper Frost the bottom layer of cake with approximately ⅓ of the buttercream frosting. Break the chilled semi-sweet chocolate into little bits that are a tad smaller than chocolate chips. A good way to do this is to put the chilled chocolate into a large zip-top bag, then use the handle of a butter knife to smash the unsuspecting chocolate into pieces. Sprinkle about ⅓ of the chocolate bits over the frosting on the bottom layer.
4. Turn the top section back over onto the bottom layer Again, slice through the top section creating the final two layers. Carefully flip the top over onto the wax paper, and frost the new layer as you did with the first layer, adding chocolate bits as well. You may, at this point, wish to slice the top into thirds across the width of the cake. This makes flipping over the top layer much easier. It’s also how you’re going to slice the cake later, so you’ll never see the cuts. Any cracks or breaks are no big deal since you’ll just cover up the goofs with frosting.
5. Carefully reassemble the top section on the rest of the cake. If you have a large bulge in the center of the cake, you may wish to slice that off so that the cake is flatter on top. Throw that slice away. Frost the top of the cake with the remaining frosting, then sprinkle on the remaining chocolate bits.
6. The cake is served as triangular slices. So, slice it up by first cutting through the middle of the cake, lengthwise. Next cut across the cake through the middle (widthwise) twice. Now you have six slices that just need to be cut from corner to corner one time each, creating 12 triangular slices. Chill any cake you don’t eat that day.
• MAKES 12 SERVINGS.
OLIVE GARDEN FROZEN TIRAMISU
The amazing Frozen Tiramisu—a dessert in a glass—requires espresso syrup that you can clone with sugar and either espresso or strong coffee. Each serving requires just a little of the syrup, so you’ll have plenty left over for additional servings of the cocktail for your happy toasting partners.
¼ cup hot espresso
¼ cup granulated sugar
¾ ounce Tuaca liqueur
¾ ounce Kahlua liqueur
1 cup vanilla ice cream
I cup ice
GARNISH
whipped cream
cocoa
1. Make espresso syrup by combining hot espresso with granulated sugar.
2. When espresso syrup is cool, make drink by combining ½ ounce of the espresso syrup with Tuaca, Kahlua, vanilla ic
e cream and ice in a blender on high speed and blend until smooth. Serve in a tall 16-ounce glass, with whipped cream on top. Sprinkle a little cocoa on top of the whipped cream (tap it through a mesh strainer), and serve drink with a straw.
• MAKES I DRINK.
OLIVE GARDEN LEMON CREAM CAKE
MENU DESCRIPTION: “Delicate white coke and lemon cream filling with a vanilla crumb topping.”
I like simple. So, to keep this clone as uncomplicated as possible, I’ve designed the recipe using a common white cake mix. I picked Betty Crocker brand, but any white cake mix you can get your hands on will do. Just note that each brand (Duncan Hines, Pillsbury, etc.) requires slightly different measurements of additional ingredients (oil, eggs). Follow the directions on the box for mixing the batter, then pour it into a greased 10-inch springform pan and bake until done. The filling recipe is a no-brainer and the crumb topping is a cinch. When your cake is assembled, stick it in the fridge for a few hours, and soon you’ll be serving up 12 cloned slices of the addictive Olive Garden dessert.
CAKE
1 18.25-ounce box Betty Crocker
white cake mix
1¼ cups water
⅓ cup vegetable oil
3 egg whites
LEMON CREAM FILLING
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
I cup heavy whipping cream
VANILLA CRUMB TOPPING
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon
all-purpose flour
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons
powdered sugar
pinch salt
¼ cup butter, softened
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
GARNISH
powdered sugar
1. Make white cake following the directions on the box. Pour batter into a greased 10-inch cake pan or springform pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. Allow cake to cool completely when it comes out of the oven.
2. Make lemon cream filling by mixing cream cheese and powdered sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Mix in lemon juice.
3. Whip cream in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until it forms stiff peaks. Fold cream cheese mixture with whipped cream. Stir gently by hand until blended.
4. Make crumb topping by combining flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the butter and dribble in the vanilla extract. Use your hands to mix the butter into the flour and sugar until the mixture is crumbly, with no pieces larger than a pea. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator and then break up any large chunks into smaller pieces. Keep the crumb topping cold until you are ready to use it.
5. When the cake is cool, slice it in half through the middle and remove the top. Spread all but ½ cup of the lemon cream mixture onto the bottom half of the cake, then carefully replace the top half of the cake.
6. Spread the remaining ½ cup of cream filling over the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle the crumb topping on top of the cake and press it onto the sides all the way around the cake.
7. Now chill the cake for at least 3 hours before you serve it. When you are ready to dig in, slice cake into 12 slices. Serve each slice topped with powdered sugar tapped through a strainer.
• SERVES 12.
OLIVE GARDEN TIRAMISU
MENU DESCRIPTION: “The classic Italian dessert. A layer of creamy custard set atop espresso-soaked ladyfingers.”
In Italian, tiramisu means “pick me up” or “cheer me up.” And when you taste the delicious combination of mascarpone cheese (sometimes referred to as Italian cream cheese), cream cheese, ladyfingers, espresso and Kahlua it will be hard not to smile. Olive Garden’s tiramisu is very dense, which sets it apart from most tiramisu recipes that require the cheese mixture to be folded into whipped cream. This technique, however, makes a tiramisu that is too fluffy and light to be a decent clone. Besides, the whipped cream hides the cheese flavors, and that’s just not a good way to make this tiramisu. So get out your double boiler for the egg yolks (a metal bowl over a saucepan of simmering water will also do) and snag some ladyfingers (ladyfingers are miniature cakes about the size of two fingers side-by-side). You can either make your own espresso, use extra strong coffee as a substitute, or, next time you’re at Starbucks, order up a quadruple shot of espresso to go.
4 egg yolks
2 tablespoons milk
cup granulated sugar
2 cups mascarpone cheese
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
20 to 24 ladyfingers
½ cup cold espresso
¼ cup Kahlua coffee liqueur
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1. Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and bring it to a boil over medium/high heat, then reduce the heat so that the water is simmering. Whisk egg yolks, milk and sugar together in a medium metal bowl, then place the bowl on top of the saucepan (you can also use a double boiler forthis step). Stir the mixture often for 8 to 10 minutes or until the mixtures thickens. Remove the bowl from the heat, and to it add the 2 cups of mascarpone cheese and the vanilla. Get in there and whisk the cheese like the dickens until it smoothes out.
2. In a separate bowl, whip the cream with an electric mixer until thick.
3. Slowly fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture until it’s completely incorporated, but don’t over mix or that goodness could lose its fluff and flatten out on you.
4. Combine the espresso and Kahlua in a large, shallow bowl. One-by-one, quickly dip each ladyfinger in the espresso. The ladyfinger will soak up the espresso/Kahlua mixture like a sponge, so dip quickly. Arrange half of the dipped ladyfmgers side-by-side on the bottom of an 8x8-inch serving dish or baking pan.
5. Spoon about half of the cheese mixture over the ladyfingers, then add another layer of soaked ladyfingers on top of the cheese mixture.
6. Spoon the remaining cheese mixture over the second layer of ladyfingers and spread it evenly
7. Put two teaspoons of cocoa powder in a tight-mesh strainer and gently tap the side of the strainer to add an even dusting of cocoa powder over the top of the dessert.
8. Cover and chill for several hours. To serve, slice the dessert twice across and down creating 9 even portions. And don’t worry about how that first serving looks—it’s always the hardest to get out.
• MAKES 9 SERVINGS.
ORIGINAL PANCAKE HOUSE APPLE PANCAKE
MENU DESCRIPTION: “Oven baked with fresh apples and pure Sikiyan cinnamon glaze.”
Fresh, high-quality ingredients and traditional recipes are what make this growing chain a frequent favorite for anyone who stops in. The star of the show is the incredible apple pancake, the chain’s signature dish. To make a dead-on clone, Granny Smith apples are sautéed in butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, then allowed to cool for a bit. That way, when the batter is poured into the pan the apples and glaze stay anchored to the bottom. This technique also prevents the glaze from penetrating into the batter as the pancake bakes since there is now an apple barrier preventing any mixing of the ingredients. When the pancake comes out of the oven it’s flipped over onto a plate and the apples are smiling away at you right there on top, dripping with a delicious cinnamon-sugar glaze. You won’t need any syrup for this one, that’s for sure. Just a light dusting of powdered sugar, if you like, then get ready for an apple pancake unlike any other
2 medium Granny Smith apples,
peeled end sliced (about 16
to 20 slices each)
3 tablespoons butter (salted)
½ cup light brown sugar
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 eggs
cup whole milk
cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup all-purpose flour
OPTIONAL GARNISH
powdered sugar
1. Peel and
quarter two Granny Smith apples. Slice the core from each of the quarters, then slice the quarters into 4 to 5 slices each. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a 9- or 10-inch skillet. If you’ve got a skillet that isn’t nonstick, such as cast-iron, that’s the best kind for this recipe, although any oven-safe skillet this size will still work. Add brown sugar, cinnamon and the sliced apples and saute for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and let the pan sit for one hour so that the apples and glaze will stick to the bottom when the batter is poured on top.
2. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
3. In a medium bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer. Mix in milk, cream, sugar, salt and vanilla. Mix until sugar is dissolved. Sift in flour and mix until smooth. Let batter rest for about 10 minutes.
4. After the apples have cooled for an hour, pour the batter over the apples and pop the whole thing into the oven for 16 to 18 minutes or until the top begins to brown. Remove it from the oven, cool for one minute, and then use a spatula to loosen the pancake around the edges. Put a plate on top of the pan and invert the pan and plate together so that the pancake comes out upside down on the plate. Serve with an optional dusting of powdered sugar over the top.