Thursday, February 17, 2011
300 Top Secret Restaurant Recipes - Z
300 Top Secret Restaurant Recipes - Y
Yoo-Hoo Mix-Ups
A while back when I was rummaging through my pantry
I came upon several bottles of flavored Yoo-hoo that
I had scored from Wal-Mart and tucked away for over a year.
Each of the bottles was covered with a little dust and needed
a pretty fierce shaking, but the contents were very well
preserved and quite tasty. After some Web browsing of a few
unofficial Yoo-hoo Web sites, I discovered these worshipped
"Mix-ups" variety of the famous chocolate drink had since been
put to rest. Now, after a little work in the top secret
"lab," I've come up with a way to clone the flavor of these
bottled products which can no longer be obtained outside of
the ethereal food-world afterlife.
Ingredients
Chocolate-Banana
3/4 cup nonfat dry milk
3 tablespoons Nesquik chocolate drink powder
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon banana extract
Chocolate-Strawberry
3/4 cup nonfat dry milk
3 tablespoons Nesquik chocolate drink powder
3 cups cold water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons strawberry extract
Chocolate-Mint
3/4 cup nonfat dry milk
3 tablespoons Nesquik chocolate drink powder
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 teaspoonn sugar
dash mint extract (less than 1/8 teaspoon)
Preparation Method
Combine all the ingredients in a blender for the flavor of your
choice in a container or jar with a lid. Shake until dry milk
is dissolved. Drink immediately or chill in the refrigerator.
Makes 1 14-ounce drink.
Yonah Schimmel Low-Fat New York City Knish
Here's a recipe that comes from a challenge issued by
the New York Daily News. They wanted to find out if a
West Coast boy could duplicate the taste of an authentic
New York City knish. But, mind you, not just any knish.
This knish comes from one of the oldest knisheries in the
Big Apple; a place which also takes pride in the low fat
content of its knishes, versus the popular deep-fried variety.
When I tasted the famous Yonah Schimmel knish (the first knish
I had ever sampled), I realized that not only could a simple
clone recipe be created, but that the fat gram count could
come in even lower. The Daily News even went so far as to have
a lab analyze the fat content of not only the original knish
and the clone, but also the fat grams in a street vendor knish
and a supermarket knish, just for comparison. The results are
listed below. If you'd like to check out the original article
that ran in the Daily News, click here.
Ingredients
6 medium russet potatoes
2 1/2 tablespoons low-fat butter
1/4 minced onion
3 tablespoons fat-free chicken (or vegetable) broth
1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper, or more to taste
Seasoning blends, chives or pepper flakes to taste (optional)
6 sheets phyllo dough
Preparation Method
1. Peel, halve and boil potatoes until tender, 15-20 minutes.
Mash in a large bowl.
2. SautÈ onion in 1 1/2 tablespoons butter until translucent but
not brown. Add to mashed potatoes with broth, salt, pepper and
spices. Stir well.
3. Melt remaining tablespoon of butter. Pre-heat oven to 375
degrees.
4. Layer 3 sheets of phyllo dough and cut in half. Repeat with
remaining 3 sheets. Spoon 1 cup of potato mixture on each section
of phyllo, mold into a large ball and position off-center at one
end of strip of dough. Roll ball along the length of phyllo,
folding dough over bottom of filling and leaving some filling
poking through the top. (Trim and discard excess dough.)
5. Brush melted butter over edges of knish to seal the seams and
press down onto an ungreased baking sheet. Repeat with other
knishes. Bake 30-40 minutes, until golden brown.
Makes four knishes.
300 Top Secret Restaurant Recipes - W
WOLFGANG PUCK'S PUMPKIN PIE
Unbaked 10-inch single
-crust pie shell
4 tb Sugar syrup
1 tb Minced orange peel
2 tb Grand Marnier
1 Vanilla bean, split and
-scraped
1 Cinnamon stick
Fresh grated nutmeg
6 Oz. fresh cranberries
2 c Pumpkin puree
1 c Dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 ts Cinnamon
1 ts Ginger
1/2 ts Nutmeg
1/2 ts Cloves
ds Salt
ds Fresh ground white pepper
4 Eggs
1 c Whipping cream
1/2 c Half and half
3 tb Bourbon
Cinnamon ice cream
-(optional)
Wolfgang Puck is a German-born chef who has made his mark here in
California. He has such goldmines as Spago's in LA and Stars in the
City plus a few more salted away around the globe. This is Wolfgang
Puck's very own punkin' pie. How does it stack up against
Grandma's?
Line a buttered 10-inch pie dish or flan ring with pastry.
Refrigerate for 1/2 hour. Line with parchment paper and fill
with pie weights or uncooked beans. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes, or until
crust is golden. Let cool. Remove paper and beans.
Meanwhile, in large stainless steel saucepan, combine sugar syrup,
orange peel, Grand Marnier, vanilla bean with scrapings, cinnamon
stick and nutmeg. Bring to boil. Stir in cranberries then reduce
heat and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes or until berries are softened.
Remove vanilla bean and cinnamon stick. Spread mixture in thin
layer on bottom of tart shell. (Leftover marmalade is good served
on side with smoked meat, fowl or curry.)
In a bowl, combine pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg,
cloves and pepper. Beat in eggs, cream, half and half and bourbon,
Pour into pastry shell. Bake at 375F for 30 to 40 minutes or until
set.
Serve warm with cinnamon ice cream, if desired.
White Tassel Hamburgers
1 lb Ground sirloin (not ground-chuck)
3 oz Jar of strained beef or
-veal baby food
2/3 c Canned clear beef broth
1/4 c Dry minced onion
1/4 c Hot water
1 pk Regular hot dog buns
Mush together beef, baby food, and broth. Refrigerate, tightly
covered, for a couple of hours. Roll meat into small balls, flatten
and fry in pan on stovetop. Mix together onion and water. Place
approx. 1 tbsp of onion/water mixture in the bottom of the pan. Flip
burger on top of this mixture. Serve immediately after they are
finished cooking. For buns, cut a hot dog bun into pieces that are
the same size as the hamburgers.
White Tassel Hamburgers 2
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 pound Ground SIRLOIN
2/3 cup Canned beef broth
1 Jar babyfood strained beef -- (3 ounces)
-----ONIONS-----
1/4 cup Dry onions
1/4 cup Hot water
Mustard
Catsup
Pickles
Mix meat baby food and broth together well then but in fridge for 3 hours
or over night. then add hot water to onions to hydrate them make small
hamburgers put in frying pan with the end of a spoon put holes in the
burgers while frying so they will cook evenly. then before tuning put some
onions on top of each burger then place buns on top bottom of buns down.
so they will be steamed warm. garnish with pickle catsup and mustard.
Wendy's Spicy Chicken Fillet Sandwich
There once was a time when Wendy's offered this sandwich for a
"limited time only." Apparently the tasty zing from this breaded
chicken sandwich won it many loyal customers and a permanent place
on the fast food chain's menu. Now you can re-create the spicy
kick of the original with a secret blend of spices in the chicken's
crispy coating. Follow the same stacking order as the original,
and you've just made 4 sandwich clones at a fraction of the cost
of the real thing.
Ingredients
6 to 8 cups vegetable oil
1/3 cup Frank's Original Red Hot Pepper Sauce
2/3 cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
4 chicken breast fillets
4 plain hamburger buns
8 teaspoons mayonnaise
4 lettuce leaves
4 tomato slices
Preparation Method
1. Preheat 6 to 8 cups of oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees.
2. Combine the pepper sauce and water in a small bowl.
3. Combine the flour, salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, onion
powder, paprika and garlic powder in another shallow bowl.
4. Pound each of the chicken pieces with a mallet until about
3/8-inch thick. Trim each breast fillet if necessary to help it
fit on the bun.
5. Working with one fillet at a time, coat each piece with the flour,
then dredge it in the diluted pepper sauce. Coat the chicken once
again in the flour mixture and set it aside until the rest of the
chicken is coated.
6. Fry the chicken fillets for 8 to 12 minutes or until they are light
brown and crispy. Remove the chicken to a rack or to paper towels to
drain.
7. As chicken is frying, prepare each sandwich by grilling the face of
the hamburger buns on a hot skillet over medium heat. Spread about 2
teaspoons of mayonnaise on the face of each of the inverted top buns.
8. Place a tomato slice onto the mayonnaise, then stack a leaf of
lettuce on top of the tomato.
9. On each of the bottom buns, stack one piece of chicken.
10. Flip the top half of each sandwich onto the bottom half and
serve hot.
Makes 4 sandwiches.
Wendy's Classic Greek Fresh Stuffed Pita
Here's a clone for another of Wendy's four Fresh Stuffed Pitas.
This Classic Greek Pita uses the same salad base and dressing
as last week's clone for the Chicken Caesar Pita, but replaces
the chicken and parmesan with a Greek topping that's very easy
to make. Even though Wendy's uses a special custom pita that can't
be bought in the stores, you can use the type that most people
tend to slice open and fill. You won't be filling any pockets in
this recipe (other than those in your pants with the money you save).
Instead, you just heat up the pita, and fill it like a soft taco.
Dressing
1/2 cup water
1/8 teaspoon dry, unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon finely minced red bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
dash parsley
dash oregano
dash thyme
dash basil
1 tablespoon grated Romano cheese
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons egg substitute
1 cup (4-ounce package) crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup tomato, seeded and diced
1/4 cup cucumber, thinly sliced and chopped
1/4 cup red onion, diced
6 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
1/4 cup red cabbage, shredded
1/4 cup carrot, shredded
4 pita breads
Preparation Method
1. Make the dressing by first dissolving the gelatin in the water.
Heat the mixture in the microwave on high for two minutes or until
it begins to boil rapidly. Add the vinegar, then whisk while adding
the oil. Add bell pepper, salt, garlic powder, Worcestershire, black
pepper, parsley, oregano, thyme and basil. Let dressing cool for
about 15 minutes before adding cheeses and egg substitute. Whisk
until slightly thicker, then chill. Overnight refrigeration makes
the dressing thicker.
2. Make the Greek topping for the sandwiches by combining the crumbled
feta cheese, tomato, cucumber, and red onion in a small bowl.
3. Prepare the salad by combining the romaine lettuce, red cabbage
and shredded carrot in a large bowl and toss.
4. Prepare the sandwiches by first microwaving each pita for 20
seconds.
5. Fold each pita in half like a taco, then add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of
the romaine salad into the bread.
6. Add 1/2 to 1/3 cup of the greek topping to each sandwich.
7. Pour about a tablespoon of dressing over each sandwich and serve.
Serves 4.
Wendy's Chili
Here's a favorite recipe for chili that clones the stuff served
at the Wendy's chain. Dave Thomas, Wendy's founder, has been
serving this chili since 1969, he year the first Wendy's opened
its doors. Over the years the recipe has changed a bit, but
this version here is an amazing copy of the version of chili
served in the early 90's. Try topping it with some chopped onion
and cheddar cheese, as you can request in the restaurant.
Ingredients
2 pounds ground beef
One 29-ounce can tomato sauce
One 29-ounce can kidney beans (with liquid)
One 29-ounce can pinto beans (with liquid)
1 cup diced onion (1 medium onion)
1/2 cup diced green chili (2 chilies)
1/4 cup diced celery (1 stalk)
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 teaspoons cumin powder
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups water
Preparation Method
1. Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat; drain off
the fat.
2. Using a fork, crumble the cooked beef into pea-size pieces.
3. In a large pot, combine the beef plus all the remaining ingredients,
and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook, stirring every 15 minutes,
for 2 to 3 hours.
Makes about 12 servings.
Tidbits
For spicier chili, add 1/2 teaspoon more black pepper.
For much spicier chili, add 1 teaspoon black pepper and a tablespoon
cayenne pepper.
And for a real stomach stinger, add 5 or 6 sliced jalapeno peppers
to the pot.
Leftovers can be frozen for several months.
Wendy's Chicken Caesar Fresh Stuffed Pita
Early in 1997 Wendy's introduced its selection of cold
"Fresh Stuffed" pita sandwiches -- a nice change of pace
from the typical fast food fare. Basically what you're
getting is a small salad wrapped in a warm pita bread.
You might be saying to yourself "That doesn't sound like
much for 3 bucks!" Then I would have to say, "Perhaps,
but what if you could make a clone yourself for a mere
fraction of that?" You would probably say, "Cool, man!
Lay it on me." And then I would just say, "Already did."
Ingredients
Dressing
1/2 cup water
1/8 teaspoon dry, unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon finely minced red bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoonWorcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
dash parsley
dash oregano
dash thyme
dash basil
1 tablespoon grated Romano cheese
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons egg substitute
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt
pepper
6 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
1/4 cup red cabbage, shredded
1/4 cup carrot, shredded
4 pita breads
4 teaspoons shredded, fresh Parmesan cheese
Preparation Method
1. Make the dressing by first dissolving the gelatin in the
water. Heat the mixture in the microwave on high for two
minutes or until it begins to boil rapidly. Add the vinegar,
then whisk while adding the oil. Add bell pepper, salt,
garlic powder, Worcestershire, black pepper, parsley, oregano,
thyme and basil. Let dressing cool for about 15 minutes before
adding cheeses and egg substitute. Whisk until slightly thicker,
then chill. Overnight refrigeration makes the dressing thicker.
2. Preheat a barbecue or indoor grill to medium heat. Salt and
pepper the chicken, then grill it for 5 minutes per side, or until
done. Remove chicken from the grill and dice it.
3. While chicken cooks, prepare the salad by combining the romaine
lettuce, red cabbage and shredded carrot in a large bowl and toss.
4. Prepare the sandwiches by first microwaving each pita for 20
seconds.
5. Fold each pita in half like a taco, then add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of
the romaine salad into the bread.
6. Add about 1/3 cup of diced chicken on top of the salad in the pita.
7. Pour about a tablespoon of dressing over each sandwich.
8. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of shredded fresh Parmesan on top of
each one and serve.
Serves 4.
Wendy's Frosties
Ingredients
1 cup Milk
1/2 cup Nestle's Quik
3 cups ice cream, softened in fridge 1 hour
Preparation Method
Put in blender until smooth. Serve.
Waffle House Waffles
It was two friendly Atlanta, Georgia neighbors who got
together in 1955 to build the first Waffle House in their
eventual 1200-restaurant chain. With the dimpled breakfast
hotcake as a signature item (and this is 3 years before
IHOP was founded!), the privately-held chain grew into
20 Southern U.S. states. Today tasty food at rock-bottom
prices, plus 24-hours-a-day service, makes Waffle House
a regular stop for devoted customers any time of the day
or night. And don't even think about referring to your server
as a waitress; they're called "associates."
For the best clone of the 45-year-old secret formula for these
waffles you really should chill this batter overnight in the
fridge as they do in each of the restaurants. But, hey, sometimes
you just can't wait, right? If you need instant gratification,
the recipe still works fine if you cook up the waffles the same
day. At least wait for 15-20 minutes after you make the batter
so that it can rest and thicken a bit. That'll give you time to
search for the waffle iron and heat it up. Also, you might need
some time to dust it off.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons shortening
1/2 cup half & half
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Preparation Method
1. Combine flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Stir to
combine.
2. Lightly beat the egg in another medium bowl. Add the sugar,
butter, and shortening and mix well with an electric mixer until
smooth. Add the half & half, milk, buttermilk and vanilla. Mix well.
3. Add the dry flour mixture to the wet mixture while beating. Mix
until smooth.
4. Cover and chill overnight. (You can use batter right away if you
like, but a good 12-hour chill makes the batter better.)
5. Rub a light coating of vegetable oil on a waffle iron. Preheat
the waffle iron. Leave the batter out of the refrigerator to warm
up a bit as your waffle iron is preheating.
6. Spoon 1/3 to 1/2 cup of batter into the waffle iron and cook for
3 to 4 minutes or until the waffles are light brown.
Makes 6 waffles.
300 Top Secret Restaurant Recipes - U
UNO'S PIZZERIA RECIPE
Amount Measure Ingredient
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 pk Yeast
2 c -Tepid water
1/2 c Salad oil
4 tb Olive oil
3 c Flour
1/2 c Cornmeal -- I think this is
-the secret
2 ts -salt -- Frugal Gourmet does
-not have salt in dough
2 1/2 c Flour
-Sauce
2 cn Plum tomatoes 28 ounce
-drained -- crushed; drained
1 Mozzarella -- to taste
1 pn -salt -- ground pepper
1 -garlic -- chopped; to taste
1 Basil -- fresh; chopped
1 Oregano -- fresh; chopped
1 Meat -- choice
1 Onion -- etc; choice
1 Parmesan -- to taste
1 Romano cheese -- to taste
Preparation Method
Mix two packets of yeast in 2 cups of tepid water and let sit for ten
minutes. Add 1/2 cup salad oil. Add Olive oil, 3 cups flour; cornmeal
and salt. Knead for about ten minutes. Add 2-1/2 cups of additional flour.
Knead this for 15 minutes. Let dough rise to twice its size. Use blackened
deep dish pizza pans. I'm not sure how you get 'em blackened - I cured mine
with olive oil and then I just wipe them out when I'm
done. They are kind of getting blackened looking with use. I have two pans
and make two pizzas at a time. I spread the pan with olive oil and sprinkle
with cornmeal. Divide the dough in half. Spread and cover the bottom of the
pan. Spread it up the sides. I then let it rise again in the pan. Cover
pizza dough with sliced mozzarella. Drain and squash a 28 ounce can of plum
tomatoes for each pizza. Drain off the excess fluid after squashing, and
spread this over the cheese. Smidge of salt and ground pepper over the top.
Chopped garlic, fresh chopped basil and oregano. Add the filling of your
choice (I use sliced onion and Italian Sausage). Top with a Parmesan/Romano
Cheese mix. Bake in preheated oven at 475 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
UNO'S DEEP PAN PIZZA
Amount Measure Ingredient
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
-----CRUST-----
1 c Warm tap water (110-115¯)
1 t Active dry yeast
3 1/2 c Flour
1/2 c Coarse ground cornmeal
1 t Salt
1/4 c Vegetable oil
-----FILLING-----
1 lb Mozzarella, sliced
1 lb Sausage, removed from the
Casing and crumbled
1 cn Whole tomatos, drained and
Coarsely crushed
2 c Cloves, peeled and minced
3 ts Dried oregano,OR
5 Fresh basil leaves,
Shredded
4 tb Freshly grated Parmesan
Cheese
Preparation Method
Pour the warm water into a large mixing bowl and
dissolve the yeast with a fork. Add 1 cup of flour,
all of the cornmeal, salt, and, and vegetable oil. Mix
well with a spoon. Continue stirring in the rest of
the flour 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough comes
away from the sides of the bowl. Flour your hands and
the work surface and kneed the ball of dough until it
is no longer sticky.
Let the dough rise in an oiled bowl, sealed with
plastic wrap, for 45 to 60 minutes in a warm place,
until it is doubled in bulk. Punch it down and kneed
it briefly. Press it into an oiled 15-inch deep dish
pizza pan, until it comes 2 inches up the sides and is
even on the bottom of the pan. Let the dough rise
15-20 minutes before filling.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. Cook
the crumbled sausage until it is no longer pink, drain
it of it's excess fat. Drain and chop the tomatos.
When the dough has finished its second rising, lay the
cheese over the dough shell. Then distribute the
sausage and garlic over the cheese. Top with the
tomatos. Sprinkle on the seasonings and Parmesan
cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes at 500 degrees. Then lower the
temperature to 400 degrees and bake for 25 to 35
minutes longer. Lift up a section of the crust from
time to time with a spatula to check on its color. The
crust will be golden brown when done. Serve
immediately.