Tequila Lime Chicken
It's one of Applebee's top-selling signature dishes
and a big request here on the site. This tasty dish
combines the tangy flavor of the tequila lime marinade
with creamy southwestern-style dressing, and tops it all
off with a melted cheese blend. Just be sure you don't
marinate the chicken longer than the 3 to 4 hours, or the
citric acid in the lime juice may toughen the chicken.
The bed of crispy corn tortilla strips can be easily
cloned with crumbled store-bought corn chips, but if
you want strips like those served at the restaurant,
just follow the "tidbits" below. Serve this dish with
your choice of rice (Spanish rice is recommended),
along with some pico de gallo (you can find a recipe here)
or salsa on the side.
Marinade
1 cup water
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon mesquite liquid smoke flavoring
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon tequila
4 chicken breast fillets
Mexi-Ranch Dressing
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon milk
2 teaspoons minced tomato
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon minced canned jalapeno slices (nacho slices)
1 teaspoon minced onion
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco pepper sauce
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
dash garlic powder
dash ground black pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar/monterey jack cheese blend
2 cups crumbled corn chips or fried tortilla strips (see tidbits)
1. Prepare marinade by combining marinade ingredients
in a medium bowl. Add the chicken to the bowl, cover and
chill for 2 to 3 hours.
2. Make the mexi-ranch dressing by combining all of the
ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix well until smooth, then
cover dressing and chill it until needed.
3. When you are ready to prepare the entree, preheat the
oven to high broil. Also, preheat your barbecue or indoor
grill to high heat. When the grill is hot cook the marinated
chicken breasts for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until
they're done.
4. Arrange the cooked chicken in a baking pan. Spread a
layer of mexi-ranch dressing over each piece of chicken
(you'll have plenty left over), followed by 1/4 cup of
the shredded cheese blend. Broil the chicken for 2 to 3
minutes, or just until the cheese has melted.
5. Spread a bed of 1/2 cup of the tortilla strips or crumbled
corn chips on each of four plates. Slide a chicken breast onto
the chips on each plate and serve with your choice of rice,
and pico de gallo, or salsa.
Serves 4.
Tidbits
Crumbling store-bought tortilla chips is the easy way to
make the bed of crunchy chips that the tequila lime chicken
rests on. But, you can make tortilla strips like those served
at the restaurant by cutting a stack of eight 6-inch corn
tortillas in half. Stack the halves on top of each other and
slice the tortillas into thin strips. Fry the tortilla strips
in 2 cups of oil preheated in a large skillet for 3-5 minutes
or until crispy. Salt lightly and cool on paper towels to drain.
Planet Hollywood Pot Stickers
Menu Description: "Six pot stickers filled with fresh ground turkey meat seasoned with ginger, water chestnuts, red pepper and green onions. They are fried and served in a basket with spicy hoisin."
Here's a special recipe from one of the most popular theme restaurant chains. Pot stickers are a popular Asian dumpling that can be fried, steamed, or simmered in a broth. Planet Hollywood has customized its version to make them crunchier than the traditional dish, and it's a tasty twist that I'm sure you'll love. Since hoisin sauce would be very difficult to make from scratch, you can use a commercial brand found in most stores.
1/4 pound ground turkey
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced green onion
1 teaspoon minced water chestnuts
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (no seeds)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 egg, beaten
Vegetable oil for frying
12 wonton wrappers (3 x 3-inch size)
On the side
Hoisin sauce
1. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients except the egg, wrappers and oil. Add 1 tablespoon of the beaten egg. Save the rest of the egg for later. Preheat oil in a deep fryer or a deep saucepan to 375 degrees. Use enough oil to cover the pot stickers -- 1 to 2 inches should be enough.
2. Invert a small bowl or glass with a 3-inch diameter on the center of a wonton wrapper and cut around it to make a circle. Repeat for the remaining wrappers.
3. Spoon 1/2 tablespoon of the turkey filling into the center of one wrapper. Brush a little beaten egg around half of the edge of the wrapper and fold the wrapper over the filling. Gather the wrapper as you seal it so that it is crinkled around the edge. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
4. Deep-fry the pot stickers, six at a time in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes or until they are brown. Drain on a rack or paper towels. Serve with hoisin sauce for dipping. If you want some crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper to the sauce.
Serves 3 to 4 as an appetizer.
Tidbits
If you can't find wonton wrappers, you can also use egg roll wrappers for this recipe. Egg roll wrappers are much bigger, so you will be wasting more of the dough when you trim the wrappers to 3-inch diameter circles. But in a pinch, this is a quick solution. Pot sticker wrappers can also be found in some supermarkets, but I've found the wonton wrappers and eggroll wrappers, when fried, taste more like the restaurant version.
[ Planet Hollywood Pot Stickers ]
Hard Rock Cafe Cole Slaw
If you want the authentic Hard Rock Cafe Pig Sandwich experience, you just have to serve your clone of that pulled-pork sandwich with this creamy, delicious cole slaw on the side. Even if you don't whip up the sandwich, you'll want to dive into a batch of this secret slaw. It's just too easy to make, and Who Wants to be a Millionaire? isn't on tonight. But be sure to let the stuff hibernate in the fridge for a day or two after you toss it. That's the only way to get the flavors up to dancing the perfect taste bud mambo.
1 1/3 cups mayonnaise
3 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons milk
dash salt
8 cups chopped cabbage (1 head)
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1. Combine all ingredients except the cabbage and carrots in a large bowl and blend until smooth with an electric mixer.
2. Add cabbage and carrots and toss well.
3. Cover and chill overnight in the refrigerator. The flavors fully develop after 24 to 48 hours. Serves 6 to 8 as a side dish.
Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll
INGREDIENTS:
DOUGH
1/4 cup warm water, 1 cup milk -- room temperature
1 large egg -- beaten, 1/4 cup butter -- softened,
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, 4 cups all purpose white flour
1/2 package instant vanilla pudding mix (3.4 oz box)
1 tablespoon bread machine yeast FILLING 1 cup brown sugar
-- packed 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1/4 cup butter -- softened
CREAM CHEESE CINNAMON FROSTING, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
4 ounces cream cheese -- softened, 1/4 cup butter -- softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 tablespoon milk, 1 1/2 cups powdered
sugar
Preparation Instructions:
Dough; (Add the dough ingredients,
in the order listed, to the bread machine and prepare using the dough setting. On a lightly floured surface, roll out to an 18" by 30" rectangle. The dough can also be handmade. If you use regular yeast, you may want to let the rolls proof for 15-30 minutes after assembly). Filling In a small bowl, mix brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread the softened butter over the dough and evenly sprinkle on the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Starting at the long edge of the dough, roll up tightly. Mark the roll every 2 inches. With a thread cut the roll by placing the thread under the roll at your mark, crisscross over and pull to cut. Place rolls into greased 8" or 9" baking pans 2" apart. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft free place until almost double, approximately 1 hour. After rising, rolls should be touching each other and the sides of the pan. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cream Cheese Cinnamon Frosting In a small bowl, mix cream cheese,
butter, vanilla and milk. Add powdered sugar and cinnamon and mix until smooth. Spread on warm rolls and serve immediately. This recipe has been adjusted so that the dough can be prepared in your bread machine. These will taste most like the originals if you use Makara Cinnamon (available at the Cinnabon Stands) instead of conventional powdered cinnamon from the supermarket.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
This easy-to-clone dish comes with many of the tasty entrees at the restaurant chain or can be ordered up, pronto, on the side. It's a nice clone to have around since it goes well with so many dishes, Mexican or otherwise. Just give yourself the time to bake and cool the potatoes. Be here at TSR next week for a big clone request from the same "always fresh ingredients" Mexican food chain.
4 medium/large russet potatoes
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic (3-4 cloves)
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Bake the potatoes by first rubbing them lightly with oil and then baking them in the preheated oven for 1 hour until they are tender. Cool.
3. Mash potatoes and remove about half of the skin. You want to leave the rest in.
4. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, then add garlic and saute for 5 minutes.
5. Add the remaining ingredients to the pan and cook for 5-10 minutes while stirring often until garlic mashed potatoes are very hot.
Serves 4.
Ranch Crispy Chicken Sandwich
We'll use elements of the Carl's Jr. Bacon Swiss
Crispy Chicken Sandwich clone recipe to whip up one
of the other Carl's Jr. crispy chicken sandwiches,
because I always say you can never have too much crispy
chicken. This fried chicken breast sandwich includes
lettuce and tomato, and is slathered with a clone of Carl's
tasty ranch dressing. Use the recipes together and you
can easily serve up two different sandwich clones for
different tastes, with little extra effort. And you diners
will be so impressed.
Ranch Dressing
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon parsley
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
dash dill weed
dash garlic powder
dash ground black pepper
2 teaspoons hot water
1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
6 to 8 cups vegetable shortening
1 egg
1 cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
4 chicken breast fillets
4 sesame seed hamburger buns
4 lettuce leaves
4 tomato slices
1. Preheat 6 to 8 cups of shortening in a deep fryer to 350
degrees. If you don't have a deep fryer, you can also pan
fry using a large frying pan, and just a couple cups of shortening.
2. To prepare the ranch dressing, combine all of the ingredients
except the water and gelatin in small bowl. Mix the water with
the gelatin in a small cup until all of the gelatin is dissolved.
Add this gelatin solution to the other ingredients and stir.
Cover and chill the dressing until it's needed.
3. Beat the egg and then combine with 1 cup of water in a small,
shallow bowl. Stir.
4. Combine the flour, salt, paprika, onion powder, and garlic
powder in another shallow bowl.
5. Pound each of the breast fillets with a mallet until about
1/4-inch thick. Trim each breast fillet until it is round.
6. Working with one fillet at a time, first coat each fillet
with the flour, then dredge it in the egg and water mixture.
Coat the chicken once again in the flour and set it aside until
all of the fillets have been coated.
7. Fry the chicken fillets for 8 to 12 minutes or until light
brown and crispy.
8. As chicken is frying, prepare each sandwich by grilling the
face of the hamburger buns on a hot skillet over medium heat.
Spread about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the ranch dressing on the face
of the top and bottom buns.
9. On the bottom bun, stack a leaf of lettuce and a tomato slice.
10. When the chicken is done frying, remove the fillets from the
fryer and drain on paper towels or a rack for a couple minutes.
11. Stack one fillet on the bottom of the sandwich (on top of
the tomato), then top it off with the top bun. Repeat the
stacking process for each of the sandwiches.
Makes 4 sandwiches.
Pico de Gallo
This is a great summer relish to serve with chips,
or even on a hamburger.
INGREDIENTS:
3 large tomatoes diced, 1 large onion diced
2 Tbsp. diced Jalapenos, 1/2 cup fresh cilantro (diced)
2 tsp. Salt, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. olive oil, 1 Tbsp. white vinegar
Preparation Instructions:
Mix all ingredients together in large container until well blended. Allow to sit for at least 6 hours, it is better if allowed to sit overnight.
Chicken Formaggio Pizza
4 ounces Chicken breast; bone -- skin
1 tablespoon Olive oil
2 tablespoons Onions -- dice
1 cup Tomatoes; drain -- dice
1 teaspoon Garlic -- chop
1/8 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Dried basil
1/2 cup Fontinella cheese -- shred
1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese -- shred
1/2 cup Mushrooms -- slice
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese -- shred
1 12" pre-baked pizza crust
Preheat oven to 450~F. Saute or bake chicken breast. Cool.
Cut into 1/4" wide strips. Spray or grease a 12" pizza pan.
Saute onions and garlic briefly in the olive oil and add them
to the tomatoes,salt and basil.Spread the tomato mixture over
the top of the crust. Lay chicken strips down over the tomatoes.
Top with fontinella and mozzarella cheeses. Add the sliced mushrooms
and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450 degrees F. for 8
minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is piping hot.
[ Chicken Formaggio Pizza ]
Honey BBQ Wings
Once a regular menu item, these sweet, saucy wings are now
added to the KFC menu on a "limited-time-only" basis in many
markets. So how are we to get that sticky sauce all over our
faces and hands during those many months when we're cruelly
denied our Honey BBQ Wings? Now it's as easy as whipping up a
clone that re-creates a crispy breading on the chicken wings,
and then slathering those puppies in a tasty knock-off of the
sweet, tangy honey BBQ sauce. "Limited-time-only" signs -
we laugh in your direction!
Sauce
1 1/4 cup ketchup
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
6 to 8 cups vegetable shortening
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 teaspoon MSG
20 chicken wing pieces
1. Combine the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan over medium
heat. Stir until ingredients are well combined and bring to a boil.
Then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. As sauce is simmering, heat up 6 to 8 cups of shortening in
a deep fryer set to 350 degrees.
3. Combine the beaten egg with the milk in a small bowl.
4. In another small bowl, combine the flour, salt, pepper, and MSG.
5. When shorteningl is hot, dip each wing first in the flour mixture,
then into the milk and egg mixture, and back into the flour. Arrange
wings on a plate until each one is coated with batter.
6. Fry the wings in the shortening for 9 to 12 minutes or until light
golden brown. If you have a small fryer, you may wish to fry 10 of
the wings at a time. Drain on paper towels or a rack.
7. When the sauce is done, brush the entire surface of each wing with
a light coating of sauce. Serve immediately.
Makes 2 to 4 servings (20 wings).
Tidbits
Liquid smoke is a flavoring found near the barbecue sauces and
marinades. Use hickory-flavored liquid smoke if you have a choice.
MSG is monosodium glutamate, the solid form of a natural amino acid
found in many vegetables. It can be found in stores in the spice
sections and as the brand name Accent flavor enhancer. MSG is an
important component of many KFC items.
Orange Flavored Chicken
As far as Chinese food goes, I think the stuff these guys
throw together in sizzling woks is surprisingly tasty for
a takeout chain. This dish is something of a twist on the
traditional sweet and sour chicken commonly found at Chinese
restaurants over the years. This popular menu item has a
delicious, citrus-laced, tangy-sweet sauce with a spicy nip
the regulars find truly addictive. The chain claims to cook
all of its food in woks, including sauces. But this homegrown
version will work fine, whether you go for a wok, or not.
Sauce
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced water chestnuts
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1 rounded teaspoon chopped green onion
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
5 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons arrowroot
3 tablespoons water
Chicken
4 chicken breast fillets
1 cup ice water
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups unsifted cake flour
2 to 4 cups vegetable oil
1. Combine all of the sauce ingredients - except the cornstarch,
arrowroot, and 3 tablespoons of water - in a small saucepan over
high heat. Stir often while bringing mixture to a boil. When sauce
reaches a boil, remove it from heat and allow it to cool a bit,
uncovered.
2. Slice chicken breasts into bite-size chunks. Remove exactly 1
cup of the marinade from the pan and pour it over the chicken in
a large resealable plastic bag or other container which allows
the chicken to be completely covered with the marinade. The chicken
should marinate for at least a couple hours. Cover the remaining
sauce and leave it to cool until the chicken is ready.
3. When chicken has marinated, preheat 2 inches of vegetable oil
in a wok or skillet to 350 degrees.
4. Combine cornstarch with arrowroot in a small bowl, then add 3
tablespoons of water. Stir until cornstarch and arrowroot have
dissolved. Pour this mixture into the sauce and set the pan over
high heat. When sauce begins to bubble and thicken, cover and
remove it from heat.
5. Beat together the ice water and egg in a medium bowl. Add baking
soda and salt.
6. Add 3/4 cup of the flour and stir with a fork just until the
flour in blended into the mixture. The batter should still be lumpy.
7. Sprinkle another 1/4 cup of flour on top of the batter and mix
with only one or two strokes. Most of the new flour will still
floating on top of the mixture. Put the remaining flour (1/2 cup)
into a separate medium bowl.
8. Dip each piece of chicken first into the flour, then into the
batter. Let some of the batter drip off and then slide the chicken
into the oil. Fry up to 1/2 of the chicken pieces at a time for
3 to 4 minutes, or until golden brown. Flip the chicken over halfway
through the cooking time. Remove the chicken to a rack or paper
towels to drain.
9. As the chicken cooks, reheat the sauce left covered on the stove.
Stir occasionally.
10. When all of the chicken is done, pour it into a large bowl,
and cover with the thickened sauce. Stir gently until all of the
pieces are well coated.
Serves four.
Snack Well's Banana Snack Bars
INGREDIENTS:
2 egg whites,
1 cup plus 5 tablespoons sugar,
2 tablespoons brown sugar,
2 tablespoons molasses,
1 1/2 cups banana puree* ,
3 tablespoons shortening,
1/4 cup whole milk,
1/2 teaspoon vanilla butter nut extract,
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour,
1/2 teaspoon salt,
1/4 teaspoon baking soda.
Preparation Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. In a large bowl, whip the egg whites with an electric mixer until they become thick. Do not use a plastic bowl for this.
3. Add the sugar to the egg whites and continue to beat until the mixture forms soft peaks.
4. Add the brown sugar, molasses, banana puree, shortening, milk and vanilla butter nut flavoring to the mixture, beating after each addition.
5. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.
6. While beating the wet mixture, slowly add the bowl of dry ingredients.
7. Lightly grease a 9x14-inch pan with a light coating of non-stick cooking spray. Be sure to coat the sides as well as the bottom of the pan. Dump about 3 tablespoons of sugar into the pan, then tilt and shake the pan so that a light layer of sugar coats the entire bottom of the pan, and about halfway up the sides. Pour out the excess sugar.
8.Pour the batter into the pan, and spread it evenly around the inside of the pan. Sprinkle a light coating of sugar -- about two tablespoons -- over the entire top surface of the batter. Gently shake the pan from side-to-side to evenly distribute the sugar over the batter. Bake for 25-28 minutes or until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
9. Remove the cake from the oven and turn it out onto a cooling rack. When cake has cooled, place it onto a sheet of wax paper on a cutting board and slice across the cake 6 times, creating 7 even slices. Next cut the cake lengthwise twice, into thirds, creating a total of 21 snack bars. When the bars have completely cooled, store them in a resealable plastic bag or an airtight container.
*Puree whole bananas (approximately 3) in a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy.
Salt Free Seasoning Blend
So here's the challenge with this clone recipe: Not only do we have to get the right ratios for nearly 20 different spices, but we also have to come up with a way to get the same lemony tang that makes the real Mrs. Dash the tasty salt-free seasoning blend we've come to know and love over the years. Sure, we could use powdered citric acid that is sometimes found in health food stores, but not everyone is going to have that scary sounding ingredient readily available. Then we still need to figure out the "lemon juice solids" part. Ah, but wait, there's citric acid and lemon juice solids in Kool-Aid unsweetened lemonade drink mix. It's perfect! Add a little of that drink powder to the spice blend and we have a clone that in a blindfolded taste test could fool even Mr. Dash.
1/4 cup crushed dried minced onion flakes
4 teaspoons crushed dried vegetable flakes (Schilling)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried orange peel
2 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried savory
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon Kool-Aid unsweetened lemonade drink mix
dash crushed dried rosemary
Crushing the vegetable flakes with extreme prejudice
1. Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and stir well. As you stir, crush the leafy spices for a finer blend.
2. Store the spice blend in a covered container or a sealed shaker bottle.
Makes about 2/3 cup.
Tidbits
It's best to use a mortar and pestle to crush these sometimes toughlittle onion and vegetable flakes to about the size of rice, before adding them to the mix. But if you don't have one of those handy kitchen tools, you may also use the back of a spoon and a small bowl - plus a little grease. You know, the elbow kind.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie
Ingredients
15 chocolate sandwich cookies
1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts
vegetable cooking spray
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 quarts chocolate ice cream
(7) 1.8 ounce packages milk chocolate covered peanut butter cups
(1) 8 ounce jar milk chocolate fudge topping
1/4 cup strong brewed coffee
2 tablespoons coffee flavored liqueur
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a food processor or blender, blend chocolate sandwich cookies and peanuts until finely chopped. Spray 9-inch pie plate with vegetable cooking spray. Reserve 1 tablespoon cookie mixture for garnish. In pie plate, mix butter or margarine and remaining cookie mixture by hand. Press mixture onto bottom and up side of pie plate. Bake 8 minutes. Cool crust completely on wire rack.
Meanwhile, place chocolate ice cream in refrigerator about 40 minutes to soften slightly. Coarsely chop milk chocolate covered peanut butter cups. In a large bowl mix softened ice cream with chopped peanut butter cups. Spoon ice cream mixture into cooled cookie crust. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture on top. Freeze until firm, at least 6 hours or overnight.To serve, let pie stand at room temperature 15 minutes for easier slicing. Meanwhile, in a 1-quart saucepan over low heat, heat milk chocolate fudge topping until hot; stir in coffee and liqueur until blended. Cut pie
into wedges and serve with warm fudge sauce.
Nacho Burger
Here's a clone recipe for a delicious new burger from Chili's
unlike any you may have tasted before. It was designed by the folks at this popular chain to incorporate several of restaurant's prepared sides -- all of which you will now have clones for -- including Chili's chili queso, Chili's pico de gallo, and Chili's guacamole. Stack it all onto a bun with a juicy 1/4-pound ground beef patty and some crumbled tortilla chips for crunch, and you've got a slightly spicy, South-of-the-border taste. Muy bien, amigos!
Pico de Gallo
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup diced Spanish onion
2 teaspoons chopped fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and de-ribbed
2 teaspoons finely minced fresh cilantro
Pinch of salt
Guacamole
2 small or 1 large Haas avocado
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/4 cup diced tomato
1/2 teaspoon diced jalapeno
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
Chili Queso
3 ounces ground beef
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
pinch of ground black pepper
16-ounce bottle Cheez Whiz
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 pounds ground beef
4 large sesame seed buns
2 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded or chopped thin
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 green onion, chopped
16-20 tortilla chips
2-3 fresh jalapenos, sliced
1. First make the pico de gallo. This is easy. Just combine all of the ingredients for the pico in a small bowl and mix well. Cover bowl and chill in the refrigerator.
2. Now we'll make the guacamole. In a small bowl, smash up most of the avocado, but be sure to leave several unsmashed chunks. Add the remaining ingredients for the guacamole to the avocado and mix well. Cover bowl and chill in the refrigerator, next to the pico.
3. Next we'll make the chili queso. In yet another small bowl, mix together ground beef, flour, a pinch of salt, a pinch of black pepper, and a pinch of chili powder. Use your hands to work the dry ingredients into the ground beef. Brown the beef in a small skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Use a spoon or spatula to crumble the beef as it cooks. Cook until it's brown, then set aside.
4. Melt the Cheez Whiz with 2 tablespoons of milk over low heat. When milk and cheese has been combined, add the remaining queso ingredients. Heat while stirring often until cheese is smooth and creamy, then cover saucepan and remove it from the heat.
5. Pre-heat a griddle or large frying pan over medium heat. Lightly butter the face of each bun and brown the buns face-down on the heat.
6. Separate the ground beef into four 1/2-pound portions. Roll each portion of meat into a ball and then pat the meat down into a circular patty slightly larger in diameter than the hamburger buns. Cook the hamburger patties for 5-10 minutes per side, until done. Lightly salt and pepper each burger patty.
7. Build the burger open-faced in the following order starting with the bottom bun:
On Bottom Bun
1/2 cup shredded lettuce
hamburger patty
2 tablespoons chili queso
4 or 5 crumbled tortilla chips
2 teaspoons green onion
On Top Bun
1/2 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 tablespoons pico de gallo
2 tablespoons guacamole
4 jalapeno slices
Serve burger with extra queso and guacamole. May also serve french fries on the side and use the chili queso for dipping.
Makes 4 burgers.
