TOP SECRET RECIPES VERSION OF: McDONALD'S BIG MAC
Brothers Dick and Mac McDonald opened the first McDonald's drive-in restaurant in 1948, in San Bernardino, California. When the brothers began to order an increasing amount of restaurant equipment for their growing business, they aroused the curiosity of milkshake machine-salesman Ray Kroc. Kroc befriended the brothers and became a franchising agent for the company that same year, opening his first McDonald's in Des Plaines, Illinois. Kroc later founded the hugely successful McDonald's Corporation and perfected the fast-food system that came to be studied and duplicated by other chains over the years.
The first day Kroc's cash register rang up to $366.12. Today the company racks up about $50 million a day in sales in more than 12,000 outlets worldwide, and for the past ten years a new store has opened somewhere around the world an average of every fifteen hours.
The double decker Big Mac was introduced in 1968, the brainchild of a local franchisee. It is now the world's most popular hamburger.
1 sesame-seed hamburger bun
Dash salt
1 teaspoon finely diced onion
Half of an additional hamburger bun
½ cup chopped lettuce
¼ pound ground beef
1 tablespoon Kraft Thousand Island dressing
1 slice American cheese
2 to 3 dill pickle slices
With a serrated knife, cut the top off the extra bun half, leaving about a ¾-inch-thick slice. This will be the middle bun in your sandwich.
Place the three bun halves on a hot pan or griddle, face down, and toast them to a light brown. Set aside, but keep the pan hot.
Divide the ground beef in half and press into two thin patties slightly larger than the bun.
Cook the patties in the hot pan over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Salt lightly.
Build the burger in the following stacking order from the bottom up: bottom bunremainder of dressing half of dressingremainder of onion half of onionremainder of lettuce half of lettucepickle slices American cheesebeef patty beef pattytop bun middle bun
MAKES 1 HAMBURGER.
TIDBITS
To build a Big Mac Jr.® (it is sold on a "limited time only" basis), follow this stacking order from bottom up: bottom bun½ teaspoon finely diced onion beef patty½ tablespoon Kraft Thousand American cheese sliceIsland dressing 2 pickle slicestop bun ¼ cup chopped lettuce Using real American cheese slices, not processed cheese food, will yield the best "taste-alike" results. Since the beef patties must be very thin, you may find it easier to cook them slightly frozen (like the real thing).
TOP SECRET RECIPES VERSION OF: RED LOBSTER CHEDDAR BAY BISCUITS
Order an entrée from America's largest seafood restaurant chain and you'll get a basket of some of the planet's tastiest garlic cheese biscuits served up on the side. For many years this recipe has been the most-searched-for clone recipe on the Internet, according to red Lobster. As a result, several versions are floating around, including one that was at one time printed right in the box of Bisquick baking mix.
The problem with making biscuits using Bisquick is that if you follow the directions from the box you don't end up with a very fluffy or flakey finished product, since most of the fat in the recipe comes from the shortening that's included in the mix. On its own, room temperature shortening does a poor job creating the light, airy texture you want from good biscuits, and it contributes little in the way of flavor. So, we'll invite some cold butter along on the trip-with grated Cheddar cheese and a little garlic powder. Now you'll be well on your way to delicious Cheddar Bay. Wherever that is.
2 ½ cups Bisquick baking mix
4 tablespoons cold butter (1/2 stick)
1 heaping cup grated Cheddar cheese
¾ cup cold whole milk
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
BRUSH ON TOP
2 tablespoons butter, melted
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon dried parsley flakes pinch salt
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork. You don't want to mix too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are about the size of peas. Add Cheddar cheese, milk, and ¼ teaspoon garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix.
Drop approximately ¼-cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.
When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter is a small bowl in your microwave. Stir in ½ teaspoon garlic powder and the dried parsley flakes. Use a brush to spread this garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits. Use up all of the butter.
MAKES A DOZEN BISCUITS.
TOP SECRET RECIPES VERSION OF: OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE SYDNEY'S SINFUL SUNDAE MENU DESCRIPTION:
"Vanilla ice cream rolled in toasted coconut, covered in chocolate sauce and topped with whipped cream."
Here's an easy-to-make dessert that will give you a cool way to use the vanilla ice cream that's calling to you from the freezer. The key to this recipe is to plan ahead just a bit by placing your serving plates into the freezer (give 'em at least 30 minutes). While the plates are chilling out, you toast some coconut flakes in the oven. After that, it's all about presentation. You can top your masterpiece with canned whipped cream or make your own from the simple recipe included here.
WHIPPED CREAM
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch salt
1 cup shredded coconut
4 large scoops vanilla ice cream
1 cup fudge topping
8 large, ripe strawberries
Put four dinner plates into the freezer.
Make whipped cream by combining cream with sugar, vanilla and salt into an electric mixer on high speed. It helps if the bowl has been chilled ahead of time. When cream makes stiff peaks, cover and chill until you need it.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Spread the coconut over the bottom of the inside of a large oven pan. Shake the pan a little to spread the coconut evenly.
Bake the coconut for 25-30 minutes or until the coconut is a light, golden brown. You may have to stir or shake the coconut in the last ten minutes to help it brown evenly. Allow the coconut to cool on a plate or in a large bowl.
Heat up the fudge topping for 15 to 20 seconds in the microwave. Get the plates out of the freezer and make a circle of fudge on each of the plates.
Roll each scoop of ice cream in the coconut until it is well coated. Press down on the ice cream to help the coconut stick. Place a coconut-covered scoop of ice cream onto the center of the plate, then spoon about 2 tablespoons of fudge over the top of the ice cream.
Use an ice cream scoop to scoop a large portion of whipped cream and stack it on each of the scoops of ice cream.
Cut the stems from the strawberries. Cut four of the strawberries lengthwise into quarters. Position the sliced strawberries around the base of each scoop of ice cream on the ring of the fudge. Place a whole strawberry onto the whipped cream on the top of each dessert. Serve with a spoon and a smile.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS.
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