Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 (19 page)

SAUCE

1½ cups water
1 cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
⅔ cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon liquid hickory smoke
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon paprika

 

4 racks baby back ribs

1. Make the barbecue sauce by combining all of the ingredients forthe sauce in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When it comes to a boil, reduce heat and simmer sauce, stirring often, for 45 to 60 minutes or until sauce is thick.

2. When you’re ready to make the ribs, preheat the oven to 275 degrees.

3. Brush sauce over the entire surface of each rack of ribs. Wrap each rack tightly in aluminum foil and arrange the packets on a baking sheet with the seam of the foil facing up. Bake for 2 to 2½ hours or until the meat on the ribs has pulled back from the cut ends of the bones by about ½ inch. When the ribs are just about done, preheat your barbecue grill to medium heat.

4. Remove the ribs from the foil (careful not to burn yourself—the liquid inside will be hot!) and grill them on the barbecue for 4 to 8 minutes per side or until the surface of the ribs is beginning to char Brush sauce on both sides of the ribs a few minutes before you remove them from the grill. Just be sure not to brush on the sauce too soon or it could burn.

5. Serve the ribs with extra sauce on the side and lots of napkins.

COOKIE LAYER

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup butter, softened
(
I stick)
⅓
cup granulated sugar
1 egg
I tablespoon milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup shredded coconut

CRUST LAYER

6 tablespoons butter (¾ stick)
¼ cup sugar
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
1 ¼ cups semi-sweet chocolate
chips
½ cup chopped walnuts

CINNAMON BUTTER

½ cup butter, softened (I stick)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

 

9 scoops vanilla ice cream
chocolate syrup
caramel syrup
6 tablespoons chopped walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. Combine the flour, baking soda and baking powder in a medium bowl.

3. In a separate large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Continue beating for about 30 seconds or until mixture turns lighter in color, Add the egg, milk, and vanilla and beat until smooth.

4. Slowly mix the dry mixture into the wet mixture. Beat until combined and then mix in the coconut flakes. Set this cookie dough aside for now.

5. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a medium bowl in the microwave on high for about 30 seconds. Add the sugar and stir well for 30 seconds. Add the graham cracker crumbs and stir. Press this mixture into the bottom of a 9x9-inch baking dish or pan.

6. Sprinkle the cup of chocolate chips evenly over the graham cracker crust.

7. Press the cookie dough into the dish, covering the chocolate chips. Use flour on your fingers to keep the soft dough from sticking.

8. Sprinkle the chopped walnuts over the dough. Use your fingers to press the nuts into the dough.

9. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the edges of the “pie” become light brown.

10. Prepare the cinnamon butter by creaming together the butter, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl with an electric mixer on high speed.

11. When you are ready to make your dessert, heat up a small skillet over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, remove it from the heat then add about I tablespoon of the cinnamon butter to the pan. It should quickly melt and sizzle. Slice the “pie” into 9 pieces and place one into the hot skillet. If the “pie” has cooled, you can reheat each slice by zapping it in the microwave for 30 to 40 seconds.

12. Place a scoop of ice cream on top of the “pie.” Drizzle chocolate and caramel syrup over the dessert and then sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of chopped walnuts over the top. Repeat for the remaining ingredients and serve sizzling in the skillet.

CAKE

1 18,25-ounce box chocolate
fudge or dark chocolate coke
mix
1⅓
cups water
½ cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 bottle Hershey hot fudge
topping
8 scoops vanilla ice cream
Smucker’s Magic Shell chocolate
topping

GARNISH

caramel sauce

1. Make cake batter following directions on the box and pour ½ cup of batter into the greased cups of a large (Texas-size) muffin pan. If your pan has six cups, bake the cakes in two batches of 4 cakes each. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck into the center of one cake comes out clean. Turn all of the cakes out of the pan and let them cool.

2. The cakes will be served upside down, so you may have to slice a bit of the domed top off the cakes to help them lay flat when inverted. A serrated sandwich knife works best for this. After you’ve flipped over all of the cooled cakes, use a sharp paring knife to cut out a 1 ½-inch diameter cylindrical chunk in the center of the bottom (now the top) of each cake. The hole should be about 1½ inches deep. After slicing straight down into the cake in a circle, scoop out the chunk of cake with a teaspoon and discard the piece. Now you have a secret compartment to conceal the hot fudge pay-load.