Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 (20 page)

3. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of fudge into each of the holes you’ve made in the cakes, then store the cakes in a sealed container in the refrigerator

4. When you’re ready to serve, drizzle caramel sauce on each serving plate. Heat one cake at a time in the microwave for 40 to 45 seconds on high, or until you see the fudge begin to bubble. Remove the cake from the microwave and let it rest for 30 seconds or so. Put the cake on the plate, then add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Pour a coating of Magic Shell chocolate topping over the ice cream and serve.

SPREAD

½ cup butter (1 stick)
¾ cup shredded Cheddar
cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
cheese
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon salt
dash ground black pepper
dash paprika

BREAD

12 slices Texas toast (thick-sliced
white bread) or I large
French bread loaf, sliced
through the middle

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine all ingredients for the spread in a small bowl.

3. Smear spread generously on one side of each slice of Texas toast or on the face of each half of French bread loaf.

4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cheese begins to brown and bubble. Cut each slice of Texas toast in half before serving, as they do in the restaurant. For the French bread, slice it as thick as you like.

1 large artichoke
8 cups water
3 tablespoons salt
juice of 2 lemons
4 cups ice

ROASTED GARLIC MAYONNAISE

⅓ cup mayonnaise
1 head garlic
I tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon lemon juice
dash salt

TOMATO RELISH

I medium tomato, diced (about
½ cup)
I clove garlic, minced (about
1 teaspoon)

1 teaspoon minced onion
2 basil leaves, minced
½ teaspoon olive oil
½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt
dash ground black pepper

 

I tablespoon butter, melted

1. Prepare the artichoke by cutting about an inch off the top with a sharp knife. Use scissors to clip the thorny tips off of all the outer leaves so no one gets punctured. Cut the artichoke in half down through the middle. Dissolve 3 tablespoons salt in 8 cups of water in a large bowl. Add juice of 2 lemons and ice, then drop the artichoke halves in the cold brine to marinate for 2 to 3 hours.

2. While artichoke is marinating, roast the head of garlic by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. Cut the top off of a head of garlic and cut the bottom (the root end) so that the garlic will sit flat. Remove most of the papery skin from the garlic, but leave just enough to hold the garlic together. Drizzle I tablespoon of olive oil over the garlic, then place it in a small oven-safe casserole dish. Cover it with a lid or aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour or until the garlic begins to brown. When you can handle the garlic, squeeze about 1 tablespoon of roasted garlic from the head and combine it with the mayo, lemon juice and salt. Stir well.

3. While the garlic is roasting prepare the tomato relish by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well, then cover and refrigerate until needed.

4. When you are ready to cook the artichoke, bring some water to a boil in a large saucepan with a steamer basket. You don’t want the water to touch the artichoke if you can help it. If you don’t have a steamer basket, fill the pan with just an inch or so of water When the water is simmering, add the artichoke halves, cover, and steam for 40 to 50 minutes or until the artichoke is tender While artichoke halves are steaming, preheat your barbecue grill to high heat.

5. When the steamed artichokes are cool enough to handle, use a spoon to scrape out the fuzzy choke inside each half. Brush melted butter over the entire surface of each steamed artichoke half and place each half, flat-side down on the preheated grill. Grill for 4 to 6 minutes or until dark charring marks appear on the face of each half. Serve grilled-side-up with tomato relish (strain the liquid from the relish before serving) and roasted garlic mayonnaise on the side.

HERBED RANCH SALSA

½ cup sour cream
¼ cup seeded and diced tomato
(about ½ tomato)
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh minced cilantro
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
pinch dried dill weed