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An Italian Chef

RestaurantWired — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 02:14:22 +0000

Becoming an Italian chef certainly has its advantages since Italian food is one of the most popular foods around the world. But, the typical person is only familiar with a few of the Italian foods, namely pizza and popular pasta dishes like spaghetti and lasagna. As an Italian chef, you’ll have to literally spice things up, disguise it as something familiar and unleash it on unsuspecting customers. Who knows, you may even end up creating an entirely new dish!

It’s easy to find pizzas and pastas in just about any restaurant, but they are a far cry from authentic Italian food. If your taste buds are craving something better then you’ll have to create your own recipes and cook your own food, or find an authentic restaurant.

A lot of cooking magazines and books are available that will help you get started in your new Italian chef role – just remember that no kitchen is complete without an awesome chef. So, go all out and create your masterpieces!

Just to give you a start, we’ll discuss some of the base ingredients and spices used in authentic Italian recipes. Basil, extra virgin olive oil, pesto, garlic, cherry tomatoes, olives, artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms and egg plant are all popular ingredients used by top Italian chefs. If you want to create the ultimate dish then these ingredients are a must. It may be a good idea for you to locate and visit an authentic Italian restaurant. Perhaps even see if you can be a chef apprentice. If you can get your foot in the door, you’ll be able to sample the restaurants marinara sauces and perhaps even improve on them as you become more experienced. Authentic marinara sauces are made with the following base ingredients: Olive oil, Italian tomatoes, garlic, basil leaves, orange and a dash of salt according to taste.

Another dish you’ll want to add to your arsenal is chicken marsala, another old, but tried and true Italian recipe. It’s made using boneless chicken breasts, marsala wine, olive oil, flour, mushrooms, butter and chicken broth. Order this the next time you’re at an Italian restaurant to see if you like it.

This can be your new career. Many large hotels and restaurants recruit chefs specializing in Italian food because it is so popular among the general public. Some establishments are so large that they even have various positions available from common chefs to executive chefs. Common chefs are the worker cooks in the kitchen. You’ll have a little latitude on recipes, but the executive chef will make the ultimate call on taste. The executive chef is responsible for the operation of the entire kitchen, food stocks, menus, prices and all other kitchen responsibilities.

A chef position offers a freedom to use your style, craze and skills. An expert candidate should have the talent to cook food to high standards. Apart from that, the candidate should have excellent team management skills with strong will power, new ideas and enthusiasm for the position. In this way, people passionate about Italian cuisine can easily make a career as chefs for Italian food.

Bring Italy into your kitchen! Get an Imperia Pasta Machine SP150 at Imperia Pasta Machine.net and create your own unique variations of great Italian pastas.

New Focus on Italian Food’s Authenticity (online.wsj.com)

The Rich History Of Italian Foods

RestaurantWired — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 00:11:55 +0000

Italy is a very old country, in fact, one of the oldest in the world. Not many countries can claim that their foods have become some of the most favorite foods all over the world. Italy has gained world-wide fame by introducing everyone else to the wonderful pizzas and pasta dishes that they’ve been eating for centuries. Pizza is their most famous food, and if you’ve ever had a true Italian pizza then you know that they just don’t compare to the pizza served in pizza chain restaurants.

There are a ton of books and magazines that will teach you about Italian food history, but we’ll try to sum it up for you in this article. Pizza has an extremely long history and it know to date back thousands of years. For example, in early civilization it was more of an herbal-seasoned flatbread and the Phoenicians and Greeks used to eat a variant of it made from water and flour. They put the dough on a hot stone to cook it and seasoned it with herbs while it was cooking on the stone. The Greeks called this early form of pizza “plankuntos” and used it as a plate and ate it with a thick broth.

Some historians even say that the word pizza comes from the Latin word pinsa, which is interpreted as flatbread. Recently, a pizza was discovered in a preserved state and dated back to the bronze age!

You may have heard of Margherita pizza and wondered if its origins were from Mexico. We’ll that’s not the case. The Margherita pizza is named after Italy’s Queen Margherita who paid the Pizzeria Brandi in Naples around the year 1889. The pizza maker at the pizzeria that day made a pizza for the Queen that was finely decorated with the three colors of the new flag of Italy.

The Margherita pizza may have set the standard for all pizza in Italy, but there are several popular types of pizzas made in Italy today. The round shape pizzas that we’re all familiar with come from the pizzerias and are usually baked in a wood-fired stove. Local Italian varieties are always a treat such as the Neapolitan pizza with the distinct hint of oregano, or the pizza marinara, which is filled with anchovies and heavy garlic salts. The pugliese pizza is made with local olives and capers, while pizzas from Sicily include peas, green olives, hard boiled eggs and seafood. The Quattro Formagi pizza is an all cheese pizza made with mozzarella, ricotta, gorgonzola and parmigiano-reggano cheese.

Bring great Italian pastas right into your kitchen! Get an Imperia Pasta Machine and create your own unique variations of great Italian pastas.

3 Websites That Help You Make Pizza at Home (housewifesutopia.com)

Daniel Mancini and MamaMancini’s Sunday Sauce & Meatballs were featured on NJ12′s Buck Wild with Alicia Vitarelli. As seen on Martha Stewart, The Today Show, and featured on RachelRay.com, this authentic Italian food chef demonstrates his grandmother’s meatball recipe to show you how to “Bring Back the Family Dinner with Sunday Sauce & Meatballs.”

5 Best Places For Seafood on the West Coast

RestaurantWired — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 23:19:26 +0000

There is nothing that disappoints a traveler more than to finally get to go to a restaurant on the ocean, only to find that the seafood is bland because it is not fresh. As we all know, the best seafood is fresh and that is why many people go out of their way to go to coastal seafood restaurants. The assumption is, if the restaurants are on the ocean, then they are not going to need to freeze the seafood before preparing it.

1) Bluewater Grill, in Redondo Beach CA, overlooks the Redondo marina and has a variety of fresh fish that is very impressive. They have many simple, yet delicious, meals of sauted or grilled seafood including local broad-bill swordfish, Eureka sand dabs, Fijian ahi, and crispy skin barramundie. They also feature a wide ranging wine list and an oyster bar.

2) The Hungry Cat, in Hollywood CA, is dedicated to classic seafood. After dining here you may just feel the need to lick your fingers with satisfaction. A highly regarded dish they serve is the pan roasted striped bass with black trumpet mushrooms, root vegetable hash, and red wine butter; like all of their seafood meals, it is wonderfully fresh. If you have some picky eaters in your bunch they also offer some non-seafood options, such as a burger with avocado, blue cheese and bacon. Their wine list is short but they do offer over a dozen wines by the glass and their servers will give you samples if you ask.

3) Castro, in San Francisco CA, is yet another bustling restaurant with a very spacious dining area. This popular seafood place serves up plates of tuna tartar, huge tuna Nicoise salads, and clams parade with linguine. It also features a closed in patio area with a circular fire place. The main design feature is a backlit wall of bottles surrounding the buildings exposed brick.

4) Etta’s Seafood, in Seattle WA, just north of Pike Place Market, is known for its freshly caught seafood. Locals enjoy it, as well as tourists, and there is often a wait but, the food is so good it is well worth the inconvenience. Their cuisine is innovative and has Asian influences as they desire to move past traditional seafood preparation styles. Some of their signature dishes are tilapia that has been deep fried, tuna sashimi, and spiced rubbed salmon.

5) FIN, in Portland OR, has an amazing cuisine worthy of a 6 star rating. There, you can get a fine dining experience but with reasonable prices and an inviting atmosphere. The menu is broken up in to two sections: raw seafood and hot seafood, each having roughly six options. The portions are small so it is best to order two servings.

Whether you are a local or a tourist in any one of these cities, if you are in the mood for seafood, none of these restaurants will disappoint!

Rick is a digital camera repair service provider at C.R.I.S. Camera Services located in sunny Chandler, Arizona. Rick has been repairing cameras for the better part of a decade. He is also the webmaster of the company camera repair blog.

The 6 Best Fish Restaurants in London

RestaurantWired — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 04:02:24 +0000

In the mood for fish? Try one of these fabulous London restaurants.

1. Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill:

Since it’s opening in 1916, Bentley’s has served everyone from the flappers of the 1920s, to the rock and roll stars of the 1960s, to today’s chic Londoners. The restaurant has maintained its old charm by remaining in the same building, with the same Italian gothic architectural style. There is no minimum spend, so go, enjoy, and take a bite out of London’s history.

2. Chamberlain’s:

Chamberlain’s is located in Leadenhall covered market, once a meat and poultry market that was the heart of Roman London. Their seafood is of the highest quality and sourced from Chamberlain and Thelwell. The restaurant is over three floors and has an balcony terrace with a stunning view. Go and savour their incredible shellfish and some of the country’s best catches.

3. J Sheeky’s Restaurant and Oyster Bar:

J Sheeky’s is located on the quiet St. Martin’s Court between Charing Cross Road and St. Martin’s Lane. With a multitude of famous London play and opera houses surrounding it, J Sheeky’s is the perfect place to dine before or after an evening at the theatre. Moreover, it is surrounded by the buzz and excitement of Covent Garden and Soho.

4. Pescatori Italian and Seafood Restaurants:

Located in Fitzrovia and Mayfair, these family-run restaurants offer the best of both culinary worlds- world class seafood, and delicious Italian goodness. Their menu is seasonal, so even regulars can enjoy a wide selection of dishes. Crabs are sent directly from a family farm in Cornwall, while the other fish is bought fresh every morning from Billingsgate Fish Market. Yum.

5. Wright Brothers:

The Wright Brothers have a few restaurants in England, including one in Soho, London, another in Borough Market, London, and one in Cornwall. Their oysters come from an ancient private fishery, located on the Helford River in South West Cornwall. Clearly, the Wright Brothers are serious about their oysters.

6. Scott’s:

Located in Mayfair, Scott’s offers some of the city’s most delicious oysters, fish and crustaceans. Included in their a la carte menu are also some delicious meat and game dishes, so no matter what your culinary taste their will be something for you to enjoy. The tables look onto a beautiful oyster and champagne bar.

The English love their fish, so it’s no surprise that the country’s capital would have some of the most delicious seafood restaurants one could find.

Seychelles Charters is a UK based luxury yacht and fishing charter agent offering charters in the Seychelles. The company prides itself in providing its clients with a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ sailing and fishing experience around the world’s best vacation destination. For more on fishing in the Seychelles visit www.seychellescharters.co.uk/seychelles-fishing

Project FishMap Finds Restaurants, Markets That Sell Sustainable Seafood (fastcompany.com)

4 Exciting Ways to Create Low-Fat Desserts

RestaurantWired — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 20:35:25 +0000

People love dessert but the sinful goodness of this wondrous food can come at a price. Often, our hips and thighs pay that price. But do you know what? It’s now possible to enjoy divine sweets without the guilt. Here are some fabulous techniques on how to create low-fat desserts so you can have the time of your life eating these decadent items without feeling too guilty about it.

Turn Dessert Making into a DIY Project Instead of buying desserts from restaurants or groceries, it would be much healthier to make your own. Some people don’t try creating their desserts because they think that only seasoned chefs are only able to do so. The truth is, just about anybody with the right attitude and right resources can create healthy and tasty desserts. All you need to do is to invest in devices like cream chargers and cream dispenser. Scour the web for easy to make recipes and be sure to put in the word, “healthy” when you make your search. You will not only get to enjoy heavenly desserts, you can also be sure that you have healthy desserts because of course, you would only be putting healthy and fresh ingredients into your desserts. On top of it all, you can also save a great amount of money.

Reduce Fat Significantly When you make your own desserts, you don’t only have the liberty to choose fresh and healthy ingredients, you can also control the portions of fat and sugar. In fact, even if the recipe calls for one cup of sugar or fat, you can decrease the amount by one third up to one half. You will be glad to find out that the output did not diminish in quality, flavor or taste. It would still taste as good minus the fat. Even if there might be a difference in taste, it would only be little. You will eventually get used to it. The important thing is that you reduce your fat intake. Prioritize health over pleasure.

Add Flavorful Fruits A great way to create healthy desserts that are just as tasty and wonderful, add fresh fruits. Fresh fruits do not only make the dessert look more appetizing by adding colors to it, they also add natural flavor and sweetness that would make the dessert even more delicious. Plus, you would love the fact that fruits are packed with vitamins and antioxidants that are beneficial to your health. It is like hitting two birds with one stone. You get to have delicious goodness and at the same time, have a positive effect on your health.

Use Yogurt in Lieu of Ice Cream Ice cream is a common ingredient in most desserts. But ice cream can be on the fattening side. The good news is that if you want to have the creamy goodness of ice cream without the unhealthy benefits, you can use yogurt. Yogurt has several tasty flavors like ice cream. It can make any dessert much more delicious. Best of all, it’s healthy!

Enjoy your desserts!

For more tips and information about cream dispenser please visit: cream chargers

Restaurant Discounts Save Money on Holiday Gift Budgets

RestaurantWired — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 21:55:42 +0000

Top restaurant discounts and deals on restaurants, gourmet foods, local restaurants and fine dining establishments are assisting families to save money this holiday season. Holiday gift budgets are stretched with these offers for local restaurants in major cities.

Save money on food at your favorite restaurant with restaurant gift cards and gift certificates.

Recipes of the 2009 Inaugural Luncheon

RestaurantWired — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:45:08 +0000

Recipes from the 2009 Inaugural Luncheon

Menu

Seafood Stew
Duck Breast with Cherry Chutney

Herb Roasted Pheasant with Wild Rice Stuffing

Molasses Whipped Sweet Potatoes

Winter Vegetables

Cinnamon Apple Sponge Cake

First Course:

Seafood Stew
Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients
6 (1 Lb) Maine lobsters
20 medium size Sea scallops
36 Large shrimp, peel, cleaned and tail removed, aprox. 2 lbs.
10 (1 oz) pieces of black cod
½ cup small dice carrots
½ cup small dice celery
½ cup small dice leek
½ cup small dice Idaho potato
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground white pepper or black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 quart heavy cream
1 cup dry vermouth (can be made without)
10 (5 inch) puff pastry rounds

Equipment
10 (3 ½ inch) terrines/ramekins or serving dish of your choice

Directions
1. Bring 1 gallon of water to a boil; poach lobsters, then shrimp, then black cod and last scallops. After seafood is cooked, remove from water; reserve water and bring to boil.

2. Cook all vegetables in liquid that was used for the seafood, remove vegetables when tender. Allow the liquid to continue to boil until only 1qt of liquid remains. This will be the base for the sauce.

3. Bring seafood liquid back to a boil and add the vermouth and heavy cream and reduce by half, season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg to taste. You have reached your desired thickness when the sauce will cover the back of a wooden spoon. Set aside to cool.

4. Cut Maine lobster, shrimp and scallops into bite size pieces.

5. Pre-heat oven at 400 degrees.

6. Fold seafood and vegetables into cool sauce, being careful not to mix too much as this will break up the seafood. Scoop mixture into terrines or oven proof baking dish of your choice.

7. Cover terrines with puff pastry rounds, brush them with egg wash and bake them until golden brown about 8-10 minutes, allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. You can cook this 2-3 hours ahead of time and keep warm at 150 F degrees.

*All seafood can be substituted with other favorite options of your choice and availability.

Second Course:

Duck Breast with Cherry Chutney
Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup chopped onion (1 small)
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Scant ¼ teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup coarsely chopped red bell pepper (½ medium)

1 plum tomato, coarsely chopped
¼ cup dry red wine
1 ½ to 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 can (3 cups) Bing cherries, quartered *Oregon brand
½ cup Golden Raisins
10 (6 oz.) boneless duck breasts with skin
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or chives

Method for chutney and glaze:
Heat oil in a 2 to 3 quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook onion, garlic, and shallot, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 7 minutes. Add tomato paste, black pepper, cumin, hot pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Reduce heat to medium and add bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in wine, vinegar (to taste), and sugar and simmer approx 5 minutes. Stir in mustard, 1 1/2 cups cherries, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer 1 minute. Allow to cool slightly and reserve all but ¼ cup of the mix to the side. Place1/4 cup mix in a blender and puree until very smooth, about 1 minute (use caution when blending hot liquids). Reserve for glazing duck. To finish the chutney, add the remaining 1 ½ cups of cherries, tarragon, chives and all the golden raisins. Can be prepared one day ahead.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F. Score duck skin in a crosshatch pattern with a small sharp knife and season duck all over with salt and pepper.

Heat water in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet over low heat until hot, then add duck, skin side down. Cook duck, uncovered, over low heat, without turning, until most of fat is rendered(melted) and skin is golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Transfer duck to a plate and discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. Brush duck all over with cherry glaze and return to skillet, skin side up.

Roast duck in oven until thermometer registers 135°F, about 8 minutes for medium-rare. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Holding a sharp knife at a 45-degree angle, cut duck into slices. Serve with cherry chutney and molasses whipped sweet potato.

Herb Roasted Pheasant with Wild Rice Stuffing
Yield: 10 portions

Ingredients
10 Pheasant breast, boneless, remove tenders and reserve for stuffing, cut small pocket in side of breast for stuffing
½ cup Olive oil with chopped rosemary, thyme and sage
1 lb. Wild rice, long grain
2 quarts Chicken stock or canned chicken broth
2 Carrots, diced
½ Onion, diced
½ cup Dried apricot, small diced
1 Tablespoon Salt and pepper mix
2 Tablespoons Garlic, roasted

Directions
1. Boil the rice with the chicken stock, cook until soft and most of the liquid is gone.

2. Add the onion, carrot, garlic and apricot. Cook until the vegetables are soft and all liquid has been absorbed. Refrigerate rice mixture until cold.

3. In a food processor, puree pheasant tenders to a paste consistency to use as a binder for rice mix.

4. When rice is cool, add the pheasant puree to the rice until well mixed. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and return to refrigerator until ready to stuff.

5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

6. Make 10 small football shaped patties of the rice mix, stuff inside the pheasant, being careful not to overstuff the pheasant. Rub herb/oil mixture on top and bottom of the pheasant, season with salt and pepper. Place the pheasant on a heavy gauge roasting pan and then in a preheated oven for approximately 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and cover with lid or foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Serve over sauté of spinach.

*Pheasant can be substituted with chicken.

Molasses Whipped Sweet Potatoes
Yield: 2 quarts

Ingredients
3 large sweet potatoes, about 3 pounds
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup orange juice
½ tablespoon of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of molasses
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and roast until easily pierced with a fork, about 1 hour.

3. Peel the skin off of the sweet potatoes while still hot.By hand or mixer, smash potatoes until all large chunks are gone. Combine the potatoes, butter, salt, orange juice, brown sugar, ground cumin, molasses and maple syrup in a large bowl. Continue to mix all together until all lumps are gone. Adjust any of the seasonings to your specific tastes. Can be made the day before.

Winter Vegetables
Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients
2 bunches Asparagus, green, bottom 1/3 of stem removed
2 lbs. Carrots, peeled, cut oblong or large dice
1 lb. Baby Brussels Sprouts, fresh, cleaned or frozen can be used
1 lb. Wax Beans, ends snipped
2 oz Butter
1 each Zest from orange
4 oz. Olive
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Directions
Asparagus: preheat grill or large heavy bottom sauté pan. Rub 2 oz of olive oil on asparagus and season with pinch of salt and pepper. Lay flat on grill or sauté pan until lightly browned. Using long fork or tongs, rotate the asparagus to brown other sides. Usually 2 or 3 minutes per side. The asparagus is done when you can use a fork to cut through. Do not overcook, this will cause asparagus to become stringy. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Carrots: bring 3 qt salted water to a boil, add carrots to water and cook until fork tender, meaning a fork will easily pass through the carrot. Drain the water from the pot and toss 1 oz butter and zest of orange and mix until carrots are coated. Season with pinch of salt and enjoy. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Brussels Sprouts: For Fresh: Bring 3 qt salted water to a boil, cut into the stem of the sprout with a pairing knife to create an X on the bottom, this will allow the stem to cook more evenly. Place sprout in boiling water and allow to cook until bottom of sprout is tender and easily cut with a knife. Preheat a heavy bottom sauté while the sprouts are cooking. Remove sprouts from water and allow all water to drain completely. Add 2 oz oil to sauté pan and add the sprouts, season with salt and pepper while tossing the sprouts around to evenly brown in the pan. If sprouts are too big, you can cut them in half, keep warm until ready to serve.

For Frozen: Bring 3 qt salted water to a boil and drop frozen brussel sprouts into water, these are precooked so you are only thawing them out. Remove from water and sauté as above.

Yellow Wax beans: bring 3 qt salted water to boil, add snipped wax beans to water and allow to cook until fork tender or to your liking of doneness. Remove from water and toss with 1 oz butter and season with salt and pepper.

Third Course

Cinnamon Apple Sponge Cake
Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients

Apple Filling:
4 lbs Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup water
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup apple sauce
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
Grated zest from 1 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bread Crust:
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, melt 10 of tablespoons
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
34 slices brioche bread (or white bread)

Equipment:
10 Ceramic baking ramekins or metal molds (3” diameter)

Sauce:
2 cups caramel sauce(store bought)
2 cups granny smith apples, peeled, cored, diced small
Pinch sugar
Pinch cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter
Ice Cream
1 quart vanilla ice cream

Preparation:

Filling
1. Melt butter in 6-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Add apples and caramelize, add water, cook, stirring occasionally for 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are completely soft. Remove cover and add sugar, nutmeg and salt. Increase heat to medium-high and continue to cook, stirring apples frequently, until liquid has completely evaporated, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest, apple sauce and vanilla. Set aside to cool while making crust. The filling can be made one day ahead

Making crust and assembly
1. Position oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Grease 8 ceramic dishes with 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle sugar in dish and tilt to coat bottom and sides. Tap out excess sugar and set aside.

2. Using a bread knife, remove crusts from bread. Center the bottom of mold over one of the bread squares. Cut around mold to form circle to use as the top. Make a total of 20 of these round pieces. Ten will be for the bottom and 10 will be used for the top. Dip each one in melted butter and place at the bottom of mold.

3. Cut each of the 15 remaining slices of bread into four rectangular pieces. Dip one side of each strip in the melted butter and arrange strips, upright, around the inside of molds, buttered-sides against mold and overlapping by about 1/2” to completely line mold. Use 6 rectangles to line the mold.

4. Spoon the apple filling into bread-lined molds, mounding it slightly in center.

5. Take the remaining ten rounds of bread and dip pieces of bread into the melted butter and place on top of filling, buttered-sides up. Press down lightly.

6. Bake for 30 minutes, then cover top loosely with aluminum foil. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, until top is deep golden brown and side slices are golden brown (slide a thin-bladed knife between bread and pan to check). Remove from oven, uncover, and let rest for 15 minutes on wire rack. Run thin-bladed knife around edges of molds to be able to flip the mold out onto serving plates.

7. For the apple cinnamon caramel sauce, sauté 1 cup of peeled and diced Granny Smith apples in butter, add a pinch of sugar and cinnamon. Allow to cook until apples are lightly browned and all sugars have dissolved. Remove from heat and add 2 cups caramel sauce to the apples and stir to coat apples.

To Assemble
Pour caramel apple sauce over warmed apple cakes and serve with your favorite vanilla ice cream.

Source: Buffalo News, Jan 13th, 2009

Secret Restaurant Recipes for the Holidays

Janell Oakes — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:11:38 +0000

My favorite restaurant recipes have become my secret weapon for family holiday meals. It started innocently enough. I was throwing a Halloween party for the neighborhood and was looking for some adult-friendly treats. As usual, I started with an internet search and ran across a website full of free restaurant recipes. In no time, I found a recipe for Appleby’s Caramel Appletini. Perfect! Needless to say, the cocktails were a big hit. Not only were they seasonal and fun, but they were so easy to throw together. In fact, the hardest part was the moment when the compliments started rolling in. I had to decide: should I give Appleby’s the credit for the recipe or just smile, nod and offer an oh-so humble, “Thanks. I’m so glad you like them!” As you can probably guess, I did what any self-respecting Martha Stewart wanna-be would do. I kept the credit for myself (after all, I was clever enough to find the free restaurant recipes website. That should count for something, right?).

I thought it would be a one time thing, but the very next week my family was invited to have Thanksgiving dinner at my perfect sister-in-law’s house. Don’t get me wrong, my sister-in-law is a lovely person. She’s kind, has an infectious laugh, and a wicked sense of humor. But with hardly any effort at all, she can throw together a five-course meal that would make Julia Child swoon. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, she split up the cooking duties by assigning a different dish to each family invited. My assignment: sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes?! Intimidated by the thought of coming up with a dish that would be traditional, yet creative enough to stand up to the rest of the meal, I found myself heading to the computer. Once again, the secret restaurant recipes site delivered, this time in the form of Ruth’s Chris Sweet Potato Casserole. And, once again, I humbly accepted rave reviews.

By December, I was hooked. I downloaded secret restaurant recipes for Joe’s Crab Shack’s Crab Dip and knocked the socks off of everyone at the office holiday party. My parents came to our house for Christmas and I hit the free restaurant recipes site again, this time for The Cheesecake Factory’s Pumpkin Cheesecake. On and on, into 2009 I found secret restaurant recipes for every family holiday and event. Bake sale at the kids’ school? No problem! How about delectable, homemade peanut butter cookies, thanks to the free restaurant recipes from Mrs. Field’s? A Mardi Gras Party? What fun! I’d be happy to bring jambalaya rice (a la free restaurant recipes form Houlihan’s). For July fourth, I found Ruby Tuesday’s secret restaurant recipes and helped myself to their mouthwatering apple pie recipe. I think that’s when my husband started to suspect something was up. As he cut into the perfectly flaky crust, I saw him glance my way with suspicion in his eyes. The next day, with a heavy heart, I deleted the free restaurant recipes folder from my favorites list and promised myself that the apple pie would have to be my grand finale. By August, I thought I’d kicked the habit for good. But now, holiday time is drawing near again and the neighbors are starting to clamor for “My” Famous Caramel Appletinis. One more time couldn’t hurt…. let’s just keep this our little secret.

–Janell Leigh Oakes

Favorite Restaurant Recipes to Serve to Family on Holidays

RRS — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:09:00 +0000

Are you looking for secret restaurant recipes from your favorite restaurants, whether they’re chain restaurants or gourmet, one-of-a-kind establishments? Here are a few sites and resources, along with some fantastic restaurant recipe recommendations, that will help make your search easier and your Christmas even tastier.

IVillage’s Chef Blog

While not a site specifically for secret restaurant recipes, the iVillage Chef Blog does have a great selection of famous holiday recipes from famous chefs around the world. These include David Chang’s roasted Brussels sprouts, Nigella Lawson’s Pomegranate ice cream, Todd English’s Christmas risotto and The Scotto’s (from New York’s Fresco by Scotto restaurant) Christmas Eve dinner. These are all great free holiday recipes from world-class chefs who work at the helm of some of the world’s most famous and exclusive restaurants.

Copykat Recipes

Copykat Recipes is a site dedicated to unearthing the secrets behind restaurant recipes — Red Lobster’s Cajun Shrimp, Starbucks’ Cranberry Christmas bread, they’re working on it. They even have a forum to discuss favorite secret restaurant recipes and their techniques for replicating them at home.

All Restaurant Recipes

All Restaurant Recipes is another site devoted to serving up free restaurant recipes based on user submissions and published restaurant recipes.

There isn’t a special section for Christmas or holiday free restaurant recipes, but a simple search for Christmas will provide you with some great holiday, restaurant-worthy treats. You can find restaurant recipes for making your own Starbucks’ Italian date thumbprints and spiced holiday coffee, O’Malley Farm Cafe’s eggnog holiday pie, and Quivey’s Grove’s holiday stuffed turkey.

Oprah.com’s Famous Chef Holiday Recipes

A great article dedicated to highlighting amazing and free restaurant recipes for the holidays from world-famous chefs.

Alfred Portale (head chef at Gotham Bar and Grill in New York) contributed a free restaurant recipe for roasted prime rib with apple-quince compote. Carrie Nahabedian (NAHA in Chicago) shares her secret restaurant recipe for cream cheese chocolate chip cookies. My personal favorite is a free restaurant recipe for chestnut soup from Fabio Trabocchi (Fiamma, New York City).

SeriousEats.com [link: http://www.seriouseats.com/celebrity-chefs-holidays/]

SeriousEats.com is a well put-together website all about the passionate, informed, discerning and inclusive love of food. As part of their celebrity chef series, they’ve put together a fun compilation of interviews with various celebrity chefs along with their favorite restaurant recipes for the holidays, both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

You can read about Bobby Flay’s favorite Christmas recipe – chocolate coconut bread pudding and even get access to his secret restaurant recipe for it. You’ll find out that one of Mario Batali’s favorite holiday recipes is for goat cheese truffles and that famed resteranteur Lidia Bastianich is famous for her cranberry quince chutney, both at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

You’ll find that many of the recipes shared here are the same holiday menu recipes served in these chefs’ very own restaurants. Consider it a secret peak into their free restaurant recipes.

Secret Restaurant Recipe Tastes Like Olive Garden™ Chicken Marsala

RestaurantWired — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:48:00 +0000

This restaurant recipe tastes just like the Chicken Marsala at Olive Garden. Try it and let us know what you think. Your restaurant recipes reviews can be found within comments on this site.

Description: Lightly coated chicken breasts skillet fried with sauteed mushrooms in a Marsala sauce.

Ingredients

1/4 cup cake flour (Wondra)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon oregano

4 tablespoons oil

4 tablespoons butter

4 chicken half breasts –

boneless, skinless

1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup Marsala wine

Directions

1. In shallow dish, combine flour, salt, pepper and oregano; stir to blend.

2. In heavy skillet, heat oil and butter until butter melts and mixture bubbles lightly.

3. Dredge chicken in seasoned flour; shake off excess; saute in pan 2 minutes for the first side or until lightly browned; as you turn chicken, add mushrooms around the chicken pieces. Cook about 2 more minutes, until lightly browned on the second side; stir mushrooms. Once the second side is lightly browned, add wine around the pieces; cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Transfer to plates and serve.

Serves 4

Find the collection of secret restaurant recipes and get

“America’s Secret Recipes” cookbook collection here.

This offer is for instant access to the digital version (.PDF format) of these cookbooks. Once you place your order, the physical version of America’s Secret Recipes Volume 1 & 2 can be sent to you for a small additional shipping charge.

Please note that RecipeSecrets is not sponsored, endorsed, or affiliated with any recipe source. RecipeSecrets disclaims using any copyright or trademark. The recipes we publish were created to taste the same as the food served at restaurants, but they may not be the exact recipes used by the restaurants in all instances. All restaurant names are trademarks of their respective owners.

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Secret Restaurant Recipe Tastes Like Olive Garden™ Chicken Marsala