Read Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 Online
Authors: Todd Wilbur
Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 (2 page)
Some of the recipes in this edition are selected from
Top Secret Restaurant Recipes,
published by Plume.
Top Secret Restaurant Recipes,
published by Plume.
Copyright © Todd Wilbur, 1997,2007
All rights reserved.
Pages 391-392 constitute an extension of this copyright page.
This book was not prepared, approved, licensed, or endorsed by any of the owners of the trademarks or brand names referred to in this book. Terms mentioned that are known or believed to be trademarks or service marks have been indicated as such. See section on “Trademarks.”
Top Secret Recipes is a registered trademark of Todd Wilbur.
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eISBN : 978-1-429-54845-8
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For Ajay and Roxie
MANY THANKS ...
Cloning these famous recipes requires thousands of hours of work locked up alone in a kitchen with only the sounds of the dishwasher and Howard 101 to keep me company. However, a book like this could never have been made without the support and efforts of many others on the outside whom I must now thank.
I feel privileged to have hooked up with Plume in the early 1990s for the very first
Top Secret Recipes
cookbook. Since then we have published seven more trade paperbacks together, plus two special QVC editions and several other special market volumes. Plume has made this culinary publishing journey a pleasure every step of the way, and I wart to thank everyone there for your contributions, opinions and collaborations through the years. Specifically I must thank Barbara O’Shea, Clare Ferraro, Trena Keating, Emily Haynes, Sandra Dear Cherisse Dike, Kimberly Cagle, and Marie Coolman from the bottom of my heart for all of your hard work and support on this book.
Top Secret Recipes
cookbook. Since then we have published seven more trade paperbacks together, plus two special QVC editions and several other special market volumes. Plume has made this culinary publishing journey a pleasure every step of the way, and I wart to thank everyone there for your contributions, opinions and collaborations through the years. Specifically I must thank Barbara O’Shea, Clare Ferraro, Trena Keating, Emily Haynes, Sandra Dear Cherisse Dike, Kimberly Cagle, and Marie Coolman from the bottom of my heart for all of your hard work and support on this book.
Thanks to everyone behind the scenes at QVC and all the great on-air hosts for making these books the top-selling cookbook series on the shopping network. To Anthony Corrado, my man in the kitchen at QVC who always makes the food look so good on TV: Thanks, bud. You’re not only an awesome food stylist, but also a great friend.
Thanks to Robert Wortham of W&A Marketing and his assistant, John Lowry, for the great cover photos. It’s more like a party than work, really And I’m happy to see that you didn’t leave hungry.
Thank you to all of the waiters, waitresses and bartenders who take the time to answer my annoying questions when I’m on a cloning mission. Creating these recipes wouldn’t be possible without the little tidbits of information and clues that you provide regarding ingredients and/or preparation techniques of these famous dishes.
Thanks to my family and friends for your anxious and helpful taste-testing of many of these recipes. As always, if you’ve got taste buds and an opinion, I’ve got free food.
Thanks to Nobu the Akita for taking over where Zebu the Wonder Dog left off. Those are some big paw prints to fill, but you’re doing great so far.
And last, thank you to Pamela, the love of my life. When I’m stuck, you yank me out. When I’m down, you lift me up. No matter what life dishes out, I know it’s going to be much better with you sharing my plate.
INTRODUCTION
I feel out of place at the ritzy Stirling Club in Las Vegas—like a Macho Nacho Burrito at a caviar tasting. But there I am attending an invite-only shindig where impressionist Rich Little speaks in his own voice, and
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
host Robin Leach works the room. It’s a very Vegas moment.
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
host Robin Leach works the room. It’s a very Vegas moment.
Then someone drags singer Clint Holmes over to our group. He’s the Tom Jones-esque crooner headlining at Harrah’s who was voted “Best All Around Entertainer in Las Vegas.” I mention that I saw him perform in Atlantic City at the 1990 Miss America Pageant I was covering as a TV news reporter. When he ignores my comment I wonder, “Did I just insult the man?” Now I’m not sure what to say
Thankfully, a friend cuts through the awkwardness to tell Clint what I do for a living, “Todd writes cookbooks.”
She looks back my way, expecting me to elaborate. “The books are called
Top Secret Recipes,”
I tell him. “They show people how to make famous food at home with common ingredients.”
Top Secret Recipes,”
I tell him. “They show people how to make famous food at home with common ingredients.”
From past experience I realize that at this point I haven’t provided enough information to make Clint understand my strange career path, so here’s where I open up my stance and bend forward as though I’m carefully studying a piece of food. “I reverse-engineer brand-name foods, like a Big Mac or a Twinkie or Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits, and then create clone recipes that instruct you how to easily duplicate the taste of these foods in your own kitchen using ingredients you can find in any supermarket.”
Now I wait to see if the ball will fall on red or black. About half of the people appreciate the unusual cookbook concept, and many of them have used the recipes before, either from the books or off the website. But the other half—and these are usually people who don’t like to cook—shoot me a blank, puzzled stare followed by a cordial nod of fake acknowledgment. It’s a look that says, “Why the heck would I want to duplicate food that I can just go out and buy?” It seems like the Best All Around Entertainer of the Year is in the latter category. Let’s just say the roulette ball fell on green that night, since Clint was whisked away before I could continue with my explanation.
If I’d had the chance to explain in more detail why so many people enjoy cloning famous foods, I think I could have won Clint over. I’d tell him how cool it is making America’s most popular food in our own kitchens and then watching people freak out when they take a bite. I would suggest that we can save money by making these dishes at home, and that with these formulas we have the freedom to customize our favorite brand-name foods for special tastes and dietary requirements. I’d remark that unlike any other cookbook, when you cook for the first time from a Top Secret Recipes cookbook, you know in advance what the finished product will taste like.
By this time, I’m sure I’d see the huge lightbulb over Clint’s head pop on. And then he would ask the next inevitable question: “How do you get away with this?”
Now I would explain to Clint that these are original, personally copyrighted recipes that I create from scratch in my own laboratory (I know, ha ha; it’s really my kitchen, Clint). I’d describe to him the time-consuming process of dissecting multiple samples, of sniffing out ingredients, of straining sauces and calculating measurements. And then I’d finish by explaining that I never represent these recipes as the actual recipes for the brand-name foods, because I respect the success and trademarks of the companies, and that I imitate as a compliment to the corporate chefs. It’s flattery in its sincerest form, I’d say.
By now Clint would be ignoring everyone else. As he starts to understand the multiple benefits of this niche concept of culinary deconstruction/reconstruction, he would refuse to sing a song for the crowd, because he wants to hear more. “How exactly do you get these recipes? Do you get a job at the restaurants and steal them?” When he still doesn’t completely grasp what I’m saying, I’d spend more time with him, and I would make sure to talk very slowly.
I would tell Clint that creating these recipes is a game. Each
Top Secret Recipe
is a little mystery to be unraveled without full knowledge of the original formula. I’d tell him that I have never worked at any of these chains, nor have I ever obtained corporate recipes. I would explain how the game must be played using certain kitchen sleuthing techniques that I have developed over the past 20 years. I will, for example, order the food to go, but ask that all of the elements of the dish be packed up separately (sauces, garnishes, etc.) so that back in the lab can copy each component of the dish one at a time. I’d also describe my extensive research in cookbooks and on the Internet to understand ways that similar recipes are crafted. I’d tell him that only then do I write out the recipe and make my first attempt. After that, it’s like sculpting, I’d say. I add a little of this, take out a little of that, until many, many batches later a good clone is formed.
Top Secret Recipe
is a little mystery to be unraveled without full knowledge of the original formula. I’d tell him that I have never worked at any of these chains, nor have I ever obtained corporate recipes. I would explain how the game must be played using certain kitchen sleuthing techniques that I have developed over the past 20 years. I will, for example, order the food to go, but ask that all of the elements of the dish be packed up separately (sauces, garnishes, etc.) so that back in the lab can copy each component of the dish one at a time. I’d also describe my extensive research in cookbooks and on the Internet to understand ways that similar recipes are crafted. I’d tell him that only then do I write out the recipe and make my first attempt. After that, it’s like sculpting, I’d say. I add a little of this, take out a little of that, until many, many batches later a good clone is formed.
Clint and I would really hit it off as we went on and on about cloning America’s favorite brand-name foods. Eventually he’d realize that he has fallen way behind on his schmoozing, and say that, regretfully, he has to go. He’d offer me front-row tickets to his next show and then he’d ask when the new book is coming out. I’d tell him it’s called
Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2,
it’ll be out very soon, and I’m writing the introduction right now. I’d also tell him that it’s my best work.
Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2,
it’ll be out very soon, and I’m writing the introduction right now. I’d also tell him that it’s my best work.
He’d shake my hand and move into the crowd, and I’d feel like I just made a new friend. Before he’s too far away, he’d turn back and offer me an enlightening Clint Holmes nugget of wisdom : “Hey, Todd,” he’d say “Don’t spend too much time on that introduction. It sounds to me like it’s those clone recipes people really want.”
I’d promise to take his advice, because, deep down, I know Mr Clint Holmes gets it. And he’s right.
If you’re new to
Top Secret Recipes,
you are about to experience a cookbook concept unlike any other. This book is a collection of 150 original recipes to clone signature items from America’s largest casual restaurant chains. All the recipes have been created from a process of reverse-engineering, using common ingredients and simplified steps.
Top Secret Recipes,
you are about to experience a cookbook concept unlike any other. This book is a collection of 150 original recipes to clone signature items from America’s largest casual restaurant chains. All the recipes have been created from a process of reverse-engineering, using common ingredients and simplified steps.
In the 10 years since
Top Secret Restaurant Recipes
was released, I have received thousands of e-mails and letters filled with cloning requests for chain restaurant appetizers and entrees and desserts that I hadn’t thought about before, or that I never got around to dissecting for the first book. I’m happy to say that this latest collection is assembled with replica recipes from those mouthwatering suggestions. There are more full-service restaurant clone recipes included in this book than in any previous
Top Secret Recipes
volume.
Top Secret Restaurant Recipes
was released, I have received thousands of e-mails and letters filled with cloning requests for chain restaurant appetizers and entrees and desserts that I hadn’t thought about before, or that I never got around to dissecting for the first book. I’m happy to say that this latest collection is assembled with replica recipes from those mouthwatering suggestions. There are more full-service restaurant clone recipes included in this book than in any previous
Top Secret Recipes
volume.
In a full house, where the kitchen is the hub of activity, the process of preparing tasty meals can be a rewarding event in which all can participate. The reason I first created these
Top Secret Recipes
is that I found cooking home duplicates of favorite famous dishes adds an extra sprinkling of joy to the process. It’s a real kick digging into a dish you made at home that comes out tasting just like a menu item from a famous restaurant chain. And now, with these clone recipes to assist you, a combination of taste-alike versions of your favorite courses from different chains can be served in one meal creating a dining experience you couldn’t have in any one restaurant.
Top Secret Recipes
is that I found cooking home duplicates of favorite famous dishes adds an extra sprinkling of joy to the process. It’s a real kick digging into a dish you made at home that comes out tasting just like a menu item from a famous restaurant chain. And now, with these clone recipes to assist you, a combination of taste-alike versions of your favorite courses from different chains can be served in one meal creating a dining experience you couldn’t have in any one restaurant.
These days we spend nearly half of the money designated for food on dining outside of our homes. Emeril Lagasse, Rachael Ray and Martha Stewart are more popular than ever, but on any given day 44 percent of adults are filling their bellies in a diner, cafe, coffeehouse, bistro, sub shop, dinnerhouse, pizza joint, cafeteria or buffet somewhere in America rather than preparing food in their own shiny home kitchens. Speed and convenience are obviously major factors that play into our decision to pay someone to make food for us, but what about the cost? Out of curiosity, I priced each ingredient for a dozen recipes in this book and then broke those totals down by serving. If you’re into saving a little coin, you’ll see from this list how making food at home will usually cost much less than dining out:
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