Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 (7 page)

BLONDIE

4 egg whites
½ cup butter, softened
(I
stick)
½ cup light brown sugar packed
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
8 ounces white chocolate (cut into
chunks)
½ cup chopped walnuts

SAUCE

½ cup butter, softened (1 stick)
½ cup powdered sugar
¼ cup cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons maple syrup
¼ teaspoon salt

 

8 scoops vanilla ice cream
½ cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. To make the blondie cake whip the egg whites until they are stiff and form peaks. Add softened butter, ½ cup packed brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar, and vanilla and mix with an electric mixer until smooth. In a separate bowl sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well until smooth. Mix in milk, white chocolate chunks, and walnuts. Pour ingredients into a greased 9x13-inch baking pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until cake is golden brown on top. Slice cake into 8 equal slices when cool.

3. While cake bakes, combine all ingredients for the sauce in a medium bowl with an electric mixer

4. To prepare dessert, heat a small skillet on your stove over high heat for about 5 minutes. A cast-iron skillet is the best. (You can also serve the dessert on a plate, but you’ll miss out on the showy sizzle.) Arrange the cake in the center of the skillet or plate. Heat up the sauce for 30 to 60 seconds in the microwave until hot. Place a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the cake, then drizzle some of the sauce over the top, followed by a tablespoon of chopped walnuts. Serve immediately.

½ cup minced onion
½ cup peanut oil
cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons minced celery
2 tablespoons ketchup
4 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 teospoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

4 cups canned chicken broth
2 cups water
1 white onion (see Tidbits)
½ carrot, coarsely chopped (about
¼ cup)
½ celery stalk, coarsely chopped
(about ¼ cup)
1 small clove garlic, sliced
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
I cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
6 medium mushrooms, thinly
sliced
4 green onions, diced (green part
only)

1. Combine chicken broth and water in a large saucepan over high heat. Slice the white onion in half, and then coarsely chop one half (save the other half for later). Add coarsely chopped onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and salt to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the onion starts to become translucent.

2. As the broth simmers, heat up I cup of vegetable oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Slice the remaining white onion into very thin slices. Separate the slices, dip the slices into the milk, then into the flour. Fry the breaded onion, a handful at a time in the oil until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel.

3. When the soup has simmered for 10 minutes, strain the vegetables out of the broth and toss them out. Pour the broth back into the pan and keep it hot over low heat.

4. To serve soup, ladle about I cup of broth into a bowl. Drop a few pieces of fried onion into the soup, followed by 6 to 8 mushroom slices (about I mushroom each) and a couple pinches of diced green onion. When the fried onion sinks to the bottom of the bowl (a couple of minutes), serve the soup.

CAKE

¼
cup all-purpose flour
¼
teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons butter, softened
¼
cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons milk
⅛
teaspoon vanilla extract
/ egg

CREAM CHEESE LAYER

I envelope unflavored gelatin
¾
cup granulated sugar
1 cup boiling water
I envelope Dream Whip
½ cup low-fat milk
3
8-ounce pkgs. cream cheese,
softened
I teaspoon vanilla extract
¼
teaspoon orange extract
¼
teaspoon lemon juice
5
drops yellow food coloring
I drop red food coloring