Cracker Barrel Restaurant Recipes – How to Copycat

If you want to copy your favorite Cracker Barrel recipe, this article will get you started!

Chefs always make it look so easy! They grab a handful of this, a bit of that, a pinch of this and a dash of that. They fling it in a pan; flip it around a few times, slide it onto a plate, add a little garnish, and voila – dinner is served. Can it really be that easy? Well you have decided to give find out for yourself.

After eating at your favorite restaurant for years, you have developed a comfortable relationship with the wait staff. You have discussed many of the items on the menu with them, and now you have decided to try to replicate one for yourself. To date, however, your attempts have failed. Your version of the dish is not awful; it is just not nearly as tasty. Something is missing, but you just cannot tell what it is.

For one thing, the whole preparation process is not nearly as easy for you as it is when the chef does it, but you are getting better at that. You have been over the ingredient list several times, and more than a couple of the waiters have recited the ingredients for you. Do they leave something out on purpose? You’ll find it! If there is a secret ingredient, it’s just a matter of time before you stumble onto it.

So, one morning you are listening to a story on the radio, and they are discussing a new proposed law requiring restaurants to list the caloric value of each meal on their menu. The butter is what makes it taste sooo good!

Now as you savor each melt in your mouth bite of your restaurant recreation it occurs to you that even though you have accurately recreated this dish, maybe it really did taste a little better before you knew how many calories it actually contained!

To get you started, here is a copycat version of the Cracker Barrel Fried Apple recipe:

Ingredients needed:

                                 

* 6 large tart apples, (Granny Smith preferred)

* 1 ts lemon juice (fresh is better)

* 1/4 c bacon drippings

* 1/4 c brown sugar; packed firm

* 1/8 ts salt

* 1/8 ts nutmeg

* 1 ts cinnamon

Instructions:

Peel and core the apples. Slice apples into eighths. In a large non-stick skillet, render bacon drippings. Place the apples evenly over the bottom of the skillet. Sprinkle with lemon juice, brown sugar, and salt (in that order). Cover skillet and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, or until apples become tender and juicy. Uncover skillet, then sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir mixture well. Simmer for a few minutes until the pan juices begin to thicken. Serve hot!

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Author: Choy Chang

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Choy_Chang

Top 3 Cracker Barrel Recipes

If you crave something from the Cracker Barrel menu, look here to see if your favorite Cracker Barrel copycat recipe is listed. From Cracker Barrel biscuits to Cracker Barrel chicken and dumplings and hash brown casserole recipes, even Cracker Barrel dessert recipe clones are here.

Cracker Barrel Chicken And Dumplings Recipe
Chicken and Broth:

                           

3 quarts water
1 3-4 pound chicken cut up
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 small onion sliced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and quartered
1 bay leaf
4-6 whole parsley leaves
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Dumplings

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons of salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

1. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add the chicken, 1 teaspoon of salt, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and parsley to the pot. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook the chicken, uncovered, for 2 hours. The liquid will reduce by about one third.

2. When the chicken has cooked, remove it from the pot and set it aside. Strain the stock to remove all the vegetables and floating scum. You only want the stock and the chicken, so toss everything else out.

3. Pour 1 1/2 quarts (6 cups) of the stock back into the pot (keep the leftover stock, if any, for another recipe-it can be frozen). You may also want to use a smaller pot or a large saucepan for this. Add coarsely ground pepper, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the lemon juice, then reheat the stock over medium heat while preparing the dumplings.

4. For dumplings, combine the flour, baking powder, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and milk in a medium bowl. Stir well until smooth, then let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes. Roll the dough out onto a floured surface to about a 1/2 inch thickness.

5. Cut the dough into 1/2 inch squares and drop each square into the simmering stock. Use all of the dough. The dumplings will first swell and then slowly shrink as they partially dissolve to thicken the stock into a white gravy. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until thick. Stir often.

6. While the stock is thickening, the chicken will have become cool enough to handle. Tear all the meat from the bones and remove the skin. Cut the chicken meat into bite-size or a little bigger than bite-size pieces and drop them into the pot. Discard the skin and bones. Continue to simmer the chicken and dumplings for another 5-10 minutes, but don’t stir too vigorously or the chicken will shred and fall apart. You want big chunks of chicken in the end.

7. When the gravy has reached the desired consistency, ladle four portions onto plates and serve hot. Serve with your choice of steamed vegetables, if desired.

Source: Cooking Cache.com

Cracker Barrel Biscuits 8 servings

                   
         

2 c Bisquick
2/3 c Real buttermilk

1. Work together Bisquick and buttermilk to smooth dough. Dip hand in just enough Bisquick to kneed dough in bowl until smooth and elastic.

2. Shape dough into 16 thin patties, placing 1 atop another forming 8 biscuits in greased 93 round baking pan. Bake at 450 16 to 18 minutes or until golden. Wipe tops at once in
butter. They split easily because of the way you formed them with the 2 pieces.

3. To make BONANZA Copycats, add 4 ts sugar. Shape into 6 patties, 13 thick, 33 round. Place close together in greased round baking pan. Wipe tops in soft butter. Bake 450 18 minutes or until brown.

4. Cool 10 minutes before serving. Split with thumbs instead of cutting with knife. These do not keep well. Right out of oven wipe tops again with dabs more butter to keep
surface soft and tender.

Source: Gloria Pitzer’s Secret Recipes

Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole Recipe 8 servings

                                 

2 pounds Frozen Hashbrown Potatoes — thaw                                              1/2 cup Margarine — melt
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Black pepper
1/2 cup Onion — chop fine
1 can Cream of chicken soup
2 cups Colby Cheese – grate
1. Preheat oven at 350 F. Spray a 9×13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Gently mix in the potatoes and pour into prepared pan or dish.
3. Bake uncovered at 350 F for 35 minutes.
Source: cdkitchen.com

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Author: Jake R Kelly

Article Source

Bang Bang Shrimp and Chicken – “Bonefish Grill’

Here’s an interesting take on a fancy-schmancy recipe. Let’s turn it into Party Food! If you’re not familiar with Bonefish Grill, it is a moderately expensive "fancy dining" seafood and steak place. Bang Bang Shrimp is referred to on their menu as a "house specialty appetizer" and I understand they sell a lot of them. It is very good as an appetizer, but who eats appetizers at home? Not before meals anyway. What we do eat are appetizers as party foods.

Take this with you next time and I guarantee you will be the hit of the party. Okay let’s adapt it for a party. This recipe calls for breaded shrimp. You can bread shrimp if you want — but I have better things to do with my time. Just buy some breaded shrimp. Buy some chicken wings while your at it. This sauce is excellent on wings and they are always good party food. These can be breaded or naked. The sauce is excellent on both. Crank up the heat in the sauce a bit. This is not a family dinner — This is a party! Oh, okay, I’ll crank it up for you. First the "appetizer" version… Bone Fish Grill’s Bang Bang Sauce – Original Ingredient:

• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
• 4 teaspoons Chili Garlic Sauce (find this in the Chinese section of your grocery or in a Oriental Market
• 1 teaspoon granulated Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Rice Vinegar

Directions: Mix mayonnaise with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce. Add hot sauce to taste. Dredge the shrimp in cornstarch. Deep fat fry the shrimp until lighty brown. Drain on paper towel, put in a bowl and coat with the sauce. Serve in a lettuce lined bowl, top with chopped scallions. That’s it for the original recipe. Pretty simple and delicious. But for a party :

• Increase the Chili Garlic Sauce to 8 teaspoons or more.
• Add 3 teaspoons minced Garlic (or 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder)
• Chop some Peanuts and Onion Greens to sprinkle on top.

Now taste it. If it’s still not hot enough, go wild and throw in some good hot sauce. Directions (for either version):

1. Precook the wings and shrimp WITHOUT the sauce.
2. Mix up the Sauce.
3. Put the wings and shrimp in one bowl and the sauce in another and go to the party (or set aside for dinner.) Make sure you take a big platter with you (or have one for home.)
4. Toss the shrimp and wings in the sauce and place on the platter.
5. Enjoy the compliments.
6. Be careful reaching for a shrimp or wing — you might lose a finger! They are THAT good!

If you can, heat the sauce slightly before tossing with the shrimp and wings. If not, it’s okay. They are just as good at room temperature. Author: Mark Hester Secret Restaurant recipes can allow you to enjoy your favorite dishes at home and make you the hit of your next party. Get all your favorites to make at home and impress your family and friends. Or take them to parties and cookouts for many compliments

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Mark Hester Hester: Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Hester

Secret Restaurant Recipes Revealed

Making delicious, restaurant quality dishes in your own kitchen is easier than you think. Many of us are tightening our belts and don’t go out to dinner as much, but we still want to enjoy the dishes we love. I worked in the restaurant business for years and learned to cook when I learned to clone restaurant recipes. There are a few different ways to find famous secret restaurant recipes and make them at home.

One way is to make notes when you are at the restaurant enjoying your favorite dish:

                                   

1. Write down all the flavors you taste, even if you can’t say exactly what it is, for example: " a flavor of coconut, but there is no shredded coconut in the dish"
2. Note the obvious things you see, like: "mostly romaine lettuce, twice as many almonds as raisins, almonds are shaved, not slivered"
3. Make notes about any description the waiter may have given, such as "finished with a sherry cream sauce."
4. Make notes of the menu description.
5. If you are perplexed by anything, ask the waiter. Often they can ask the chef or may have observed a certain technique in the kitchen.

Another way is to go to the restaurant’s website and see if they post recipes or will respond to an email. This is not very likely in some cases.

You can also use your current cookbooks to find similar recipes and then "doctor" them up. This can be very difficult to make the dish taste exactly the same.

Sometimes the most difficult part of cloning recipes is technique. Technique is something you must learn and having visual or written instructions is the best.

Best way of all is to find a collection of recipes and techniques that have been tested so we don’t waste our time and ingredients guessing at restaurant secret recipes. Sometime you can find one or two good recipes online, but to find a whole collection of secret restaurant recipes is even better!

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Author: Terry Roy

 Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Terry_Roy