The Chefs Black Book

Chili's Twisted Lemonade Twist

1 oz Sauza Commemoritiva Tequila
½ oz Cointreau
½ oz Presidente Brandy
½ oz Rose's lime juice
1/3 cup sweet & Sour mix
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with crushed ice.
Shake Pour drink into a martini glass rimmed with salt.
Serve the remainder of the drink in the shaker on the side.
Makes 1 serving.

Chili's® Nacho Burger

Here's a clone recipe for a delicious new burger from Chili's
unlike any you may have tasted before. It was designed by
the folks at this popular chain to incorporate several of
restaurant's prepared sides -- all of which you will now
have clones for -- including Chili's chili queso, Chili's
pico de gallo, and Chili's guacamole. Stack it all onto a
bun with a juicy 1/4-pound ground beef patty and some crumbled
tortilla chips for crunch, and you've got a slightly spicy,
South-of-the-border taste. Muy bien, amigos!
Pico de Gallo

2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup diced Spanish onion
2 teaspoons chopped fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and de-ribbed
2 teaspoons finely minced fresh cilantro
Pinch of salt
Guacamole
2 small or 1 large Haas avocado
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/4 cup diced tomato
1/2 teaspoon diced jalapeno
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
Chili Queso
3 ounces ground beef
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
pinch of ground black pepper
16-ounce bottle Cheez Whiz
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 pounds ground beef
4 large sesame seed buns
2 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded or chopped thin
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 green onion, chopped
16-20 tortilla chips
2-3 fresh jalapenos, sliced

1. First make the pico de gallo. This is easy. Just combine all
of the ingredients for the pico in a small bowl and mix well.
Cover bowl and chill in the refrigerator.
2. Now we'll make the guacamole. In a small bowl, smash up most
of the avocado, but be sure to leave several unsmashed chunks.
Add the remaining ingredients for the guacamole to the avocado
and mix well. Cover bowl and chill in the refrigerator, next to
the pico.
3. Next we'll make the chili queso. In yet another small bowl, mix
together ground beef, flour, a pinch of salt, a pinch of black
pepper, and a pinch of chili powder. Use your hands to work the
dry ingredients into the ground beef. Brown the beef in a small
skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Use a spoon or
spatula to crumble the beef as it cooks. Cook until it's brown,
then set aside.
4. Melt the Cheez Whiz with 2 tablespoons of milk over low heat.
When milk and cheese has been combined, add the remaining queso
ingredients. Heat while stirring often until cheese is smooth
and creamy, then cover saucepan and remove it from the heat.
5. Pre-heat a griddle or large frying pan over medium heat.
Lightly butter the face of each bun and brown the buns face-down
on the heat.
6. Separate the ground beef into four 1/2-pound portions. Roll
each portion of meat into a ball and then pat the meat down into
a circular patty slightly larger in diameter than the hamburger
buns. Cook the hamburger patties for 5-10 minutes per side, until
done. Lightly salt and pepper each burger patty.
7. Build the burger open-faced in the following order starting
with the bottom bun:

On Bottom Bun
1/2 cup shredded lettuce
hamburger patty
2 tablespoons chili queso
4 or 5 crumbled tortilla chips
2 teaspoons green onion

On Top Bun
1/2 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 tablespoons pico de gallo
2 tablespoons guacamole
4 jalapeno slices
Serve burger with extra queso and guacamole. May also serve french
fries on the side and use the chili queso for dipping.
Makes 4 burgers.

Chili's Margarita Presidente

1 oz vodka
½ oz triple sec
1/3 cup sweet & sour mix
Lemon wedge
Fill a glass with crushed ice and add vodka and triple sec.
Top off the drink with sweet & sour mix. Add a lemon wedge
for garnish and serve.
Makes 1 serving.

Chili's® Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie®

What makes this dessert so special is the way it
comes to your table sizzling in a cast iron skillet.
just like fajitas. The chocolate chip cookie and graham
cracker crust "pie" is topped with a scoop of vanilla
ice cream, and then drizzled with chocolate and caramel
syrup. It's all served up in a hot skillet of cinnamon
butter. Yum! If you want to prepare this one just like
they do at the restaurant, you'll need one of those
skillets for each serving. Small iron skillets work the
best, but any 6 or 8-inch frying pan will do fine.
You just have to be sure your pan is super hot to get
that authentic Chili's "sizzle." If you don't have enough
of the right pans for each serving, you can slide it all
onto a plate. It may not have the sizzle of the real thing,
but it'll still taste awesome!
Cookie Layer

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup shredded coconut
Crust Layer
6 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Cinnamon Butter
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
9 scoops vanilla ice cream
chocolate syrup
caramel syrup
6 tablespoons chopped walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Combine the flour, baking soda and baking powder in a
medium bowl.
3. In a separate large bowl, beat together the butter and
sugar with an electric mixer. Continue beating for about
30 seconds or until mixture turns lighter in color. Add the egg,
milk, and vanilla and beat until smooth.
4. Slowly mix the dry mixture into the wet mixture. Beat until
well-combined and then mix in the coconut flakes. Set this cookie
dough aside for now.
5. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a medium bowl in the microwave
on high temperature for about 30 seconds. Add the sugar and stir
well for 30 seconds. Add the graham cracker crumbs and stir. Press
this mixture into the bottom of a 9x9-inch baking dish or pan.
6. Sprinkle the cup of chocolate chips evenly over the graham cracker
crust.
7. Press the cookie dough into the dish, covering the chocolate
chips. Use flour on your fingers to keep the soft dough from sticking.
8. Sprinkle the chopped walnuts over the dough. Use your fingers to
press the nuts into the dough.
9. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the edges of the “pie” become
light brown.
10. Prepare the cinnamon butter by creaming together the butter,
sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl with an electric mixer on high
speed.
11. When you are ready to make your dessert, heat up a small skillet
over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, remove it from the heat
then add about 1 tablespoon of the cinnamon butter to the pan.
It should quickly melt and sizzle. Slice the “pie” into 9 pieces
and place one into the hot skillet. If the “pie” has cooled,
you can reheat each slice by zapping it in the microwave for
30-40 seconds.
12. Place a scoop of ice cream on top of the “pie.” Drizzle
chocolate and caramel syrup over the dessert and then sprinkle
about 2 teaspoons of chopped walnuts over the top. Repeat for
the remaining ingredients and serve sizzling in the skillet.
Makes 9 desserts.

Chili's® Southwestern Eggrolls

Many people have hopped on the cloning bandwagon for
this recipe. Unfortunately the "clone" recipes that
are floating around out there for this dish are pretty
lame. So into the TSR test kitchen we go, and out comes
the closest thing you'll ever savor next to actually
eating the real thing. These "eggrolls" are made with
flour tortillas, stuffed with a spicy blend of corn,
green onions, black beans, spinach, jalapeno peppers,
monterey jack cheese and spices. When you add the creamy
avocado ranch dipping sauce, you're tastebuds will begin
to party. Make these several hours before you plan to serve
them so that they can freeze solid before frying. This will
help to make the outside a dark golden brown, and the
eggrolls will stay folded without letting any oil seep into
the filling. This is how they cook 'em at the restaurant
chain. And now you can check out the video for a hands-on
demonstration.

1 chicken breast fillet
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons minced green onion
1/3 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 tablespoons diced, canned jalapeno peppers
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash cayenne pepper
3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
five 7-inch flour tortillas
Avocado-ranch dipping sauce
1/4 cup smashed, fresh avocado (about half of an avocado)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
dash dried dill weed
dash garlic powder
dash pepper
Garnish
2 tablespoons chopped tomato
1 tablespoon chopped onion

1. Preheat barbecue grill to high heat.
2. Rub the chicken breast with some vegetable oil then grill
it on the barbecue for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until done.
Lightly salt and pepper each side of the chicken while it cooks.
Set chicken aside until it cools down enough to handle.
3. Preheat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a medium-size skillet
over medium-high heat.
4. Add the red pepper and onion to the pan and sauté for a couple
minutes until tender.
5. Dice the cooked chicken into small cubes and add it to the pan.
Add the corn, black beans, spinach, jalapeno peppers, parsley,
cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne pepper to the pan. Cook
for another 4 minutes. Stir well so that the spinach separates
and is incorporated into the mixture.
6. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheese. Stir until the
cheese is melted.
7. Wrap the tortillas in a moist cloth and microwave on high
temperature for 1 1/2 minutes or until hot.
8. Spoon approximately one-fifth of the mixture into the center
of a tortilla. Fold in the ends and then roll the tortilla over
the mixture. Roll the tortilla very tight, then pierce with a
toothpick to hold together. Repeat with the remaining ingredients
until you have five eggrolls. Arrange the eggrolls on a plate,
cover the plate with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours.
Overnight is best.
9. While the eggrolls freeze prepare the avocado-ranch dipping
sauce by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
10. Preheat 4-6 cups of oil to 375 degrees.
11. Deep fry the eggrolls in the hot oil for 12-15 minutes and
remove to paper towels or a rack to drain for about 2 minutes.
12. Slice each eggroll diagonally lengthwise and arrange on a
plate around a small bowl of the dipping sauce. Garnish the dipping sauce with the chopped tomato and onion.
Serves 3-4

Chili's® Boneless Buffalo Wings

This clone of Chili's new menu items gives us the
zesty flavor of traditional Buffalo chicken wings
without the bones or skin. That's because these "wings"
are actually nuggets sliced from chicken breast fillets
that are breaded and fried, then smothered with the same
type of spicy wing sauce used on typical wings. If you
like Buffalo wings, you'll love this recipe. Serve these
babies up with some celery sticks and bleu cheese dressing
on the side for dipping. Now you can actually eat Buffalo
wings with a fork!

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 chicken breast fillets
4-6 cups vegetable oil
1/4 cup Crystal or Frank's Louisiana hot sauce
1 tablespoon margarine
On the side
bleu cheese dressing (for dipping)
celery sticks

1. Combine flour, salt, peppers and paprika in a medium bowl.
2. In another small bowl, whisk together egg and milk.
3. Slice each chicken breast into 6 pieces. Preheat 4-6 cups
of vegetable oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees.
4. One or two at a time, dip each piece of chicken into the
egg mixture, then into the breading blend; then repeat the
process so that each piece of chicken is double-coated.
5. When all chicken pieces have been breaded, arrange them on
a plate and chill for 15 minutes.
6. When the chicken is done resting, drop each piece into the
hot oil and fry for 5-6 minutes or until each piece is browned.
7. As chicken fries, combine the hot sauce and margarine in a
small bowl. Microwave sauce for 20-30 seconds or just until the
margarine is melted, then stir to combine. You can also use a
small saucepan for this step. Just combine the hot sauce and
margarine in the saucepan over low heat and stir until margarine
is melted and ingredients are blended.
8. When chicken pieces are done frying, remove them to a plate
lined with a couple paper towels.
9. Place the chicken pieces into a covered container such as a
large jar with a lid. Pour the sauce over the chicken in the
container, cover, and then shake gently until each piece of chicken
is coated with sauce. Pour the chicken onto a plate and serve
the dish with bleu cheese dressing and sliced celery on the side.
Serves 2-4 as an appetizer.

Chili's® Chicken Enchilada Soup

It's an item that you won't even find on the current
menu at this national restaurant chain. But ask your
server what soups are available and this is a selection
that's available every day of the week. The dish is one
of Chili's most raved-about items, and a recipe to clone
the delicious soup is easily one of the most requested
here on the Internet. Looks like it's time for an official
TSR custom clone to answer those many requests. The secret
here is the addition of masa harina -- a corn flour that
you will find in your supermarket near the other flours
or in the Mexican food section. You'll find the recipe for
the pico de gallo garnish in the Chili's Nacho Burger clone
recipe from last November. Enjoy, amigos!

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 lb. of chicken breast fillets (approx. 3 fillets)
1/2 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic, pressed
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup masa harina
3 cups water
1 cup enchilada sauce
16 ounces Velveeta
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Garnish
shredded cheddar cheese
crumbled corn tortilla chips
pico de gallo (from recipe for November 17, 1997)

1. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a large pot over medium heat.
Add chicken breasts to pot and brown for 4-5 minutes per side.
Set chicken aside.
2. Add onions and garlic to pot and sauté over medium heat for
about 2 minutes, or until onions begin to become translucent.
Add chicken broth.
3. Combine masa harina with 2 cups of water in a medium bowl
and whisk until blended. Add masa mixture to pot with onions,
garlic and broth.
4. Add remaining water, enchilada sauce, cheese and spices to pot
and bring mixture to a boil.
5. Shred the chicken into small, bite-size pieces and add it to
the pot. Reduce heat and simmer soup for 30-40 minutes or until
thick.
6. Serve soup in cups or bowls, and garnish with shredded cheddar
cheese, crumbled corn tortilla chips, and pico de gallo.
Makes approx. 12 servings.

Chili's® Southwestern Vegetable Soup

If you like a soup that's packed with veggies,
that's low in fat, and has some of that Southwestern
zing to it, this is the one for you. Just toss all the
ingredients in a pot and simmer. Garnish with some
shredded cheese and crumbled tortillas, and prepare to
take the chill off.

6 cups chicken broth (Swanson is best)
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup water
1 cup canned dark red kidney beans, with liquid
1 cup frozen yellow cut corn
1 cup frozen cut green beans
1 4-ounce can diced green chilies
1/2 cup diced Spanish onion
1/2 cup tomato sauce
6 corn tortillas, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
dash garlic powder
Garnish
1 cup grated cheddar/jack cheese blend
1 cup crumbled corn tortilla chips

1. Combine all the soup ingredients in a large saucepan or soup
pot over high heat. Be sure to mince the corn tortillas into
small pieces with a sharp knife before adding them to the soup.
2. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 45
minutes to 1 hour, or until the soup has thickened and tortilla
pieces have mostly dissolved.
3. To serve soup ladle 1 1/2 cups into a bowl. Sprinkle a heaping
tablespoon of the grated cheddar/jack cheese blend over the top of
the soup, and then a heaping tablespoon of crumbled corn tortilla
chips over the cheese.
Makes 6 servings.

Chili's® Calypso Cooler®

Ever order one of those expensive specialty drinks
off the shiny, full-color restaurant table-stand
cards and wish you had a clone recipe? This is one
of those drinks, off of one of those cards. And here's
the clone recipe.
1 1/4 ounces Captain Morgan spiced rum
1/2 ounce peach schnapps
4 ounces (1/2 cup) orange juice
splash Rose's lime juice
1/2 ounce grenadine
Garnish
orange wedge
maraschino cherry

1. Fill a 16-ounce glass with ice.
2. Pour all ingredients over ice in the order listed. Don't stir.
3. Garnish with an orange wedge and a cherry on a toothpick. Serve
with a straw.
Makes 1 drink.