The Chefs Black Book

Hard Rock Cafe® Pig Sandwich

Take a big honkin' bite out of one of these and you'll soon know
why it's the Hard Rock Cafe's most popular sandwich. According
to the menu the pork is hickory smoked for 10 hours. But since
we're impatient hungry people here, we'll cut that cooking time
down to under 4 hours using a covered grill and carefully
arranged charcoal. Just sprinkle wet hickory chips over the hot
charcoal arranged around the inside edge of a grill (such as a
round Weber), and let the smoking begin. You can certainly use
an actual smoker if you've got one, and go the full 10 hours with
this puppy. But while you're still waiting for your sandwiches,
the rest of us will have already dragged our full, round bellies
over to the couch for a nap.
By the way, make your marinated cabbage a day ahead of time,
if you have the foresight.

Marinated Cabbage

2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
4 cups thinly-sliced cabbage
4 cups hickory smoking chips
Spice Rub
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 boneless pork loin roast (3 to 4 pounds)
vegetable oil
Sauce
2 15-ounce cans tomato puree
1 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (hickory)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
8 Kaiser rolls

1. Make the marinated cabbage at least one day prior to building
your sandwiches. Like cole slaw, this garnish needs some time to
develop in the fridge. Combine the vinegar and sugar in a medium
bowl. Add the cabbage, stir, cover the bowl and store it in the
refrigerator until you are ready to make the sandwiches.
2. Put the wood chips in a bowl and cover with water. Let the wood
soak for at least 1 hour. Light the charcoal after it has been
arranged around the inside edge of your grill. You don't want coals
directly under your pork. When the coals are hot, drain the water
from the wood chips and sprinkle the chips over the top of the coals.
You should now have smoke.
3. Combine the spices for the rub in a small bowl and mix well.
4. Rub some vegetable oil over the surface of the pork roast.
Sprinkle the spices over the entire surface of the roast.
5. Place the roast in the center of your grill and put the lid on.
Let the pork cook for 3 to 4 hours or until the internal temperature
of the roast reaches 175 to 180 degrees.
6. As the pork cooks, make the sauce by combining the ingredients in
a medium saucepan over medium/low heat. Let the sauce simmer for 15
to 20 minutes, then cover and remove from heat. Set this aside until
your pork is ready.
7. When the pork is done, remove it from the grill and let it sit to
cool for 15 to 20 minutes or until you can handle it. Now you want
to tear the meat along the grain, making bite-size strips of shredded
pork.
8. Put the shredded pork into a large saucepan over medium heat. Add
2 cups of the sauce to the pan and stir. Keep the rest of the sauce
for later to serve on the side. Cook the pork for 15 minutes or until
it is heated through.
9. Grill the faces of the rolls and stack about 1 cup of pork onto
the bottom half of each roll. Add a rounded tablespoon of marinated
cabbage on top of the pork, add a tablespoon or so of extra sauce
on top of that, then cap off each sandwich with the top half of the
roll. Serve with clones for the Hard Rock's cole slaw and baked beans
on the side, if desired.
Makes 8 sandwiches.

Hard Rock Cafe Orange Freeze

Here's a quick recipe for the dessert drink served at Hard Rock
Cafes all over the world. With only a few ingredients you can
make this one super-quick in the blender. Great on a hot day.
And it's easy to double or quadruple to serve more.
2 cups orange sherbet or sorbet
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup milk
1 sprig fresh spearmint

1. Put the sherbet, juice, and milk in a blender and blend for
15 seconds or just until the sherbet is smooth. You may have
to stop the blender and stir the sherbet up a bit to help it combine.
2. Pour the orange freeze into a tall, chilled glass. Place a
sprig of fresh spearmint in the top and serve immediately.
Serves 1 as a dessert or beverage.

Hard Rock Cafe® Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

It's the chunkiest dang chicken soup you'll ever slurp down and
it comes from the first worldwide theme eatery and hip hangout.
Crank up the rock 'n roll and throw all this good stuff into a
pot and enjoy this final secret recipe in our series of
mouth-watering soup clones. Bah-bye winter!

1 pound chicken breast fillets
1 pound chicken thigh fillets
vegetable oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup diced celery
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1 cup sliced carrot
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
2 cups egg noodles
Garnish
minced fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Rub a little vegetable oil over the surface of each piece of
chicken and arrange them on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the oven when it's done and set it aside
to cool.
3. Melt the butter in a large saucepan or dutch oven over medium
heat. Sauté the onion and celery in the saucepan for just 4 to 5
minutes. You don't want to brown the veggies.
4. Dice the chicken and add it to the pot along with the remaining
ingredients, except the noodles.
5. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30
minutes or until the carrots are soft.
6. Add the noodles and simmer for an additional 15 minutes, or
until the noodles are tender. Serve with a pinch of minced fresh
parsley sprinkled on top.
Makes 6 servings.

Hard Rock Cafe® Tupelo Style Chicken

The world's most famous theme restaurant pays tribute to the
birthplace of Elvis Presley with this chicken finger appetizer
dish, and two tasty dipping sauces. It's probably best they
chose to name the dish after a city, rather than after the King
himself. "Elvis Style Chicken" sounds like a concoction that
should include bananas, peanut butter and bacon grease.
4 to 6 cups vegetable oil

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard
2 teaspoons honey
pinch paprika
Apricot Dipping Sauce
2 tablespoons Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon apricot preserves
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup corn flake crumbs
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
dash garlic
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 pound chicken breast fillets

1. Preheat oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees.
2. Make the honey mustard dipping sauce by combining the
ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Make the
apricot dipping sauce by combing those ingredients in a medium
bowl. Cover and refrigerate this sauce as well, until your chicken
is ready.
3. Prepare the breading by combining the corn flake crumbs, crushed
red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, paprika, onion
powder, and garlic in a medium bowl.
4. Beat the egg in a medium bowl, add the 1 cup of milk and stir.
5. Pour the flour into another medium bowl.
6. Slice each chicken breast lengthwise into strips approximately
1/2-inch wide.
7. When the oil is hot, bread your chicken by first coating each
strip with flour. Dip the chicken into the egg/milk mixture and
then back into the flour. Dip each chicken strip back in the egg/milk
mixture and then in the corn flake crumb mixture. Be sure to coat
each chicken piece thoroughly with the corn flake crumbs.
8. Fry 6 to 8 coated chicken strips at a time in the oil for 4 to 5
minutes or until the chicken is golden brown. Drain and serve
chicken with the dipping sauces on the side.
Serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer

Hard Rock Cafe® Cole Slaw

If you want the authentic Hard Rock Cafe Pig Sandwich experience,
you just have to serve your clone of that pulled-pork sandwich
with this creamy, delicious cole slaw on the side. Even if you
don't whip up the sandwich, you'll want to dive into a batch of
this secret slaw. It's just too easy to make, and Who Wants to
be a Millionaire? isn't on tonight. But be sure to let the stuff
hibernate in the fridge for a day or two after you toss it.
That's the only way to get the flavors up to dancing the perfect
tastebud mambo.

1 1/3 cups mayonnaise
3 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons milk
dash salt
8 cups chopped cabbage (1 head)
1/2 cup shredded carrot

1. Combine all ingredients except the cabbage and carrots in a
large bowl and blend until smooth with an electric mixer.
2. Add cabbage and carrots and toss well.
3. Cover and chill overnight in the refrigerator. The flavors
fully develop after 24 to 48 hours.
Serves 6 to 8 as a side dish.

Hard Rock Cafe Baked Potato Soup

8 Bacon slices - fried & crumbled
1 cup Yellow onions - diced
2/3 cups Flour
6 cups Chicken stock - hot
4 cups Potatoes - baked, diced & Peeled
2 cups Heavy cream
¼ cup Parsley - chopped
1½ tsp Granulated garlic
1½ tsp Salt
1½ tsp Red pepper sauce
1½ tsp Coarse black pepper
1 cup Cheddar cheese - grated
¼ cup Green onions - diced

Chop bacon; reserve. Cook onions in remaining drippings
over medium high heat until transparent, about 3 minutes.
Add flour, stirring to prevent lumps; cook for 3-5 minutes,
until mixture just begins to turn golden. Add chicken stock
grdually, whisking to prevent lumps until liquid thickens.
Reduce heat to simmer and add potatoes, cream, chopped bacon,
parsley, garlic, basil, salt, pepper sauce and plack pepper.
Simmer for 10 minutes; do not allow to boil. Add grated cheese
and green onions, heat until cheese melts smoothly. Garnish
each serving as desired with chopped bacon, grated cheese and
chopped parsley.
Makes 8 Servings.

Hard Rock Cafe® Bar-B-Que Beans

If you love baked beans you'll go nuts over this clone recipe from
the world's first theme restaurant chain. It's real easy to make
too, since you just pour all of the ingredients into a covered
casserole dish, stir, and bake for an hour and a half. The only
element that may give you pause is the pulled pork from last week's
recipe. It's an effortless addition if you've got some of that
pork on hand. If not, just leave that ingredient out. Or you could
add some cooked bacon to the mix. Either way the beans will still
come out awesome as a nosh-worthy side dish or snack.

2 15-ounce cans pinto beans (with liquid)
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons diced onion
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded pork (from last week's recipe)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pour entire contents of the can of pinto beans into a casserole
dish (with a lid).
3. Dissolve the cornstarch in a small bowl with the 2 tablespoons
of water. Add this solution to the beans and stir.
4. Add the remaining ingredients to the dish, stir well and cover.
5. Bake for 90 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Stir every 30
minutes. After removing the beans from the oven, let the beans
cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Serves 6 to 8 as a side dish.