Recreating restaurant dishes at home

I love KFC 's cole slaw and have got it down pretty good.

The soup was supposed to be served warm but I asked for it cold and served it that way myself.

Cold Fresh Tomato and Zucchini Soup

1 each celery stalk, carrot, onion. Diced.
garlic to taste. Diced
2 - 3 pounds fresh tomatoes
2 6 ounce cans of tomato paste
12 - 24 ounces water, depending on how the soup looks to you
salt, pepper and paprika (preferably smoked Spanish although Hungarian will do)

1/2 pound fresh zucchini, grated then seasoned
1 bunch scallions
basil and chives to taste

Saute diced and seasoned celery, carrot, onion and garlic until golden and soft.

Add fresh tomatoes, cut into 6ths if very large or 4ths if medium. Heat until tomatoes become juicy. Season. Add tomato paste and water. Cover and simmer for about an hour. Check for seasoning then puree.

Grate zucchini then season with salt, pepper and paprika. Chop chives, basil and scallions. Add to still warm soup then refrigerate.

Serve cold but you may reheat.

I do that all the time. Well, ok, some of the time.

One of the first times I did that was with Chez Helene's lemon and rosemary roast chicken. I still like those ingredients..

Mmm, a landscape construction teacher brought us all to his house mid day in an all day class, where his wife served us a soup that involved potatoes, cabbage, sausage, and cream. I've played on variations of that with different spices, different sausages, various herbs, half and half or no dairy, for decades. Trouble is, I like them all.

I tried making chinese shui mai, and bao with various stuffings, all after visiting chinatown..

I've made the meatloaf from 72 Market Street (now defunct, but such a good restaurant). That was a cinch, in that there was a cookbook with the recipe in it.
http://www.thatsmyhome.com/momsdiner/beef/market.htm

I tried to replicate a chipotle mayo sauce served by a popular sandwich chain. I probably made up about 7 or 8 variatons until I was finally happy with the results. I don't think I hit it 100%, but close enough to be satisfied. I'd have happily bought the sauce from the restaurant, but they told me it was a SECRET...which was all I had to hear to get my determination going LOL.

Panzade: I've never had KFC's cole slaw. If you have time one of these days, I'd love to see your recipe.

I don't understand how selling you a jar of their mayo would break any secret they might have. In fact, if you like it enough to want to buy it, I would think other people would as well. I think they're missing a sales opportunity.

What do you put in your sauce? do you start with commercial mayo or homemade? If commercial, which brand?

I use Kraft or Hellman's, but that's a great idea to try it with homemade (totally different taste, I'd imagine). Mr.Irish likes regular mayo, but I won't touch the stuff unless I've disguised its taste.

The sandwich sauce I concocted is basically just mayo, canned chipotles, some of the adobo sauce from the can, fresh lime juice, small amount of fresh garlic (1/2 clove) or you could use garlic powder, a few shakes of ground cumin, a bit of honey and a dash of Worcestershire. Oh, and a tiny bit of salt. I whirl it in a mini food processor until it's smooth and creamy. It keeps in the fridge for a few days.

I've been thinking of buying the book, "Cook This, Not That!: Kitchen Survival Guide" by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding.
http://www.amazon.com/Cook-This-Not-That-Survival/dp/160529442X/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1281033365&sr=1-4

I sent my brother two other books by this duo and he's very pleased with them.

This cookbook tells you how to duplicate recipes from the chain restaurants in a slightly healthier version, while still preserving the basic taste. And, judging from the reviews on Amazon, the dishes made from these recipes really taste good. It got very good reviews.

I try to duplicate recipes all the time. It takes a lot of trial and error, but, if I can get it right, it's worth it.

I used to love the R.S.V.P. column in Bon Appetit, in which readers requested restaurant recipes from a favorite or outstanding meal. I guess the restaurants were happy to comply for the publicity or the prestige of being mentioned in the magazine. I'm not sure if they've discontinued it or not since I let my subscription lapse...it was a fun read, though and I actually tried a few of the recipes which were pretty good. Your cookbooks reminded me of it and, of course, a healthier version of recipes is always a good idea.

great recipe...thanks

Pan, it's really good on grilled chicken sandwiches (with melted cheese and fresh cilantro on grilled bread). A friend I shared it with said it's also good as a dip for shrimp. Mmmm...bet it would spice up fish tacos, too!

Duplicating a recipe is like solving a puzzle.

I was informed by a friend that MacDonald's sauce was a mix of mayonaise and thousand island sauce.

The barbecue sauce can be made with honey with soy sauce and heinz ketchup.

We tried Starbuck's Spinach Feta Wrap. We instituted some intentional variations. He says he likes it, but he is a prolific food liar. Does anyone else have a bead on that schmear?

In Bon Appetit magazine every month, readers write in and request the recipes for great dishes they've had in restaurants all over.

KFC cole slaw clone

8 cups finely chopped cabbage (about 1 head)
1/4 cup shredded carrot (1 medium carrot)

2 tablespoons minced onion
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1. Be sure cabbage and carrots are chopped up into very fine pieces (about the size of rice).
2. Combine the sugar, salt, pepper, milk, mayonnaise, buttermilk, vinegar, and lemon juice in
large bowl and beat until smooth.
3. Add the cabbage, carrots, and onion, and mix well.
4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
Serves 10-12.

Thanks

Thanks too.

Mayonaise vs Herb Mayonaise
The former is really boring. The latter? Does Littlejohn's Sandwich Shop or the the Bellair Market have the better?
Add (all fresh) parsley, chives, basil, dill, oregano, crushed garlic, ground black pepper and lemon juice. Is that too much?

mmmmm, no.