As you make these croutons, please take the care to get the butter to the exact right consistency. Some have said it should look a lot like mayonnaise when it’s just right.  If you follow the instructions exactly, this should work out well for you if you have  standard wattage microwave.

Ingredients

• 2 full loafs of bread (remember: just get the cheap stuff)
• 1 lb of real butter (no margarine on this one, sorry)
• 2 ½ Tbsp Cajun seasoning bled
• ½ Cup finely chopped garlic (yes, that’s really the amount)

Instructions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350°
2. Cube the bread into about 1 inch square pieces
3. Cut the butter into smaller chunks and place in the microwave for 10 seconds. Stir and return to the microwave for another 5 seconds.  It should have the consistency of mayonnaise.
4. Mix the Cajun seasoning and chopped garlic into the butter blend and let sit while you toast the croutons the first time.
5. Spread the cubes of bread onto a cookie sheet and put into the oven for 10 minutes and then remove and let cool completely before moving on to the next step.
6. Gently mix the cool croutons into the butter mix until completely coated.
7. Place the croutons back onto the cookie sheet and bake for an additional 10 minutes at 350°.
8. Check for desired crunchiness and, if needed, toss and return to the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes.
9. Let cool and add to your favorite salad recipe.

A rich and creamy sauce with just enough zip from the horseradish.  Make up plenty and store it in the refridgerator or share it with friends in the office.  If you’re planning on having it for dinner tonight, make this first so it can sit in the refridgerator before it’s time to eat.  This helps to really bring the flavors together nicely.

Recipe

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
• 2 teaspoons milk
• 1 1/4 teaspoons prepared horseradish
• 1 teaspoon minced celery
• 1 teaspoon minced white onion
• 1 teaspoon minced green bell pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 pinch salt

Directions

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly.
3. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
4. Server with Grilled Shrimp on the Barbie.

If you serve the shrimp with some rice and a grilled veggies, you’ve turned a great appetizer into an incredible meal.  Maybe the next time you’re having an outdoor party, serve these up in a form that’s true to their name, straight off the barbie.  There’s nothing better than standing around a grill pulling the meat off as soon as it’s done and enjoying it piping hot.

This is served with their outstanding remoulade sauce.  You’ll also find that served with their salmon and the pan seared lump crab cakes as well. I listed the sauce separately to make it easier to find.  Try with your seafood creation and you’ll be hooked.

Jennifer pointed out (comments below) this is also served with Outback Bushman’s Bread toasted with garlic butter.  This IS a very important and tasty addition.  Make a loaf of the Bushman’s Bread and slice it to your favorite thickness.  Spread some garlic butter on one side and toast in the broiler until golden.  Serve the shrimp on the toast.

Recipe

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 dash ground allspice
• 6 large shrimp, thawed if frozen
• fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• minced fresh parsley

Directions

These are tender crispy shrimp in a beer batter with a light flaky coconut coating on the outside.  They offer just the right amount of sweetness and taste delicious with the tangy tart flavors that come in the Creole marmalade.

I would recommend using the largest shrimp possible, but don’t hesitate to make them with whatever is available (other than tiny bay shrimp).  If you have some friends who don’t like shrimp or seafood, try this with tender chicken breast cutlets and they’ll be very impressed.

Ingredients

• 1 cup flat beer
• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 2 cups sweetened coconut flakes (7 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 12 jumbo shrimp
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Paprika

Marmalade Sauce

• 1/2 cup orange marmalade
• 2 teaspoons stone-ground mustard (with whole grain mustard seed)
• 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
• Dash salt

Directions

1. Combine the beer, flour, 1/2 cup of coconut flakes, sugar and salt in medium bowl.
2. Mix this completely with a wire whisk or electric mixer.
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
4. Prepare the Creole marmalade sauce by combing the orange marmalade, mustard, horseradish and salt in a small bowl.
5. Mix thoroughly, cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour to allow all the flavors to come together.
6. If your shrimp need to be de-viened or shelled, do that now, leaving a bit of shell on the tail as a handle.
7. Preheat the oil in a deep pot of fryer to 350 degrees F. Make sure you have enough oil to completely cover the shrimp.
8. Place the remaining coconut in a shallow bowl.
9. Completely dry the shrimp before battering.  If your shrimp is not completely dry, the batter will not stick properly.
10. Sprinkle shrimp with a light dusting of paprika.
11. One at a time, dip the shrimp into the batter.  Make sure it’s thoroughly coated other than the tail.
12. Place the battered shrimp into the coconut and lightly roll it around to completely cover it in coconut.
13. Deep fry each shrimp for 2 to 3 minutes each or until it reaches a nice golden brown.  You’ll need to turn them once or twice during the process.
14. Drain the shrimp on a paper towel.
15. Server with a small bowl of Creole marmalade sauce.

The Outback Steakhouse™ Ranch Dressing can be duplicated at home with the help of Hidden Valley Ranch™.  They have a dry salad dressing mix (not the ranch dip) which makes a wonderful starter for our Outback Steakhouse™ Ranch Dressing.

The most important step is letting the dressing “set-up” in the refrigerator.  Do NOT skip this step or cut it short.  In fact, if you can, make this a day ahead of when you’re going to need it and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight.  At the very least give it an hour to chill.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon hidden valley ranch dressing mix
• 1 cup mayonnaise (I recommend Hellmans or Best Foods – NOT Miracle Whip)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8/ teaspoon cayenne pepper (use this INSTEAD OF the paprika if you like your dressing spicy)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix well.
2. Chill for at least 1 hour.  It’s best to let this sit overnight to bring all of the flavors together and let it thicken up.

This is one of the easier restaurant recipes to make.  So easy, it’s something you could probably do several times a week, regardless of what you’re serving.

I was previously using a recipe which included rye flour and molasses but I wasn’t ever 100% happy with the results.  I’ve modified this now and I think you’ll agree, it tastes much more authentic and it’s actually very easy to make.

This is easiest when it’s done with a bread machine, which is what I’ve shown, however, you can make this by hand with a simple mixer and a dough attachment. This goes very well with the Outback Steakhouse Potato Soup and the Outback Steakhouse Chopped Blue Cheese Salad.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 tsp yeast
• 1 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 tbsp butter (softened)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 cups wheat flower
• 2 cups bread flower
• 1 1/2 tsp instant coffee
• 2 tbsp sugar (granulated)
• 2 tbsp cocoa
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp carmel coloring
• 3 tbsp cornmeal

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. It’s very important you place the ingredients into you bread machine in the following order: Water, butter, honey, bread flour, wheat flour, cocoa, sugar, coffee, salt, yeast and carmel coloring.  This will keep the yeast from activating with the warm water until after it’s begun mixing.
3. Run your bread machine on the “dough” setting until complete.  Your dough may look a bit more moist than you’d expect.  You can slowly mix in additional flour, in 50/50 portions, if needed.
4. Place the dough in a glass bowl covered with a towel and let rise in a warm dry area for about an hour.
5. Separate the dough into two equal parts and roll out into oval loaves.
6. Place on a baking sheet and dust with cornmeal.
7. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until the crust makes hollow sound when tapped.
8. This bread is supposed to freeze very well.

Too many people are making this with Valvetta cheese because of the cheesy flavor of the soup.  That’s wrong.  The base for thickening this up is rather simple.  Try this recipe at home and you’ll be amazed at how close it tastes.  Please comment below to let me know what you think.

Ingredients

• Potatoes (6-8 depending on the size)
• 1 Onion, diced
• 4 14oz cans of chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• Celery salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 1 dash of basil
• 1 dash of sugar
• 2 sticks of butter
• 3/4 cup of flour
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Garnish

• 4-6 pieces of cooked bacon, chopped
• Chopped chives (amount depends on your preference – I like a lot)
• 2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack / Cheddar cheese blend.

Directions

1. Boil the potatoes, peel and set aside (someone suggested you rub with kosher sale and bake the potatoes, leaving the skin on)
2. In a large soup pot, melt the butter over a low to medium heat, being careful not to burn it.
3. Add the onion and cook until softened.
4. Add the flour and stir while it cooks for about 3 minutes.
5. Slowly add the chicken broth, water, salt, pepper, basil and sugar.
6. Bring to a boil, stirring often with a wire whisk.
7. Gradually add the heavy cream until you’ve reached the proper consistency.
8. Chop the potatoes into bite sized cubes and add to the soup.
9. Simmer for approximately 5 minutes to bring the potatoes to temperature.
10. Ladle the soup into individual bowls and garnish with chopped bacon, chives and the cheese blend.
11. Enjoy!

If you’re bringing this to a potluck, make sure you chill the salad bowl before adding the salad and toss everything just before you leave.

It may be easier to just buy some ready-made candied pecans instead of making them from scratch.  If you want to duplicate the Outback salad recipe, you’ll need to put in the extra effort.

The blue cheese is very important because it’s such a strong part of the flavor.  If you skimp on this, you’ll be detracting from the entire salad.

Ingredients

Candied cinnamon pecans

• 1/3 cup pecans sliced-lengthwise
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons butter, melted

Salad

• 3 cups chopped butter or bibb lettuce
• 3 cups chopped red leaf lettuce
• 3 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
• 1 green onion, chopped

Blue cheese vinaigrette dressing

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

Directions

Grilled chicken breast topped with bacon, honey mustard sauce, sautéed mushrooms, Monterrey Jack and Cheddar. Normally served with Aussie Chips.

You can also turn this into their delicious Alice Springs Chicken Quesadilla.  Simply slice thin and place inside of a flour tortilla along some bacon, honey mustard sauce, sauteed mushrooms and Mexican cheese blend.  Grill until crisp and serve with some additional honey mustard sauce.

Recipe

• 1 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 4-6 boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 12 slices cooked bacon
• 3 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Combine the mustard honey and 1 tablespoon of the oil along with the lemon juice and mix. Mix vigorously .
2. Place the chicken in a 1 gallon Ziploc bag and pour half of the mixture on top. Refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.
3. Save and chill the remaining marinade to serve later with the chicken.

After the chicken has marinated:

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F.
2. Place the remaining oil in a frying pan, heat and sear chicken on both sides.
3. Put the chicken in an oven safe pan and brush liberally with the marinade.
4. In the same frying pan and add the butter and sauté the mushrooms.
5. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
6. Place bacon strips across each breast, spoon mushrooms on top, and then add approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of a cup of cheese on each backspace.
7. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake 7 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with honey mustard marinade.

The way Outback™ describes it is like this: “Down under frozen wonder with peaches, DeKuyper Peachtree Schnapps, champagne, Smirnoff Vodka and secret mixers.” There you have it, ‘secret mixers” are what you’ll be searching for.  Don’t worry, they’re not that secret anymore.

If you have a pool party coming up or just want to sit on the back deck and enjoy a nice afternoon, this will help set the mood just right.  Make up an extra big batch so you can share it with your neighbors.  Don’t tell them what it is and see if they can guess.

RECIPE:

• 1 cup frozen sliced peaches
• 2 ounces champagne
• 1 ounce peach schnapps
• 1 ounce vodka
• 4 ounces (1/2 cup) Kern’s peach nectar
• 2 or 3 ice cubes

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a blender.
2. Blend on highspeed for approximately 30 seconds or until ice is completely
   crushed and the drink is smooth.
3. Pour into a 12-ounce glass and serve with a straw.

That wasn’t too tough, was it?  Now throw another shrimp on the barbie!