The Big Marc Recipes

LASAGNA

Steps:

• For the meat mixture: In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat the olive oil. Add the celery, carrots, onions, and rosemary and season with a little salt and pepper. Stir, then cook for about 5 minutes.
• Add the ground beef and cook, stirring often, until thoroughly cooked, about 15 minutes.
• Add the red wine and cook about 10 minutes. Lower the heat to medium, then add the tomatoes and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Check the seasoning. Set aside and let it cool.
• For the bechamel: Heat the milk in a small saucepan, but keep it from boiling. In another deep saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour, salt and nutmeg and whisk until smooth and light gold. Add the heated milk, 1 cup at a time, whisking constantly. Cook, constantly whisking, until it thickens, for another 10 minutes. Set aside and let it cool.
• For the lasagna layers: Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Set up an ice bath and set aside. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Generously butter a 12-by-20-by-2 1/2-inch baking dish.
• Drop the lasagna sheets in the boiling water a few at a time, then cook for 1 minute. Transfer the lasagna sheets to the ice bath, then drain and lay the pasta flat.
• To the prepared baking dish, add a layer of lasagna sheets, a layer of bechamel, a layer of freshly grated Parmesan and a layer of meat sauce. Repeat twice, using all the ingredients.
• Bake until golden brown and bubbling, about 30 minutes. Allow to rest for 5 minutes prior to slicing and serving.

THE BIG MARC

Steps:

• For the buns: Stir the water, yeast and sugar together to activate the yeast. (You can tell when the yeast is activated-little bubbles will have formed, which will take a minute or two.) Add the melted butter and 3 of the eggs and mix until incorporated.
• Add 4 cups flour and the salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Mix together on low speed, then stop and add the wet ingredients. Continue to mix until the dough is very smooth, about 5 minutes. You may want to add a little bit more flour as you mix; the dough should be sticky but workable.
• Transfer the dough to a bowl. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel, place in warm area and let rise until the dough has doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
• After the dough has proofed (risen), turn it out onto a lightly-floured countertop and knead in the Cheddar and black pepper. Try not to overwork the dough; once the cheese is mixed in you can stop. Cut the dough into six equal portions and shape them into round balls. Place on a buttered baking sheet and flatten them with your hand.
• Cover and let rise again in a warm area until they have doubled in size, about 30 minutes more. When they are almost doubled in size, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl and brush the tops of the rolls with the egg. Bake until golden brown, rotating halfway through, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
• For the ketchup: Turn the oven down to 250 degrees F. Cut the garlic in half crosswise and sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Wrap in foil and roast until soft, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the garlic from the skins and mix into a paste. Reserve 1 tablespoon for the ketchup, and use remaining garlic for another use.
• Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard and roasted garlic in a bowl. Add the ketchup and vodka and mix until incorporated. This will keep for up to 6 days in the refrigerator.
• For cooking the burgers: Heat a skillet over high heat or heat an outdoor grill to high. Sprinkle the patties with salt and pepper. Coat with the oil and sear or grill until medium rare, 3 to 5 minutes per side.
• Slice the buns in half horizontally and brush with the melted butter. Toast in the skillet or on the grill. Arrange 8 pickle slices on each bottom bun and place a hamburger on top. Slather 1 to 2 tablespoons of spiked ketchup over the burger and set the top bun in place. Serve immediately with the remaining spiked ketchup on the side.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• For the pudding: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a medium pot add the cream, milk, liquid from the cherries, maple syrup and salt and bring to a boil.
• In a separate bowl crack and whisk the eggs. In a larger bowl add the dark chocolate.
• Pour the warm liquid into the dark chocolate and whisk until the chocolate has melted. Slowly whisk in the eggs. Mix in the diced baguette and let it sit for 30 minutes.
• Place a cherry into each of eight 4-ounce ramekins, then fill the ramekins with the bread pudding mixture.
• Place ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.
• For the brandy whipped cream: Whip the cream, brandy and granulated sugar until it holds stiff peaks. Serve the puddings topped with the cream.

TURKISH BUTTERNUT SQUASH (KABAK TATLISI)

Steps:

• Peel and cut butternut squash into 1-inch-thick rounds or the size of a hockey puck.
• Mix together in a bowl the sugar, cinnamon, black pepper, lemon zest and salt. Mix with the butternut squash. Cover with plastic wrap placed in the refrigerator overnight.
• Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F.
• Take the plastic wrap off the squash and cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip the butternut squash, place the foil back on and cook for another 45 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let sit on the counter in its juices to get to room temperature. Once at room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours.
• Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form and add half of the tahini to the whipped cream. Reserve the other 2 tablespoons tahini to drizzle on top for garnish. Put the cooked butternut squash on a large platter and ladle over some of the cooking juices. Top with a few large dollops of whipped cream and garnish with drizzled tahini and the crushed pistachio nuts.

MC DONALD'S BIG MAC

Steps:

• With a serrated knife, cut the top off the extra bun half, leaving about a 3/4-inch-thick slice.
• That will be the middle bun of your sandwich.
• Place the three bun halves on a hot pan or griddle, face down, and toast them to a light brown.
• Set aside, but keep the pan hot.
• Divide the ground beef in half and press into two thin patties slightly larger than the bun.
• Cook the patties in the hot pan over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
• Salt lightly.
• build the burger in the following stacking order from the bottom up: bottom bun, half of dressing, half of onion, half of lettuce, American cheese, beef patty, middle bun, remainder of dressing, remainder of onion, remainder of lettuce, pickle slices, beef patty, top bun.

BIG MAC® CLONE

Steps:

• Shape ground beef into 4 flat patties that will fit the hamburger buns. Place them on a tray lined with waxed paper; transfer to the freezer.
• Mix mayonnaise, mustard, pickle relish, white wine vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika in a bowl to make sauce. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
• Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Toast buns in batches until lightly golden, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Layer some of the sauce, 1 tablespoon minced onion, 2 tablespoons lettuce, and pickles on 2 bottom buns. Layer some of the sauce and remaining 1 tablespoon minced onion, 2 tablespoons lettuce, and American cheese on the other bottom buns.
• Season patties with salt and pepper. Cook in the hot skillet 2 at a time until browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Place 1 patty over each bottom bun; stack and cover with top buns.