Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip

How to Copycat Your Favorite Applebee’s Menu Item!

Have you ever wanted to make the same delicious food that you enjoy at Applebees? There may be a way for you to save a lot of money by preparing the same delicious meal at home. Here are a few ways to try to copycat your favorite Applebee’s restaurant recipe:

1.) You may be able to obtain the recipe from the restaurant by visiting their website or by asking the waiter for a copy. Some chefs are flattered that someone would ask for their recipe. You may have already identified most of the ingredients in the recipe just by taste and appearance. If you just need to figure out a few unique ingredients, don’t be afraid to ask what they are.

2.) Reverse engineering is another method you could try to reproduce the restaurant’s recipe. Order the dish as carryout, take it home, and analyze it. You can make a game of trying to identify different ingredients in the dish by taste. Some people are really good at this, so invite your friends to help. Once you’ve identified the basic ingredients, experiment by trying different combinations of seasonings and cooking methods.

3.) Compare the taste of your experimental dish to the carryout food from the restaurant until you get it right. The menu may even give you most of the ingredients in the item’s description. Write down the information on the menu and the answers you get from the waitress. Take a picture of your plate when the food is served and try to reproduce it at home.

Here is a copycat version:

Applebee’s Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip:

Ingredients:

• 1 (14 ounce) can of artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped

• 1 (10 ounce) box of frozen chopped spinach, pre-thawed

• 1 cup of shredded parmesan-romano cheese

• 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese

• 4 ounces of pre-softened cream cheese

• 10 ounces of pre-made alfredo sauce

• 1 teaspoon of finely minced garlic

• pepper (optional ingredient)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl, mix well, and spread the mixture into a small baking dish

3. Bake for approx. 25-30 minutes or until all the cheese is melted

4. Serve with bread

However you reproduce the recipe of your favorite restaurant food, be sure you write it down so that you can prepare it as often as you like and get the same results every time you make it. Have fun copying that next Applebees recipe!

The Author:

Choy Chang

Photo. Rebecca Humann

Source: EA