Chicken Bellagio- Cheesecake Factory

Pasta and Sauce 

1 Cup Heavy Cream

1 tsp Minced Garlic

1/2 C Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese

5-6 Fresh Basil Leaves Minced

Juice from 1 lemon

salt and pepper

1 pkg. Spaghettini (thin spaghetti)

Whisk heavy cream and garlic in sauce pan over medium-high heat until it begins to thicken. Add in Parmesan cheese and whisk til incorporated. Lower heat to medium-low careful not to scorch. Add in basil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Whisk thoroughly and reduce to a low heat to keep warm. When ready to serve toss with Spaghettini that has been  cooked at pkg directs. 

Chicken 

3-4 Chicken Breast

1 C Flour

2 Eggs

1 C Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs

1 C Parmesan Cheese

Oil {Vegetable oil works great, but olive or grape seed oil is a nice alternative}

You will need 3 bowls. In first bowl place flour. The second whisk the eggs and third combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Set aside. If chicken is frozen, allow to thaw completely. Butterfly the cutlets, or cut them in half by cutting through the middle of the meat so you have 2 thinner pieces. Then place in a large sturdy zip-lock bag and with a meat mallet gently hammer chicken so that the piece is an even and thickness. 

About this time, begin to heat your oil in a large skillet over medium -medium/high heat. You will want to fill your skillet about 3/4 inch deep with oil. You will know when ready if you flick a few drops of water on the oil and it crackles. Take each piece of chicken and first coat them with flour, then dip in the egg, then last coat with bread crumb mixture. Do this to each piece.

 Then place 2-3 pieces of chicken at a time in skillet. This will depend on how big your skillet is. Don't over crowd. Allow to cook a few minutes, sides will start to turn a golden brown. Then flip and cook the other side. When finished remove and place on paper towels to drain excess oil. Repeat with remaining pieces. 

Garnishes

Prosciutto at room temp.

Arugula Lettuce washed and dried (Pictured is baby Arugula)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1-2 Lemons

Assembly

To assemble this dish in true Cheesecake Factory Style.. 

Place generous serving of pasta in middle of plate. Layer with two pieces of chicken side by side. Ribbon 1-2 pieces of Prosciutto over top of chicken. Then place a generous handful of arugula over prosciutto. Drizzle a little evoo over arugula followed by juice of a lemon half. 

Caramel Apple Bundt Cake

We had this cake for dessert today and it was divine.  A perfect Fall recipe!  

We served it with ice cream.

INGREDIENTS:
Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 medium apples, for about 3 cups chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla, divided
1 1/4 cups vegetable or canola oil
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs

Cream Cheese Layer:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg

Glaze:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla

Caramel Sauce:
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup half-and-half or whipping cream
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS:
Generously grease and flour a 9 or 10-inch bundt pan. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside. Peel, core and dice 3 cups of apples. Toss the apples with the tablespoon of lemon juice to keep from browning. Add the dark brown sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla and toss to combine. Set aside.

Using a handheld electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, blend the oil, sugar, and vanilla until well mixed. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the dry ingredients until just incorporated. The batter will be quite thick. Drain any excess liquid from the apples (if any) and stir the apple mixture into the batter. Don’t overmix! Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese just until smooth. Add the 1/3 cup sugar, vanilla and egg and beat on medium speed until creamy and smooth.

Using a spoon or butter knife, make a trench in the center of the cake batter (going around in the circular shape of the bundt pan) about 1-inch deep (just scoop the excess batter to either side. Spoon the cream cheese mixture into the trench. Try and keep the cream cheese mixture in a ring in the center of the cake so it has cake batter on either side around the circle. Once the cream cheese mixture is in place, use a butter knife to swirl the cream cheese mixture into the surrounding cake batter.

Bake the cake for 1 hour and 15 minutes (checking often as you may need to decrease or increase time based on your pan and exact oven temperature). Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs.

While the cake is cooling, mix the ingredients for the glaze in a small pan over medium high heat. Allow the ingredients to come to a boil and boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Pour the glaze over the cake while the cake is still in the pan. Let the cake cool in the pan before removing. Turn the cake out onto a serving plate and store covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Serve chilled or at room temperature, drizzling caramel sauce over each piece.

For the caramel sauce, mix the butter, brown sugar, half-and-half or cream, and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until thickened slightly. Add the vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further. Turn off the heat and pour the sauce into a jar. Refrigerate until cold (or use slightly warm but not hot). If the caramel sauce has cooled in the fridge long enough to harden, warm slightly before drizzling on cake.

Recipe Source: from my brother, Nate, who has made this recipe many, many times, perfecting it along the way