Chasens Cheese Toast Recipes

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine the Cheddar, Monterey Jack, mayonnaise, Parmesan, butter, salt, pepper and seasoned salt.
• Cut the loaf in half lengthwise, then into thirds or fourths. Evenly spread the cheese mixture onto the bread pieces. Wrap each piece in a foil "purse," leaving a little room at the top between the cheese and the foil.
• The bread can either be frozen for later, or baked right away. If baking right away, place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. If cooking from frozen, bake on a baking sheet at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C) and place a baking sheet on the middle rack.
• Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
• Whisk the eggs, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg together in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Place two pieces of bread into the custard mixture and allow them to soak for about 30 seconds on each side.
• Add 2 teaspoons of butter and 1 teaspoon of oil to the pan and swirl to combine. Add in four slices of custard-soaked bread and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Transfer to the oven to keep warm. Soak the remaining bread and cook the French toast in the remaining butter and oil.
• In the same skillet, cook the pancetta over medium heat, if using, until crisp, flipping as needed, about 4 minutes.
• Remove the French toast from the oven and sprinkle each piece with about 1/4 cup of grated cheese. Return to the oven, turn the broiler on to high and broil until the cheese is melted and lightly golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes.
• Top each piece with a couple of pieces of crispy pancetta, if using, and serve two slices of French toast per person, drizzled with maple syrup.

Steps:

• A secret ingredient added by a chef (after Dave Chasen stopped making the chili himself) is a quarter cup or 4 tablespoons of Kahlua liqueur. I heard someone won a chili championship with the recipe, including that addition.
• *Chasen's used the best beef chuck, center cut, trimmed completely of fat. The restaurant used a special meat grinder, but for the home cook, meat chopped into one-quarter to one-half-inch chunks is much better than ground meat for this chili. Alternatively, ask the butcher to put the meat through a "chili plate" ONE time - this is a very coarse grind, and works well for chili.
• ** Chasen's used Gebhardt's Chili Powder and Farmer Bros Cumin. Sometimes cumin seed is used in place of the ground cumin. It's a matter of personal preference. You might toast the seeds in a dry skillet, and crush them before adding to the recipe.
• Rinse the beans, picking out debris. Place beans in a Dutch oven with water to cover 2' above beans. Boil for two minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand one hour. Drain off liquid.
• Rinse beans again. Add enough fresh water to cover beans. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered, for one hour or until tender.
• Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Simmer five minutes. In a large skillet, sauté bell pepper in oil for five minutes. Add onion and cook until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the garlic and parsley. Add mixture to bean mixture. Using the same skillet, melt the butter and sauté beef and pork chuck until browned. Drain. Add to bean mixture along with the chili powder, salt, pepper and cumin.
• Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for one hour. Uncover and cook 30 minutes more or to desired consistency. Chili shouldn't be too thick - it should be somewhat liquid but not runny like soup. Skim of excess fat and serve.
• NOTE: You can freeze this chili for several months. When reheating refrigerated leftover or frozen chili, add a few tablespoons of water to regain proper consistency.

Steps:

• Combine mayonnaise and mustard; spread on one side of each slice of bread. Cut each slice into four triangles; place with plain side down on a lightly greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with cheese. Broil 4 in. from the heat for 1-2 minutes or until lightly browned.