ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — There's a huge food and beverage event coming up where chefs are challenged to use three ingredients from a place known for its Big Macs in their culinary creations.

  1. Appetite for the Arches is touted as a night of culinary masterpieces. It's a nighttime event filled with unique dishes, craft cocktails and charity on April 20, 2022, at the Orlando Science Center from 6-10 p.m.

  2. Appetite for the Arches benefits Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Florida, where top chefs will put their creativity to the test making dishes using McDonald’s ingredients.

  3. One of those chefs is Morimoto Asia's executive chef, Chef Yuhi Fujinaga. From the McDonald's menu, Chef Yuhi is choosing smoked bacon, American cheese, and eggs to create bite-sized fritters called Butayaki.

  4. Butayaki is a sweet and savory bacon cheese fritter finished with tangy BBQ sauce, chives, maple syrup and bonito. Guests of the event will get to try it out. 

  5. As a bonus, Morimoto Asia paired it up with this cocktail: The Forbidden Highball. (From Morimoto Asia:) The Highball is timeless classic — a simple, yet sophisticated balance of whiskey and soda over ice that results in a refreshing cocktail that will never go out of style. Recipe for Morimoto Asia’s Forbidden Highball is roughly a 3:1 mixture of filtered, chilled sparkling premium soda water with champagne-level effervescence, to Suntory Toki Whiskey. Served in a Collins glass with a large ice spear (aka ghost ice) garnish with an express twisted of lemon.
     
    Butayaki Ingredients:
    • Chives
    • 2 Eggs
    • 4 cups vegetable oil for frying
    • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
    • 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
    • 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
    • 1/3 cup swiss cheese, shredded
    • 1 cup sour cream
    • 1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 cup all-purpose flour
    • ¼ cup half-and-half
    • 2 tablespoons white sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 1 tablespoon Maple syrup
    • Bonito
    • Diced cooked applewood smoked bacon (3 to 4 strips)
    Sauce Ingredients:
    • 3 tablespoons McDonald's tangy BBQ sauce 
    • 1 tablespoon Maple syrup
     
    Directions:
     
    1. In a medium bowl, beat the sour cream and egg together. Stir in the cheese, half-and-half, flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix until just combined. Add in diced cooked bacon.
     
    2. Slice Chives, and set aside.
     
    3. In a small bowl, combine tangy BBQ sauce and maple syrup. 
     
    2. Fill a deep pot to the 2-inch mark with oil. Heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Drop batter by rounded tablespoons into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown on all sides, about three to four minutes. Drain on paper towels, top with BBQ/Syrup sauce mixture and bonito. Serve hot.