I tried 3 Disney recipes these 2 past days and all were fabulous. It's kind of funny - I have the reputation among everyone of being a very good cook, and my teenage son's friends often turn up at mealtimes because they prefer to eat here. But the truth is, I just know how to read and follow a recipe so if the recipe is good then I look good. That's one of the reasons I love Disney recipes - 99% of the time everyone is crazy about the results.
In turn, I'm managing to convince people that Disney is a lot more than just a theme park for kids. There are still a lot of friends who can't understand why I love Disny World so much but they do understand about good food
The Palaver Stew (p. 10) continued to get rave reviews from everyone who got to try it.
Sunday - made Spice Crusted Tuna (recipe below) and the Peanut Butter pie (p. 18). I don't even want to think about the calories in that pie but it's definitely "heaven on a fork". The recipe instructions had left out the sugar so I added it while beating the peanut butter and cream cheese. Taking a tip from a previous poster, I used a ready-made Keebler chocolate pie crust (instead of an Oreo crust), and with the chocolate ganache topping, it tastes way better than a Peanut Butter cup (and they are pretty good). Squares would work well because it is so rich and you can serve small pieces. I'd recommend chilling it at least four hours before cutting. It was even better today.
The tuna recipe was simple and had a very unusual spice crust - at least I hadn't tasted anything like this. Everyone loved it, including the teenage boys who were here for dinner.
Monday - made the Chicken Pepperpot Soup and thought at first there might be too much soy sauce in the broth and that there was too much broth (as I like a thicker soup). I made half the recipe and used 2 whole chicken breasts, added some okra I had left over, and a whole bunch of chopped spinach instead of 1 cup. It ended up with just the right thickness and was very good. Perfect for a cold, wet evening. Mom tried it and loved the broth so much that she immediately asked for the recipe and is making it for her ladies lunch later this week.
Spice Crusted Tuna
The Flying Fish Café, Boardwalk
4 (6-ounce) top-quality or sushi-grade tuna steaks
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fennel seeds, crushed
2 tablespoons coriander seeds, crushed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1. Mix salt, pepper, fennel and coriander. Pour mixture onto a large plate. Roll each tuna steak in the spices to coat evenly.
2. Add olive oil to a saute pan over high heat. When hot, add tuna. Sear on all sides to toast and encrust spices. Do not allow oil to smoke. Tuna will be rare inside. Slice in half lengthwise and serve.
Note -
crushed the seeds between wax paper with a hammer
Chicken Pepperpot Soup
from Boma, Animal Kingdom Lodge
Yield: 8 servings
1 gallon (16 cups) Chicken stock or chicken broth
2 cups Soy sauce
2 T. Garlic, chopped
2 T. Sugar
2 t. Hot sauce
2 t. Sesame Oil
1 each Red bell pepper, diced
1 each Green bell pepper, diced
½ each Poblano pepper, diced
1 each Onion, diced
1 cup Spinach or collard greens, rough chopped
4 each Chicken breasts, diced
1 cup Mushrooms, diced
¼ cup Lemon juice
Cook diced chicken until half done. Set aside. Heat chicken stock, soy sauce, garlic, sugar, and hot sauce. Add all of the vegetables and the chicken. Cook until the vegetables are done. Add spinach and lemon juice when ready to serve. Drizzle with the sesame oil when serving.
Note - added some chopped okra as well and used much more spinach.
