I'm back from my 9 days at WDW with free dining plan, and I'm so spoiled by not having to pay for food there. It was such a bargain and my sister and I used our DS credits for Jiko, Citrico's, Sci -Fi Diner, Chefs De France, Crystal Palace, & Kona Cafe. We also attended the first Party for the Senses and I posted my pictures and reviews of that event, and our 2 days at the Food and Wine Festival here:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2292406&page=10
I printed out most of the requests (I didn't bother with the items that I know don't exist anymore) and I requested recipes at every restaurant we went to. I didn't request recipes at the Counter Service places because they are either too busy, or I know the staff there won't have the recipes. I tried some of the requested items, ie. the Black Forest cupcake at Contempo Café, the Garlic Mashed potatoes at Crystal Palace, - and decided, in some cases, to not use up a request for them because they were either very simple dishes that one can figure out without a recipe, or I really didn't like them very much.
The pattern at the restaurants seems to be the same these days when you request a recipe - so obviously they’ve standardized the procedure. In extremely rare cases, they'll actually go back to the kitchen and return with a recipe but usually, the waiter tells you to write your request down (which is why I tried to keep the list short), include your e-mail, and they will send the recipes to you. I haven't heard back from a single restaurant. They did the same thing at Party of the Senses, and I haven't heard back from a single chef either. At Boma, the waitress insisted that AKL now has a recipe page on its website and I should look there, but when I asked the waitress at Jiko about it, she laughed and said there's no way.
I did get some contact names because I sat with one of the Epcot Food and Beverage managers at POTS, and I also spoke to the new Epcot Executive Chef Jens Dahlmann - who gave me his card. There's been some shuffling of the Chefs and I intend to follow up my “on location” requests with further e-mails.
I bought the 2009 Epcot Festival cookbook and Delicious Disney Desserts, so I'll be transcribing and adding new recipes as I have the time.
I would please like to ask (once again), that anyone else who enjoys collecting Disney recipes and happens to make a trip to any of the theme parks, take those 2 minutes and ask your waiter for the recipe, to either a new dish that you might've enjoyed or to one of the outstanding requests. It's much more fun to come to this thread and see recipes being posted rather than just an endless list of requests.
Starting with Crystal Palace:
Picture of the Crystal Palace Lunch Buffet.
Crystal Palace requests: 177: Key Lime Pie page 12
1411: Mashed Potatoes page 95 (Are they the same as Chef Mickey’s?)
597: Vegetable Frittata page 40
I was there for the lunch buffet and there was no key lime pie. They had the garlic mashed potatoes and the Vegetable Frittata but no recipes cards printed for them. Instead the waiter gave me:
Lemon Squares
The Crystal Palace Restaurant, Magic Kingdom
Serving Size: 12
Dough:
1/2 cup softened butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cream butter and sugar together, slowly adding the egg, then the flour and salt together. Press into the bottom of a sprayed sheet pan. Bake for 15 minutes at 350°. Remove from oven and cool slightly.
Filling
½ Egg yolk
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons lemon rind
1 cup lemon juice
1 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Combine all ingredients and pour over the dough, placing in a 350° oven for 25 minutes. Remove and cool. Cut into diamond shapes when finished.
Pasta di Fortunata
The Crystal Palace Restaurant, Magic Kingdom
Servings: 6
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 red tomatoes, very large dice
2 yellow tomatoes, very large dice
½ yellow onion, julienne
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, sliced
2 ounces whole kalamata olives
1/2 cup stemmed grapes
4 ounces basil pesto
1 bunch mint leaves, stemmed, rough chopped
1/8 ounce chili flakes
2 ounces fresh spinach
1 bunch fresh basil, stemmed and whole
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs, for garnish
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add kosher salt (water should taste like seawater) and drop penne pasta. Heat a sauté pan on high heat with extra virgin olive oil. Sauté tomatoes, onions, olives, and grapes for about 15 seconds. Add garlic, salt and pepper and a pinch of the chili pepper flakes. Deglaze pan with balsamic vinegar and pesto. Reduce heat and allow to cook.
When pasta is almost cooked al dente, remove from water and add to pan. Reserve some of the pasta water. Add the spinach, ½ the mint, basil, and another pinch of the chili flakes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Add reserved pasta water if pasta is a little dry. Place in a serving dish, top with breadcrumbs and remaining mint. Enjoy!
Brownie Cheesecake
Disney's Boardwalk Bakery, WDW
Serves 12
Brownies
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
5 eggs
2 sticks of butter, melted
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13 x 9 x 2" baking pan. Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Beat flour mixture and eggs on low speed using an electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally and mixing until smooth. Slowly add melted butter and beat until just combined: do not over mix. Fold in chocolate chips.
Transfer batter to prepared baking dish. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
Cheesecake
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
4 8-ounce boxes of cream cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons sour cream
Preheat oven to 325°. Cream sugar, cornstarch, and cream cheese in a large bowl using an electric mixer. Add lemon juice and vanilla extract, mixing thoroughly. Add eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl with each addition. Fold in heavy cream and sour cream. Spread batter on top of already baked brownies. Bake until cheesecake is lightly browned and firm, about 55 - 60 minutes. Cool completely and refrigerate at least one hour before serving.
Greek Cinnamon Stewed Chicken
Kouzzina by Cat Cora, Boardlwalk, Disney World
Serves 4
1 chicken (2 1/2 to 3 pounds), cut into 8 pieces (legs, breast and thighs)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 cups water
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 Tbsp. dried Italian herb seasoning
1 cup orzo, cooked according to package directions
1/2 cup shredded *Mizritha cheese (a Greek hard cheese)
Preboil water with sea salt.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. A wet chicken will cause the oil to splatter while the chicken is sautéing. Mix the cinnamon, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the chicken pieces on all sides with the seasoning.
Heat the olive oil in a large, nonreactive, deep skillet over high heat. A 12-inch skillet with sides about 2 1/2 to 3 inches high will allow you to brown all the chicken at once. If you don't have a skillet large enough, brown them in two batches using 1/2 the oil for each batch. What's important is that the chicken isn't overcrowded, which would cause them to steam rather than brown.
Add the chicken to the oil and brown for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Turn the pieces using a metal spatula, as they have a tendency to stick to the pan. Remove the pieces when they are well browned on all sides.
Mince three of the garlic cloves. Lower the heat to medium-high, and add the onions and minced garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the onions have softened and are a rich golden brown. Add about 1/2 cup of the water and scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula or spoon to deglaze the pan, loosening any particles stuck on the bottom.
When the water has evaporated, add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of water, tomato paste, Italian seasoning and remaining 2 garlic cloves, minced.
Return the chicken to the pan. The liquid should cover about 3/4 of the chicken pieces. Cover the pot and simmer over medium-high heat for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and thoroughly cooked. If the sauce becomes too thick, it can be thinned with a little more water. Season the finished sauce with kosher salt and pepper to taste. Serve over orzo, cooked according to package directions, and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
*if not available, use a blend of ricotta salata and romano.
Char-grilled Lamb Burger with Garlic 'Sauce'
Kouzzina by Cat Cora, Boardlwalk, Disney World
makes 4 servings
1 pound ground lamb
1/3 cup chopped kalamata olives
3 tablespoons dried bread crumbs, preferably panko
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped scallions
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
Garlic Sauce
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 garlic doves, minced
4 onion hamburger rolls, split and toasted
4 lettuce leaves. washed and dried
4 tomato slices
4 cucumber slices (optional)
4 thin slices red onion (optional)
1. With your hands or a wooden spoon, mix the lamb, olives, bread crumbs, onion, scallions, salt, pepper, oregano, and feta until all the ingredients are evenly distributed. Shape the meat mixture into four 1/2-inch-thick patties.
2. Preheat a grill or a grill pan. Grill the meat patties over medium-hot coals or pan-grill over medium-high heat for 5 minutes per side. The burgers should no longer be pink in the center.
3. For the garlic sauce: While the burgers cook, stir together the yogurt and garlic.
4. Place each burger on the bottom of a roll, spoon on a little garlic sauce, and top with lettuce, tomato, and cucumber and onion, if using. Cover with the top half of the roll and serve.
Mushroom Risotto
Victoria and Albert’s Restaurant, Grand Floridian, Scott Hunnel
Serves 6
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 small onion, minced, about 1 1/4 cup
2 cups arborio risotto
5 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 pound mushrooms, chopped in bite-size pieces
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Coarse salt, freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Black truffle oil, optional
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a medium-sized heavy-bottomed saucepan.
Add onions and sauté for 4 minutes; add risotto and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes more to coat rice.
Reduce heat to low and gradually add 1 cup chicken stock, stirring often, until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Add remaining broth, 1 cup at a time, cooking and stirring to absorb each addition of broth before adding more, about 30 minutes. Risotto should be creamy.
Heat remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium-high and sauté mushrooms. Set aside.
Remove risotto from heat and stir in mushrooms, butter, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper into risotto. Drizzle with truffle oil, if desired. Serve immediately.