Menu Monday: Recreating Disney Dishes + Video

Do you ever just sit and daydream about your favorite meals?

…Oh, that’s just me? Well, anyways…

One of my favorite parts of visiting Walt Disney World is trying out the different cuisines and restaurants on property. As I live in the Midwest, I’m limited in the number of times a year I can travel and satiate my palate.

So in an effort to get my Disney food fix, I’ve researched the internet and found recipes for two Disney dishes that I will be recreating for you today!

First up, Gratin de Macaroni which can be found at the France Pavilion in the World Showcase at Epcot.

I was inspired by two recipes from Allears.net and Disneyfoodblog.com, so here is the resulting recipe.

Ingredients – Gratin de Macaroni

• 1 Box of macaroni
• Salt
• Pepper
• Nutmeg
• Gruyère cheese (I used the entire block)
• Shredded parmesan cheese (to top the dish)
• 4 tablespoons Unsalted butter
• 1/3 Cup Flour
• 3 cups Milk (I used whole milk)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Boil pasta according to directions on box. Set aside when done.
3. Heat milk in saucepan until warm.
4. Melt butter in separate saucepan.
5. Add flour to melted butter. Stir out any lumps. This is called a roux.
6. Slowly whisk in milk. Add a little at a time and again, stir out any lumps.
7. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.
8. Whisk and cook for about 10 minutes, or until roux has thickened.
9. Add half of the Gruyère cheese to the roux and stir until melted.
10. Add more nutmeg, salt and pepper if needed.
11. Combine macaroni with cheese sauce.
12. Butter a large baking dish and add macaroni and cheese.
13. Top dish with remaining Gruyère and parmesan cheese.
14. Cover dish with foil and bake for 10 minutes.
15. Remove foil and continue baking until top layer of cheese is melted.

The dish was delightful and extremely creamy. This could easily feed a family of five, especially if served with a salad. If I made it again, I would add more salt and nutmeg as those flavors didn’t shine through as much as I would have liked. Overall, I recommend this recipe 100%.

Next up, we have the Oven Baked Chicken alla Parmasiana, which can be found at Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  This recipe was found on Allears.net, but I have added my notes and provided it below.

Ingredients

• Boneless, skinless chicken breast (I used three)
• Angel hair/spaghetti pasta
• Tomato basil pasta sauce
• Asiago cheese, shredded (To top chicken with)
• Mozzarella/parmesan mixture (To top chicken with)
• 4 eggs
• Olive oil

Bread Crumb Ingredients

• 1 ½ pounds bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon granulated garlic (I used garlic powder)
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon parsley flakes, dry
• 1.5 tablespoon salt
• 1 table spoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoon fresh grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1 tablespoon basil, dry
• 1 tablespoon oregano, dry
• 1 tablespoon whole marjoram, dry

Instructions

1. Preheat over to 350°F.
2. Boil pasta according to instructions on box and set aside.
3. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl and mix well.
4. Crack 4 eggs into small bowl and whisk until blended and fluffy.
5. Take chicken and dip into egg wash.
6. Shake lightly and then dredge in breading.
7. Remove and place onto baking sheet. Repeat with other chicken breasts.
8. Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to saute pan and heat until hot.
9. Add breaded chicken and cook until golden brown.
10. Place chicken onto baking sheet and bake in oven until cooked all the way through.
11. Spoon pasta sauce over chicken and add asiago and parmesan/mozzarella cheeses.
12. Bake in oven until cheese has melted.
13. Serve over pasta and addition sauce if desired.

I adored the breading. The blend of the spices were perfect and the breadcrumbs gave the chicken a nice crunch. I should mention that there is enough breading in this recipe to coat about four chickens, so I would suggest starting with half the amount of breadcrumbs that the recipes calls for.

Have you enjoyed these dishes? Should I make another cooking video? Extra credit if you count how many times I said, “I’m gonna…” while filming.