Two Disney Recipes To Impress This Valentine’s Day

The season of love is coming to a grand crescendo this week, with Valentine’s Day officially falling this coming Friday, 14th of February. If you are celebrating at home and want to give your special evening a unique Disney twist, this week’s Saturday Cooking Sesh has two recipes you can try that are straight from the Disney Parks. From coast to coast, try this main dish from Cinderella’s Royal Table in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, and dessert from Napa Rose Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa at the Disneyland Resort

Beef and Shrimp from Cinderella’s Royal Table at Magic Kingdom Park

BEEF AND SHRIMP from Cinderella’s Royal Table, Magic Kingdom Park
Serves 4

SMASHED FINGERLING POTATOES

• 1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes
• 1 clove elephant garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Coarse salt, freshly ground black pepper, to taste

BABY CARROTS

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups baby carrots
• Coarse salt, freshly ground black pepper, to taste

BEEF

• 4 (5-ounce) beef tenderloin filets
• Coarse salt, freshly ground black pepper, to taste

SHRIMP

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 5 piquanté peppers, stems and seeds removed
• Coarse salt, freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DEMI-GLACE

• 1/2 cup beef demi-glace
• 2 tablespoons blood orange juice

FOR SMASHED FINGERLING POTATOES:

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Combine potatoes, garlic, and oil in a large roasting pan. Bake for 40 minutes, turning once, until potatoes are tender.
2. Place potatoes and garlic in a bowl and smash with a potato masher or fork. Add salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm until ready to serve.

FOR BABY CARROTS:

1. Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat until hot. Add garlic and cook for one minute, until fragrant. Add carrots and reduce heat to medium-low.
2. Cook carrots, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or until tender.
3. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.

FOR BEEF:

1. Heat a grill pan or heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat about 5 minutes, until very hot. Season beef generously with salt and pepper.
2. Sear filets for about 4 minutes on each side, turning once, which will cook the filet to medium rare. If meat browns too quickly before interior is done, reduce heat to medium-low. To test doneness, check steak temperature with a meat thermometer.
3. Let beef rest 5-10 minutes before serving.

FOR SHRIMP:

1. Heat olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat until hot. Add shrimp and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Remove shrimp from pan. Add wine and lemon juice and cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes, until liquid is reduced by half.
3. Reduce heat to low and stir in butter. Add shrimp back to pan, stirring to heat through.
4. Remove from heat and add chives, piquanté peppers and salt and pepper, to taste. Keep warm until ready to serve.

FOR DEMI-GLACE:

1. Heat demi-glace in a small saucepan over medium heat until warm. Stir in blood orange juice.
2. Keep warm until ready to serve.

TO SERVE:

1. Place 1/4 of the smashed fingerling potatoes in the center of each plate in a thin layer. Top potatoes with beef and drizzle 2 tablespoons of demi-glace over each steak.
2. Top with 1/4 of the shrimp and sauce. Place carrots on one side of each plate.

Chocolate Truffle Cake from Napa Rose at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CAKE from Napa Rose, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa
Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (extra for ramekins)
• 6 1/2 ounces high quality 58% bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
• 5 large eggs, room temperature, separated
• 1/2 cups sugar, divided (extra for ramekins)
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 cup powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375˚F. Lightly butter bottom and sides of 8 individual (3/4 cup) ramekins. Coat thinly with sugar and shake out excess. Set aside.
2. Prepare a double boiler and bring water to a simmer over low heat. Place butter and chocolate in top of double boiler and gently stir until melted smoothly and combined.
3. Whisk egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar in a large mixing bowl for 3 to 4 minutes or until smooth and slightly thickened. Add flour and combine.
4. Ladle a small amount of melted chocolate into egg yolk mixture and whisk to combine. Add another ladle of chocolate into egg yolk mixture and continue to whisk. Once the temperature of the egg yolk mixture has been warmed, add remaining chocolate to egg yolks and whisk vigorously until completely combined. Set aside.
5. Warm egg whites in a small metal bowl (make sure it is very clean and dry) that just fits into a small saucepan with hot water in it. Allow egg whites to warm for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from water and add 1 tablespoon sugar, whip mixture using a hand-held mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form.
6. Slowly add an additional 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar while continuing to whip egg whites. Increase speed to high and slowly add remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar. Whip egg whites and sugar for another 3 to 4 minutes or until stiff peaks form.
7. Gently fold in 1/4 of chocolate mixture into egg whites to combine. Add remaining chocolate and continue to fold till completely combined, being careful not to overwork mixture.
8. Divide batter equally among the prepared ramekins, filling 3/4 full. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 14 minutes, or until tops are puffy, but center is still soft. Do not overbake.
9. Cut around edges of cakes using a small knife to loosen cakes. Carefully invert cakes onto serving plates.
10. Place a heart-shaped stencil over each cake and sift powdered sugar on top before serving.

Zoë Wood

Zoë Wood is a travel writer from Sydney, Australia. Since her first visit to Disneyland at the age of 6, she has spent her years frequently visiting Disney Parks and traveling around the world. Join Zoë as she lets you in on all the tips, tricks, anecdotes, and embarrassments that arise from her family adventures.

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