PDA

View Full Version : Experiences with Disney recipes?



McGoofy
07-07-2007, 02:27 PM
First of all, I want to thank Intercot for saving my tonga toast that our family enjoyed for breakfast this morning. I will explain that in a minute. Has anyone here used the "Cooking with Mickey and the Disney Chefs" cook book? We bought ours at the World of Disney in Downtown Disney. I chose that particular cookbook because it had many of my favorite recipes from various Disney World restaurants. However, now I am not so pleased with my cookbook.

Please keep in mind that in every instance that I am about to share I followed the recipe to the letter--no cheating, no substituting, etc...I did exactly what the book said to do and secondly, I am normally a pretty good cook!

The first recipe that I made was the Victoria and Albert's tiramisu. It came out nothing like it. It was like a bowl of rum soup.

Next up was the pot roast from Liberty Tree Tavern. It smelled so good cooking, that we decided to call 2 of our friends and see if they wanted to come over after church Sunday afternoon. The next day our friends came over. I had put the roast back in the oven to re-heat it. When the gravy was boiling, my DH pulled the roast out and tried to cut it. It was hard as a rock and a very raw pink inside. I was sooooo embarrassed. The cooking time in the book was way off. I stuck the roast in the crock pot (which was not instructed in the cookbook) and it cooked the rest of the day. By time we went to bed, it was good and tender. We had the roast for dinner the next day. The gravy and vegetables were delicious and the beef was fall-apart tender, but only because I did my own thing and cooked it in the crockpot. So please note, if you make that recipe, cook the roast MUCH MUCH longer than the hour that the book calls for!

Strike 3 was discovered this morning. However, Intercot saved me before disaster happened. I wanted to try the recipe for Tonga Toast. We were in the grocery store last night, and I wanted to make sure that I had all of the ingredients. My husband pulled out his wireless and connected to Intercot while we were in the grocery store. This morning as I was getting stuff together to make it, my husband said, "Where do the eggs, milk, and vanilla come in?" I looked at the recipe in the book and none of that was ever mentioned in the recipe. I went to Intercot's Tonga Toast recipe and realized that is what you dip the bread in before you fry it. Had I followed the book, I would have probably just had burnt toast for breakfast!! However, I am pleased to say that by following the Intercot directions we had wonderful tonga toast and it was just as good as what we had at Kona Cafe!

Now I do have to mention that I have had 2 good recipes turn out from the cook book. They are the meatloaf from Prime Time 50's Cafe and the Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup from Le Cellier.

My question here (after all of that) is this...what are your experiences with the Disney cookbook and/or Intercot recipes listed on Intercot? I am about ready to throw my Disney cookbook in the trash. My husband says it's worth the drive to go down there and let them do the cooking for us!:thumbsup:

Cinderelley
07-07-2007, 02:30 PM
I love the recipes on Intercot. I've never tried the cookbook.

auntfrannie
07-07-2007, 03:38 PM
The first recipe that I made was the Victoria and Albert's tiramisu. It came out nothing like it. It was like a bowl of rum soup.



Actually, that sounds quite tasty to me! :blush: I think might have discovered a new recipe!!!

SBETigg
07-07-2007, 03:46 PM
I have a pretty old version of the cookbook and everything has come out fine, no problems. This was from before Le Cellier was a steakhouse. It was cafeteria style, and no cheese soup recipe. So maybe directions were more accurate back then.

But we did have a poster make the cheese soup a while ago and it came out a disaster. We had a thread debating the recipe and I ended up getting it from WDW and posting the corrected version (which was never updated at Info Central).

LibertyTreeGal
07-07-2007, 03:56 PM
Oh my, that's just awful!

I have had good experiences with the recipes listed here and elsewhere on the net. If I were you, I'd always doublecheck on the net after those disasters.

Personally, I didn't have any idea anyone would make a pot roast without a crock pot.... of course, before crock pots they would have had to use something else....

But hey, the recipe for the French Toast Loaf from Main Street Bakery you can find here is awesome!

Strmchsr
07-07-2007, 03:57 PM
Doing the recipie exactly as written in the book has been kind of hit and miss. DW and I love to cook and so just experiment until we get it just right. it usually doesn't take much. Just a tweak here or there (except in the case of the Chedder Cheese Soup disaster). Mostly I think the book is pretty accurate, though I believe the recipes here on Intercot may be slightly more on the money.

McGoofy
07-07-2007, 04:11 PM
A cast member one time told me that they are not allowed to give out the recipe exactly as they make it in the restaurants, so I'm guessing the recipes do get tweaked a little. However, cooking times??? Come on...we can be a little more accurate with that now can't we????

And to Liberty Tree Gal...this is the first time I haven't used my crockpot to cook a roast (initially)!!! I know for next time!!! I would definitely use the recipe for the gravy and vegetables though.

As for the cheddar cheese soup disaster, I am unaware of what happened there. Mine came out fine. I will say this though, you have to use the Moosehead Canadian beer to get the same flavor. The first time I made it I didn't use that, and it didn't taste the same.

disneymom2000
07-07-2007, 04:37 PM
I tried a Beef Stroganoff recipe but it was terrible. First I am not a gourmet cook, so I had to really work at the "reduction" (of course first I had to find out what that meant). I had quite a bit left over when the meal was completed cooking.
Anyway, it did not come out like the meal I had at Disney. I followed the instructions exactly and then went over it again to see what I did wrong but couldn't find a problem.:(

WonderlandsMostWanted
07-07-2007, 04:40 PM
I have a few Disney cookbooks I've recently acquired on e-bay, but haven't tried anything yet... I'll keep you posted.

From what you're describing happened to the Tiramisu, I have 2 possible thoughts.
A) Is the city you live in at a high elevation by any chance? Elevation can play a big role in the way deserts set up.
B) Marscarpone cheese can be touchy to deal with, as can the heavy cream, and especially when mixed. There can be a small window for when it is properly beaten and in the perfect "firmness" stage. Even 30 seconds on either side of that window could mean the diffence between a nice smooth desert and soup. :)

Tiramisu in particular is one dish I always prefer to purchase premade from someon with more practice in finding that window! :secret:

snifflesmcg
07-07-2007, 04:44 PM
I often wondered about the Disney recipes online. I guess if you do your own tweaking, it might come out more "Disneylike". Thanks for posting this.

McGoofy
07-07-2007, 04:51 PM
From what you're describing happened to the Tiramisu, I have 2 possible thoughts.
A) Is the city you live in at a high elevation by any chance? Elevation can play a big role in the way deserts set up.
B) Marscarpone cheese can be touchy to deal with, as can the heavy cream, and especially when mixed. There can be a small window for when it is properly beaten and in the perfect "firmness" stage. Even 30 seconds on either side of that window could mean the diffence between a nice smooth desert and soup. :)

:


I definitely know that elevation was not the problem. I live about 30 minutes from the Atlantic Ocean.:) We are about as close to sea level as you can get! That was a good thought though. The second idea could have been the problem. It was in no way even close to firm. I don't know what happened, but I won't attempt that again.

The roast was definitely just a time issue, so that can be corrected and the tonga toast problem was that the Disney book left out ingredients. That could have been a major problem!! I would have never known that if I hadn't seen the different recipe on Intercot. Now I am wondering how many other recipes in the book need to be adjusted?

WonderlandsMostWanted
07-07-2007, 06:33 PM
You know, I have that cookbook here, "Cooking with Mickey and the Chefs of Walt Disney World Resort" copyright 1998 and I can't for the life of me find the Tonga Toast or the Pot Roast recipe in it anywhere.

I did find the Patriot Pot Roast recipe for the LTT in another book, "Cooking with Mickey Around Our World" which calls for 1 1/2 pounds pre-cooked bottom round roast.

Other than that, maybe we have different editions of the cookbook? :confused:

LOL, now I'm going to be dwelling on this!

Sorry your recipes didn't turn out the way you'd hoped, that's always disappointing. As others have mentioned, sometimes there's a bit of experimentation involved before you get it down.

Also, if you do feel the urge to attempt the tiramisu again, try a few things:
-Leave the Marscarpone cheese and the heavy cream in the fridge right up until you need to use them.
-Use a metal, glass or porcelin mixing bowl to mik the cheese and cream. Before you start making your desert, put that bowl in the fridge for a few hours so it's well chilled before you mix. As with any dairy product, the cooler it is, the firmer it tends to be and the easier to work with. :thumbsup:

McGoofy
07-07-2007, 08:26 PM
You know, I have that cookbook here, "Cooking with Mickey and the Chefs of Walt Disney World Resort" copyright 1998 and I can't for the life of me find the Tonga Toast or the Pot Roast recipe in it anywhere.

I did find the Patriot Pot Roast recipe for the LTT in another book, "Cooking with Mickey Around Our World" which calls for 1 1/2 pounds pre-cooked bottom round roast.

Other than that, maybe we have different editions of the cookbook? :confused:

LOL, now I'm going to be dwelling on this!

Sorry your recipes didn't turn out the way you'd hoped, that's always disappointing. As others have mentioned, sometimes there's a bit of experimentation involved before you get it down.

Also, if you do feel the urge to attempt the tiramisu again, try a few things:
-Leave the Marscarpone cheese and the heavy cream in the fridge right up until you need to use them.
-Use a metal, glass or porcelin mixing bowl to mik the cheese and cream. Before you start making your desert, put that bowl in the fridge for a few hours so it's well chilled before you mix. As with any dairy product, the cooler it is, the firmer it tends to be and the easier to work with. :thumbsup:

I will put your mind at rest. I have the 2004 edition.:) The recipe for New England Pot Roast is on page 5, and it just says "3 pounds boneless beef shoulder roast." Then in the cooking instructions it tells you to brown the meat on all sides. Then you add the meat to the vegetable/gravy mixture and bake for an hour "or until meat is fork tender." (They neglected to mention that would be SEVERAL hours later!) Perhaps in the 2004 edition they accidentally left out the word "pre-cooked" just like on the tonga toast recipe on page 32 where they left out the eggs, milk, and vanilla!!

Also, thank you for the tiramisu tips!

On a different note...I am either a very brave, stupid, or stubborn person...not sure which, but I tried another Disney recipe for dinner tonight. I think it's probably the stubborn part because I was determined to have something turn out right eventually!

Anyhow, I got the Penne Bolognese recipe off of Intercot today. That turned out scrumptious! However, I did choose to tweak that just a bit. Instead of Italian sausage, I used sundried tomato turkey sausage links, sliced them up, and cooked them in the olive oil and butter. I also added fresh garlic to that mix, which is not called for. Then for the broth, I added one cup of heavy cream, which again is not called for. Finally, the last change that I made was that I added black olives in at the end. My family said that I could make that again!:thumbsup:

offwego
07-09-2007, 09:54 AM
You know, I have that cookbook here, "Cooking with Mickey and the Chefs of Walt Disney World Resort" copyright 1998 and I can't for the life of me find the Tonga Toast or the Pot Roast recipe in it anywhere.:

Does your book have a receipe for a chicken pasta dish from crystal palace in it? If so could you pm it to me or post it? My DH decided not to buy this book (we have a later one) and he so misses this dish. I'd really appreciate it.

TBY2225
07-09-2007, 02:21 PM
Tara,

The Penna Bolognese sounds great. I might have to try that next. Sorry again to hear of your mishaps with the cookbook. Now I am not so sure I want to buy one next trip!

dolphinmickey9170
07-09-2007, 02:44 PM
I wanted to buy one of the cook books at the Yankee Trader in MK, but I didn't, I guess I'm glad now. But stubborn, like you, I would keep trying....don't give up.

Can someone post a link to the recipes, please.

WonderlandsMostWanted
07-09-2007, 03:24 PM
Does your book have a receipe for a chicken pasta dish from crystal palace in it? If so could you pm it to me or post it? My DH decided not to buy this book (we have a later one) and he so misses this dish. I'd really appreciate it.

The Chicken Caesar Pasta? :mickey:

DawsonAR
07-09-2007, 04:46 PM
I have both of the current cookbooks. I have tried several dishes and all have been good. Some were not exactly as they are at Disney, but good nonetheless.

bleukarma
07-09-2007, 05:13 PM
I've made the Canadian Cheddar Cheese soup from Intercot recipe and it came out good! I did a few tweaking here and there but it still came out good anyway. I actually served it with Easter dinner and it was a hit!

I wish someone would find out the recipe for the tomato soup at Raglan Road! It's so yummy!!!!!!

luvdiznee
07-09-2007, 06:02 PM
I have 2 Disney cookbooks, and have tried recipes out of both of them. I've had great success. Especially with the Ohana Chicken Wings...:cloud9:

McGoofy
07-09-2007, 06:11 PM
I have 2 Disney cookbooks, and have tried recipes out of both of them. I've had great success. Especially with the Ohana Chicken Wings...:cloud9:

What version of the cookbook do you have? I LOVE the Ohana chicken wings! I wondered how I had missed that recipe, and when I looked for it, the recipe was not in my cookbook. I would love to have that recipe if you would like to share!:mickey:

MickeyChick
02-19-2008, 12:38 PM
I came across this thread searching for the Ohana Wing Recipe and I can't find it anywhere. I have 2 different Disney cookbooks and it's not in either. I'd really love to surprise my sweetie by making them for him. HELP!

thrillme
02-19-2008, 01:31 PM
I have one from 1992. I tried the Alfredo Sauce (very different from OTHER Alfredo sauces...adds swiss cheese) and I tried Jambalyla both came out quite well. Of course I'm a swiss cheese nut so I added a little more.

PirateLover
02-19-2008, 04:15 PM
On a whim my fiance picked up a cookbook on our last day in December. We didn't really flip through it before we bought it so we had no idea how old it was. He has it, so I'm not exactly sure about the title but I believe it might be "Cooking with Mickey Vol II." I definitely know that whatever it is, it is "Vol II" and the cover features Chef Micky on a red and white checkerboard background. but the copyright ended up being from the 90s and half of the restaurants are gone or have substantially different menus. We have only tried to bake one thing so far, Chocolate Chip Cookies. My fiance actually is a pretty good baker and went to culinary school for a bit, but we just could not get these cookies to come out right. We tried about 4 different batches. They weren't BAD but were disappointing because they didn't taste any better than your typical pre-packaged cookie.

McGoofy
02-19-2008, 04:22 PM
I came across this thread searching for the Ohana Wing Recipe and I can't find it anywhere. I have 2 different Disney cookbooks and it's not in either. I'd really love to surprise my sweetie by making them for him. HELP!

You are in luck!!

My very good friend, TBY2225, sent me this recipie, and I saved it in my files. I made it one night for dinner, and it was pretty close to what we get in Ohana's. The only change that I made from the recipe is that I basted my chicken wings with the sauce before baking. That made them have that glaze like they do at Ohana's. I'm not sure where she got this recipe, but here you go:


Ohana’s Honey Coriander Wing Sauce
Ingredients:
1/8 cup chili powder
1/4 cup ground ginger
2 ea lime zest
1/4 cup coriander
1 cup soy sauce
1 3/4 cup honey
Method:
Place all ingredients in a sauce pan. Heat until hot. Remove from heat and let cool. Serve with cooked chicken wings.

TheRustyScupper
02-19-2008, 04:23 PM
1) I find the problem is two-fold
. . . the scale
. . . the industrial kitchen equipment
2) But, there is an easy fix to both
. . . cook for 147 people
. . . buy industrial stoves and cook surfaces
3) Just invite a few friends over when you "cook Disney".

McGoofy
02-19-2008, 04:31 PM
1) I find the problem is two-fold
. . . the scale
. . . the industrial kitchen equipment
2) But, there is an easy fix to both
. . . cook for 147 people
. . . buy industrial stoves and cook surfaces
3) Just invite a few friends over when you "cook Disney".

I'll get right on that right after Ty Pennington does my kitchen makeover.:mickey:

MickeyChick
02-20-2008, 08:38 AM
Thank you!

poeticeclipse
02-20-2008, 11:02 AM
I don't have any of the Disney cookbooks but I did get the recipe for maui mashed potatoes from 'Ohana off of the net and they turned out well. I've made them twice now. They don't taste exactly like the ones at 'Ohana. I put a little less of some stuff and a little more of others. I think the recipe calls for a little too much heavy cream. Next time I make it I think I'll put less in.

Dragongirlx
02-20-2008, 11:18 AM
I Bought this last year but the only thing I made was the cheddar cheese soup which turned out lovely.

However i didn't exactly follow the recipie as I have to change the measures and things from US style to UK style.

I have yet to try anything else though - will have to see how other recipies turn out :confused:

teambricker04
02-20-2008, 12:08 PM
Okay. I have a confession. I currently own 4 or 5 Disney World cookbooks and I hardly ever use them! They are kind of dusty, but I love them and page through them occasionally.

I have made the Key Lime Pie, which is the same reciepe from book to book. It is easy and SUPER nummy. The last time I made it I think I ate over half of it myself. Really. (What a porker!)

I have made the dole whip that I got on intercot (Not in ANY of the books!). It tasted similar, but I think I added too much whipped cream. And my blender didn't work that great so it was sort of chunky. I will make it again... I think it would be great if made in an ice cream machine.

I love this post... I never thought to ask anyone if they are cooking from these books!!!

MickeyChick
02-20-2008, 06:21 PM
So I made a complete Ohana based dinner tonight, the bread, the salad dressing and the wings.

I have a full belly and I'm very very happy. The recipe for the wing sauce is dead on accurate. SOOOO TASTY.

Natazu
02-20-2008, 07:07 PM
We've done about four things out of that book. I can't remember the two that worked out to the letter, I'll check when I get home. I remember the Salmon dish from Coral Reef had to have a severe reduction in the amount of sea salt and the Sonoma Goat Cheese ravioli wasn't even close. I talked about this recipe with Chef Jeffrey from Le Cellier who was on the opening team for California Grill. He said "wow, that's way off. I'll write it down for you." I LOVE Disney.

BelleLovesTheBeast
02-20-2008, 09:09 PM
I don't have any of the Disney cookbooks but I did get the recipe for maui mashed potatoes from 'Ohana off of the net and they turned out well. I've made them twice now. They don't taste exactly like the ones at 'Ohana. I put a little less of some stuff and a little more of others. I think the recipe calls for a little too much heavy cream. Next time I make it I think I'll put less in.

Where did you find the recipe for the potatoes? I'd love to be able to make them.

MickeyChick
02-23-2008, 03:04 PM
La Cellier Cheddar Cheese soup is simmering on my stove right now. It smells soooooo good.

McGoofy
02-23-2008, 06:21 PM
La Cellier Cheddar Cheese soup is simmering on my stove right now. It smells soooooo good.


I hope yours turned out well. That is one of the things that I have made that turned out pretty close to what I had at Disney. The trick to that one is using the Moosehead beer.:mickey:

MickeyChick
02-23-2008, 09:18 PM
I've never been to La Cellier so I have nothing to compare it to, but it was awesome.

The recipe is a pretty classic soup to make. (I went to culinary school for fun a few years ago.) It follows traditional soup patterns. I think next time I make it I might remove the bacon before adding the veggies and then add it back in at the end so it stays crisper.

I used Labatt Classic beer because I had some in the garage. I'll have to hunt around for Moosehead.

Dakota Rose
02-23-2008, 10:32 PM
I definitely know that elevation was not the problem. I live about 30 minutes from the Atlantic Ocean.:) We are about as close to sea level as you can get! That was a good thought though. The second idea could have been the problem. It was in no way even close to firm. I don't know what happened, but I won't attempt that again.

When it comes to whipping cream, the trick is to make sure the whipping cream, metal bowl and metal whisk/beaters are frosty cold. Whipping in a room-temperature bowl with room-temperature beaters will leave you with soup for sure. :)

I have both editions of the Cooking with Mickey cookbook and have used them for 15 years. Everything I've tried in there turns out as it should. Some of the recipes have become family favorites.

As for the roast and cooking time, I learned (by experience similar to yours) that ovens cook differently. What is 350 on my oven in this house was 300 on my oven in my old house. And, of course, Disney is using professional everything, so that alone could contribue to your roast problem. :(

Don't give up. :)

Camping Mom
02-24-2008, 12:11 AM
I don't guess the books have a recipe for the jamba juice at the Tusker House, does it??? We know it has guava and passion fruit, but can't remember if the other ingredient is pineapple or grapefruit juice or what. It is delicious and I would love to make it.