Foodie Friday: Chef Mickey Treasures from the Vault & Delicious New Favorites and Rice Cream Recipe

One of the ways that I bring some Disney Magic home between trips is to try to recreate some of my favorite recipes from the restaurants and meals that were enjoyed while on vacation (or as some of us say "second home") at Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, etc. In so doing I have collected a few of the various cookbooks that have been produced though the years.

"Chef Mickey Treasures from the Vault & Delicious New Favorites" is one of the more recent cookbooks released by Disney. The author Pam Brandon and the Disney Chefs have put together some of the most requested recipes from Disneyland, Walt Disney World and the Disney Cruise Lines along with some "Vintage" recipes from restaurants that no longer exist or recipes that are no longer offered. The book is divided into ten sections based on the course, and the Vault is dedicated to older recipes and features  vintage photos as well. There are even a few of Walt's personal recipes to try. The sections included are: Beverages, Breads, Soups, Salads & Salad Dressings, Fish & Shellfish, Meat & Poultry, Rice, Pasta & Grains, Vegetables, Sauces, Condiments & Spices, and Desserts.

Each recipe notes the restaurant, theme park or resort and the number it serves. The directions are fairly easy to follow. There are interesting facts or trivia and photos related to food and Disney throughout the book.  It also gives a brief history lesson into some of the old restaurants that are no longer around. With more than 150 recipes, from cocktails to desserts and everything in-between, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Keep in mind that these recipes have been "rewritten" from the originals to better suit the home cook (scaled down for quantity and for ease of obtaining ingredients) and for the home cooking environment, so the flavor profile may not be exactly as your remember it from the original, but it will be very close. Trust me, I've seen some of the "direct from the Disney kitchen" recipes, and this is a good thing! (Anyone up for making lobster stock?) Having said that, this is a great book for any Disney fan that is interested in Disney history, considers themselves a "foodie", or just wants to have fun in the kitchen and "keep the magic alive" at home. The suggested retail price is $24.95 and is currently available in the Disney parks and online. Below is their recipe for Rice Cream from Restaurant Akershus in the Norway pavilion at Epcot for you to try. Forgive the pictures, it was difficult to photograph all the white ingredients. I rearranged the ingredient list slightly to be more clear and I give my "Chef's Notes" at the end.

Rice Cream

Ingredients for Rice Cream:
11/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup short-grain white rice
2 cups milk
Ingredients for Strawberry Sauce:
1 cup strawberry preserves
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Yield:
4 to 6 servings; makes about 5 cups rice pudding and 1 cup strawberry sauce.
Preparation:
In a 3- or 4-quart saucepan, bring 11/2 cups of water to a boil with the salt. Add the rice, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook the rice for 15 minutes or until all of the water has been absorbed. Add the milk and simmer for 20 minutes or until all of the milk has been absorbed. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, in a blender, combine the strawberry preserves, 1/2 cup water, and lemon juice and blend until smooth. In a bowl, whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla. With a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream mixture into the rice.
To Serve:
Transfer the rice pudding to a large bowl or to individual serving bowls and drizzle with strawberry sauce.


My Chef's Notes:
First of all, this makes more than the 4-6 servings, more like 8-10. This is a rich dessert, especially with the strawberry sauce. They figure on about a 1 cup serving, but you can really do about half that easily.
Be sure the rice mixture is room temperature before adding the whip cream or it will start to melt. I wouldn't put it in the refrigerator, but I would probably put the bowl with rice in a bigger bowl of ice. I would also stir the rice mixture before attempting to fold in the whip cream because the rice tightens into a fairly solid mass as it cools which makes folding in the whip cream difficult otherwise. As a Swede, my memories of this dessert center around the holidays and have it served almost parfait-like with the strawberry sauce and rice mixture layered (or at least with some sauce at the bottom of the cup or dish as well as over the top), and with some cinnamon either added to the mix or sprinkled on top. I hope you try this dish at home!

Book and the ingredients gathered together.           
 
Rice mixture and whipped cream ready to be folded together.

Finished product ready to be enjoyed!