Delicious Disney

by Pam Brandon

Excellent Book

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction

192 pages, Hardcover

First published December 15, 2006

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Disney World and although I’ve never stayed on property or dined in more than a couple of the restaurants featured, I enjoyed reading the delicious-sounding recipes and seeing photos of the restaurant interiors.

This recipe book is more inspirational than practical because of the prohibitive costs and availability of some of the ingredients, especially seafood (I live in Missouri).

[OvercommuniKate · Rating 2 out of 5]

This out-of-print cookbook from 2006 shows its age. Many reviewers of this book mention they purchased it as a coffee table book, but if your goal is a collectable, get one of the newer editions. This edition of Delicious Disney lacks any photos or stories of the Disney parks and characters. There are no viral classics in here besides the Monte Cristo (fried club sandwich), Tonka Toast (fried banana sandwich), and Hollywood Grapefruit Cake. The book was published before the ending of the USDA food pyramid in 2011, so a Cuban sandwich is in the “health” section while many salads are outside that section. Which brings me to my overall opinion: while many of the recipes are great, the organization is horrible. Dessert and appetizer recipes are sprinkled throughout the book with no rhyme-or-reason. There is a back index based on location and food type, which saves the book from a 1-star, but overall it's not an easy book to read or use.

Organization - The contents section is written in the font and placement that brings me back to early 00s graphic design. It's unreadable. The Classics chapter also included dishes that aren’t sold anymore and definitely aren’t famous enough to be in that section.

The next section is “Fancy & Festive” which is even more vague, since it includes appetizers and entrees. Also it includes twice-fried fries which I associate with the fast-food restaurant, Arby’s, so maybe I’m not fancy enough to understand.

What’s even worse is the “Fast & Casual” section recipes sometimes taking more time than the “fancy” recipes. Except maybe the Resort Hotel recipe that’s just take lavosh from the store and bake it. That’s certainly fast and casual.

I take issue with “Fresh & Healthful” and “International Cuisine” which make no sense based on recipes being scattered in this book that fit these sections. “Magical Gathering” is such a vague theme I can't even comprehend what they were going for here, it includes everything from french toast to lasagna.

Then we get "Food for Kids" which why is Mahi Mahi here but not lasagna? Includes a recipe for a children's charcuterie board with the description that it's available at "various restaurants" in Disney Parks.

"Dessert" includes a Twinkie Tiramisu, another sign of the times. Last section is "wine & spirits" and most of the cocktail recipes call for flavored liquor (i.e. watermelon schnapps, chocolate vodka) and there is no wine recipe in this section. However, most recipes came with a suggested wine pairing.

Photos - I'd say 2 out of 3 recipes got photos. There are no instruction photos on how to assemble something, like the Egg Roll Raviolis.

The first recipe, Maple Salmon from the original cruise menu, shows the salmon plated with a topping of piperade but the recipe doesn’t include instructions for that side. The recipe just says optional: red peppers for garnish. The Strawberry Soup from the Grand Floridian includes a Mickey Mouse design but there's no instructions on how to make it. I assume it comes from piped yogurt but it could be piped heavy cream.

Recipes - A lot of the recipes are fine-dining recipes. The recipes are all good except for when they don't include steps, such as how to make the Mickey design or the best way to fold a souffle. After reading a number of cooking blog reviews, I did not attempt the egg roll wrapper raviolis as no one gave it a good review.

Made: maple turkey with piperade and onion mashed potatoes (great), melon vinaigrette salad (too sweet), papaya grapefruit salad (meh), vanilla balsamic salad (polarizing), poppy seed mustard salad (fine), thai papaya salad (good, not spicy so less authentic), thai pesto (interesting), orange harissa (maybe not my thing), grapefruit cake (not enough grapefruit, just tastes like sugar).

[Janastasia Whydra · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many delicious foods that can be found in the Disney Universe, but not all of them made it into this cookbook. So, if you are looking for a specific recipe other than "Maple Glazed Salmon with Onion-Mashed Potatoes," "Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli," "Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup," "Chocolate Souffle," "Crab Cakes," "Stilton Cheesecake," "Tonga Toast," "Artist Point Berry Cobbler," "Choux Fritters," "Monte Cristo," "New England Pot Roast," "Grapefruit Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting," Coq au Vin du Beaujolais," "Halibut with Fregole, Chorizo, and Littleneck Clams," "Fried Green Tomatoes with Crab & Asiago Cheese," "Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella Salad," "Onion Tart," "Shrimp Scampi with Orange Harissa," "Puget Sound Mussels with Pernod and Grilled Sourdough," "Rosemary Grilled Lamb Chops with White Beans and Marinated Artichokes," "Grilled Rib-eye of Beef Smothered with Coastal Mushrooms and Blue Cheese 'Snow,'" "Trout Meuniere with Pan-Roasted Pecan Sauce," "Portobello Cappuccino Bisque with Brandiedd Thyme Froth," "Spicy Seared Swordfish with Tomato-Garlic Relish," "Papaya, Avocado, and Grapefruit Salad," "Lentil and Kale Stew," "Cucumber, Tomato, and Red Onion Salad," "Fattoush Salad," "Field Greens Salad with Grilled Salmon," "Roasted Vegetable Cuban Sandwich," "Saratoga Springs House Salad," "Edamame Salad," "Grilled Shrimp and Seared Scallop Pasta," "Lemon Garlic Shrimp," "Steakhouse Salad," "Mediterranean Seafood Lime Salad," "Mussels in Green Thai Broth," "Arugula Salad with Prosciutto Ham," "Kona Salad," "Napa Rose Lavosh," "S'mores," "Peanut Butter 'n Jelly Shake," "Seared Scallops with Chakalaka and Crisp Mealie Pap," "Cape Malay Lamb Curry," "Crispy Polenta with Mushrooms, Wilted Greens, and Balsamic Vinaigrette," "Honey and Chili-Garlic Snapper with Green Papaya Salad and Thai-style Pesto," "Westphalian Potato Pancakes with Smoked Salmon and Chive Sour Cream," "Fettuccine Alfredo," "Bouillabaisse Provencale," "Pork Loin with XO Sauce," "Chicken Tajine with Preserved Lemon and Olives," "Guinness Stew," "San Angel Inn's Beef Tenderloin in Chili Sauce," "Thai Noodle Bowl with Coconut-Crusted Tofu," "Curry Butternut Soup," "Shrimp and Prosciutto Penne Pasta," "Goofy's Goofy Lasagna," "Crystal Palace Adobo Pulled Pork," "Roasted Chicken Linguine," "Loaded Baked Potato Soup," "Disneyland Hush Puppies," "French Toast with Fresh Berries and Mascarpone Cream," "Mickey's Favorite Chicken Parmesan," "Just Dip It," "Totally Tasty Tofu," "Yummy Pita Pizza," "Oodles of Noodles Beef 'N Mac," "'Deconstructed' Quesadilla," "Groovy Grilled Mahi Mahi with Caramelized Pineapple Relish," "Peanut Butter Pie," "No-Sugar-Added Cheesecake," "Chocolate Lava Cake," "'Ohana Bread Pudding a la Mode with Bananas Foster Sauce," "Twinkie Tiramisu," "Strawberry Soup," "Apple-Caramel Pie," "Key Lime Pie," "Raspberry Gelato," "Konk Cooler," "Soul Candy," "Big Apple Sunset," and "Watermelon Mist" it may not be in this text. I believe it is kind of obvious already given the list of recipes I just provided, but these foods are not the counter-service products that are served to the budget-conscious family in Magic Kingdom or any of the other parks. Most of the recipes come from the upscale restaurants located on the resort properties and cruise lines. Whether of not the recipe you might be looking for is in this cookbook, I believe there is still something for everyone including vegan, vegetarian, carnivores, adults with mature palettes, and small children with discernable tastes.

[Troy Beals · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Recipes from the Disney Parks. Several of these I've had at the Disney restaurants so I'm excited to try them at home :-)

[Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

More great recipes from Disney parks and cruise ships. AND beautiful photos to accompany them!