Feast Aboard Disney Cruise Line

A lot of folks celebrated Valentine’s Day this week with a romantic evening at their favorite restaurant. Well, Disney Cruise Line offers just as elegant experiences aboard each of their three (soon to be four) ocean liners. Here’s a sampling of the fare you may find on the Disney Dream, along with recipes to replicate at home.

Whet your appetite with Curried Carrot and Apple Soup from the Enchanted Garden
Serves 4

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon curry powder
1 cup diced carrots (about 4 medium carrots) plus 1 whole carrot, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped
4 cups vegetable broth
Coarse salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Plain yogurt, fresh parsley, for garnish

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add curry powder and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add diced carrots, onions and apple, and stir until coated with the curry powder. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add broth, stirring to combine.
2. Cover the pot. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until carrots and apples are very soft, about 20 to 25 minutes. Puree in a blender, or with a hand-held blender. Taste, and add salt and pepper, if desired.
3. While soup is cooking, preheat oven to 400°F. Peel remaining whole carrot and cut into very thin curls. Roast for 3 to 5 minutes, or until ends are browned and crisp.
4. Top each bowl of soup with yogurt, roasted carrot curls and fresh parsley. Serve warm

Dine finely on Baked Salmon Royal from the Royal Palace
Serves 4

Truffled Cauliflower Puree
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 shallot, chopped
1 pound cauliflower, cored and cut into small florets
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 tablespoon white truffle oil

Sautéed Swiss Chard
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 pounds Swiss chard (about 1 large bunch), cut into strips
1/2 cup dry white wine (such as Chardonnay)
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground white pepper

Baked Salmon
1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1/3 pound smoked salmon, very finely chopped
1/3 cup prepared horseradish
1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
4 (6-ounce) filets salmon

Beurre Blanc
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
1 shallot, finely diced
1 celery stalk, sliced
1/2 leek, cleaned and sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine (such as Chardonnay)
1/2 cup fish stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground white pepper
Freshly chopped chives, optional

For the truffled cauliflower puree:

1. Heat butter in a large stockpot over medium heat. Sauté shallot until translucent, then add cauliflower florets, cream, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
2. Cover pot and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, covered, until the cauliflower is soft, about 10 minutes. Add salt and white pepper; stir in truffle oil.
3. Transfer mixture to a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.

For the sautéed Swiss chard:

1. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until fragrant. Add the Swiss chard and sauté until slightly wilted, about 4 minutes.
2. Add the wine, salt and pepper; simmer until wine is reduced and Swiss chard is tender-crisp, about 5 minutes.

For the baked salmon:

1. Preheat oven to 280°F.
2. Combine panko, smoked salmon, horseradish, 1/3 cup olive oil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir until breadcrumbs absorb oil and mixture is combined.
3. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear salmon on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Cool to room temperature. Evenly distribute panko mixture among the tops of the salmon filets.
4. Bake salmon for 15 to 20 minutes, or until crust is golden and salmon is just cooked through.

For the beurre blanc:

1. Cut butter into tablespoons. Reserve 2 tablespoons; set remaining butter aside.
2. Heat the reserved 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Sauté the shallot, celery and leek for 2 minutes. Add the wine and fish stock. Simmer until reduced by 2/3, about 10 minutes. Add heavy cream and simmer until mixture is reduced by 1/3.
3. Turn heat to low. Whisk remaining butter into wine mixture, one piece at a time, allowing each piece to melt fully before adding the next one. Season with salt and white pepper.
4. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Keep warm until ready to serve.

To serve:
Spoon truffled cauliflower puree onto the center of a plate and top with sautéed Swiss shard. Place a piece of salmon over the Swiss chard, then drizzle with beurre blanc. Garnish with fresh chives, if desired.

And complete the meal with Chocolate Soufflé from Palo
Serves 6

3 tablespoons butter, plus more for greasing the soufflé cups
6 tablespoons sugar, plus more for dusting the soufflé cups
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa
2 ounces (2/3 cup) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, melted
4 eggs, separated
Vanilla Sauce (recipe follows)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Set a full kettle of water on to boil.
3. Butter six 4-ounce soufflé cups and coat with sugar; set aside.
4. Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan, meanwhile; melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cocoa to the butter and beat with a whisk to a smooth, paste-like consistency. Reduce heat and cook for 1 minute.
5. Slowly add the hot milk, whisking until smooth, then blend in melted chocolate. Let cool for 5 minutes, then stir in egg yolks.
6. Beat egg whites in a separate bowl until frothy. Slowly add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until stiff, glossy peaks form. Stir a heaping spoonful of egg whites into the chocolate, then fold in the remaining whites just until combined.
7. Pour the batter into prepared soufflé cups. Place cups in a large baking dish and add enough boiling water to reach halfway the sides of the soufflé cups.
8. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve immediately, with warm vanilla sauce.

Vanilla Sauce
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/4 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
3 tablespoons sugar
2 small egg yolks

1. Bring cream and vanilla bean to a low boil in saucepan over medium heat.
2. Combine sugar and egg yolks.
3. Add 2 spoonfuls of boiling cream to egg mixture and stir well, then pour back into the remaining cream and continue to cook over low heat, stirring constantly for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly.

Today’s Takeaway:
Choose one or all of the recipes above and serve to your family at mealtime tonight.

SCHOOL SUBJECT: Home Economics
SKILL LEVEL: Middle Grades, High School

All recipes and photos courtesy Disney Cruise Line News.


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