Dinner and a Disney Movie is a new series on Laughing Place that pairs food with some of the best films the company has produced. We have assembled a themed menu to help make your movie night extra special.
It’s April, time for April showers to drip-drip-drop making a beautiful sound. While Walt Disney’s animated classic Bambi encompasses all four seasons, spring is the centerpiece of the film. Prepare to get “twitterpated” with this delicious menu based on foods Bambi and his friends might enjoy, with some embellishments to make them tastier to man (you know, the villain of the film…). A rich carrot-ginger soup is the main course with some yummy greens as a “special treat” and a berry rice-cream dessert. So enjoy and “Let’s sing a gay little spring song” while we eat.
Carrot-Ginger Cream Soup
Rabbits and deer love carrots, so it seems only fitting that they would love carrot soup. This recipe comes from the famous Victoria & Albert’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and was found in the book Cooking with Mickey and the Disney Chefs. It’s a rich, creamy soup that takes about two hours to cook and makes 6 servings.
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- ½ tsp dried basil
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- 1 cup diced onion
- 10 carrots, diced
- ¼ cup diced celery
- 3 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
- ¼ cup sliced ginger
- 2 quarts heavy cream
- salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot, heat butter until melted. Add garlic, basil, bay leaf, parsley, onions, carrots and celery and sauté until the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add a little bit of chicken stock and stir to loosen any brown bits that might be stuck to the bottom of the pot, This will release those flavors into the liquid. Add the rest of the chicken stock and ginger and bring to a boil.
Add the heavy cream and reduce to low heat, allowing the soup to simmer for 90 minutes, stirring gently. The soup should thicken during this process. When ready, remove the bay leaf and pour the soup into a blender. Run it on puree until smooth and pour it back into the pot through a strainer to remove any lumps or thick spices.
Grilled Asparagus
“Eating greens is a special treat. It makes long ears and great big feet… but it sure is awful stuff to eat.” Thumper clearly never had the asparagus from Storytellers Café at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel. This simple recipe is easy to make and wonderful to eat. It can be done while the soup is cooking. The whole process takes about 45 minutes and makes 4-6 servings. (This recipe also comes from Cooking with Mickey and the Disney Chefs).
- 1 lb asparagus
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Remove the tough bottoms from each stalk. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the asparagus for one minute. Then remove and place the stalks in a bowl of ice water to keep them crisp. Allow them to get cold before removing them and drying them off. Brush each stalk with olive oil, then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Place them on a grill for 3-4 minutes until tender. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.
Rice Cream with Berry Compote
Deer love to eat berries, which are rich in vitamins they need. They are also known to eat rice plants whole, so it makes sense that Bambi would love this rice dessert with berries. A different version of this treat is served at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, the Norwegian restaurant in Epcot. The restaurant uses strawberries in the topping, but this berry version is only served during the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. This recipe came from the festival cookbook from 2014 called A Taste of Epcot. The topping takes about 15 minutes to make, but prepare it ahead because it needs to be completely cooled before serving. The rice cream takes about 40 minutes, but can also be made in advance because it needs to be served at room temperature or cold. Makes 6 servings.
For Berry Compote:
- 2 tbsp + 1 tsp cornstarch
- ¼ cup red cooking wine
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 cup blackberries
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 cup raspberries
- ½ cup apple juice
- 2 tbsp + 1 tsp lemon juice
In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and cooking wine. Stir until dissolved. In a medium saucepan combine sugar, blackberries, blueberries, apple juice and lemon juice over medium heat. Add the wine/cornstarch to the pot. Cook, stirring gently so berries don’t break until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and fold in raspberries gently. Refrigerate until cold.
For Rice Cream:
- 1.5 cups water
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup short-grain white rice
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Bring water to a boil with salt in a small saucepan. Add rice and reduce heat to medium-low. Let the rice cook until all of the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Add milk and simmer for 20 minutes or until all the milk is absorbed. Transfer to a bowl and allow the rice to cool to room temperature.
In a separate bowl, whip cream, sugar and vanilla until it thickens. Fold into the rice with a spatula. Serve in small cups or bowls with the berry compote.