Posts tagged grand californian hotel

Disney’s Apple Crispy Crumble!

No visit to Disneyland can be complete without having one of their brilliantly made desserts, but for those who can’t get to the Park, today might just be your day.

You can make your very own Apple Crisp that is featured at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel. Check out the video up top featuring Assistant Pastry Chef Nubia Renteria and the recipe below for a taste of well designed and tasteful piece of hotel food yumminess!

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Apple Crisp
Serves 6

Apple Filling -

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds crisp apples, such as Fuji or Braeburn
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons Calvados (apple brandy)
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Crumble Topping -

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup shredded coconut
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Manchego Cheese Ice Cream -

Ingredients:

8 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
3 cups half-and-half
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1/2 pound Manchego cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes

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Instructions:

For apple filling:

1. Peel apples and cut into 1/4-inch dice. Set aside.
2. Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat; add sugar, and stir about 2 minutes or until sugar melts.
3. Add diced apples, and cook about 3 minutes or until apples just begin to soften. Combine lemon juice, Calvados, and cornstarch in a small bowl; stir until cornstarch is dissolved.
4. Add lemon juice mixture to the pan, and cook about 4 minutes, stirring, until juices thicken. Serve warm.

For crumble topping:

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
2. Combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, oats, pecans, and coconut in a large bowl; stir until well combined. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt butter. Slowly add melted butter to the bowl, stirring to incorporate.
3. Pour mixture onto an un-greased cookie sheet, breaking up large clumps with your fingers. Bake 10 to 14 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside to cool slightly; break up any remaining big pieces to achieve a crumbly consistency.

For Manchego cheese ice cream:

1. Whisk together egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy; set aside.
2. Combine cream, half-and-half, and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a simmer. Slowly ladle 1 cup hot cream mixture into egg yolks, whisking constantly. Pour egg-cream mixture back into the saucepan, and cook about 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon. Pour mixture into a large bowl.
3. Add cheese cubes and stir. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Once cooled, pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. Discard cheese and vanilla bean. Refrigerate custard until cold, then freeze in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

To serve:

1. Spoon apple filling into serving dish and sprinkle with crumble topping.
2. Serve with a scoop of Manchego cheese ice cream on the side.

Meet, Greet, and Eat!

We’ve written about this place before, but we love Storyteller’s Cafe inside Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel. Like, really.

Sure the atmosphere is great and all, but what really gets us is what every restaurant should aim to get customers through the door with - food. That is good!

We highly recommend trying this place out the next time you head to the Parks. We, the DisneyExaminer Staff usually go there for their delicious dinner buffet, but we recently found out that they have a great breakfast buffet as well where you can not only eat great food, but meet with your favorite Disney characters!

Just know that breakfast is served from 7-11:30 AM everyday and that Annual Passholder discounts are valid here too!

Or you can just eat good food. That’s perfectly fine too. Take a look at the video above and see what that all looks like at Storyteller’s.

We’ll be there for breakfast soon. Will you?

Cooking At Napa (Rose)

The Napa Rose at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel is one of the most elegant dining experiences available at the Disneyland Resort. Our good friend and Executive Chef of the Napa Rose Andrew Sutton has shared a recipe from his yummy menu for you to get a taste of his restaurant right in your own home!

Check out the video above for some how-to and tips from Chef Sutton himself and scroll down below for the ingredients and recipe. Time to get your chef tools out, DE! It’s time to cook.

Don’t worry if it doesn’t come out either. You can just maka a reservation for the Napa Rose and have Chef Sutton and his team do it for you!  

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Pappardelle with White Shrimp, Fresh Grape Tomatoes, Basil, Saffron, and Capers

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

6 quarts water
1 pinch (20 medium threads) saffron
2 tablespoons coarse salt
1 pound pappardelle pasta
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 cup diced fennel
18-24 white shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups red grape tomatoes, cut in half
4 cups (1 pound bag) fresh spinach, rinsed
2 tablespoons chopped basil leaves
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons capers
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For pappardelle pasta:

1. Boil water, saffron, and salt in a large stockpot over high heat.
2. Add pappardelle pasta and cook for 2-3 minutes or until al dente. Drain, rinse, and place in a large mixing bowl; toss with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil to prevent sticking.
3. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add onions and fennel and continue cooking for 4-5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
4. Add shrimp, chicken stock, tomatoes, and spinach and toss to combine. Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes or until shrimp are pink and slightly opaque.
5. Add cooked pappardelle pasta, basil, butter, and capers and thoroughly toss. Once butter is melted and pasta is heated, season to taste and serve.

Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
4 extra-large eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons water

For pappardelle pasta dough:

1. Place flour on a large clean work surface. Create a mound and make a well in center. Combine eggs and olive oil in a small mixing bowl, whisking thoroughly. Pour into the well; incorporate flour using a fork, beginning slowly at first. Push against the outside wall of flour with your other hand to prevent the wall from collapsing as you continue to mix.
2. When approximately half the dough is incorporated, the dough will begin to come together. At this point you can begin using your hands to further combine the dough and liquid. Add 1 tablespoon of water at a time if necessary.
3. Knead dough using heels of your hands and push dough away from you. Turn dough, fold it over and continue kneading for 4-5 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic.
4. Form dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Set aside and allow to rest at room temperature for at least 20 minutes.
5. Divide dough into 6 equal portions. Pass dough through a pasta machine according to manufacturer’s directions. Start at the thickest setting and adjust the setting to the thinnest setting as you progress.
6. Cut pasta into 1 inch wide and 6- 8-inch long noodles using a knife. Dust lightly with flour to prevent sticking and place on a cookie sheet until ready to cook. (Dough can be frozen up to 2 months.)

Cook’s Notes:
If you don’t have a pasta machine, simply roll dough out on a clean work surface, using a rolling pin dusted with flour. Turn occasionally as you roll to keep a uniform shape and thickness. Once dough is very thin, you may cut the dough.

When cutting the pasta, don’t worry about making it straight or perfect; this is part of the charm of homemade pasta.

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Did you try the recipe, DE? If you did, show us! We’ve enabled photo reply to this post, so feel free to share your yummy creation with the rest of us!