{ Disney World Inspired Recipe: The Grey Stuff }

"Ma chère mademoiselle. It is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight. And now, we invite to relax, let us pull up a chair, as the dining room proudly presents... your dinner."  -Lumière

As I mentioned in my last post, one of my favorite things we did at Magic Kingdom was take in dessert at Be Our Guest restaurant. It is situated under the Beast's castle and is just so much fun.

We all (except Bean) chose a Master's Cupcake for our desserts. During lunch hours you can only get The Grey Stuff on top of a cupcake. If you go to dinner you can order just The Grey Stuff. It comes on a plate proclaiming, "Try the Grey Stuff!". The Master's Cupcake, however, is lovely. Not only does The Grey Stuff top it, the center is filled with it too. That's a GOOD thing. It's pretty delicious, right, Lumière?

It's a creamy, whipped, cookies and cream panna cotta, and it is divine! It's light and airy. Not too sweet, it's just delish.

Here's what the cupcake looked like.

The serving at night looks the same, sans the cupcake. Just a swirl of grey on your plate.

I'd of been perfectly happy without the cupcake, personally!

I've seen a lot of recipes for The Grey Stuff using pudding mix and Cool Whip. This is a true Panna Cotta recipe & I think you will be very surprised just how easy it is.

Making this should take you under 10 minutes not including chill time.

While quick and oh, so easy, Panna Cotta is a very decadent dessert consisting of nearly all heavy cream (so you know it's got to be good!). Give it a try. You won't need to ask the dishes either!

This is easily thick enough to top a cupcake. I did make this twice, once with half heavy cream and half 1/2 and 1/2. While I actually liked this flavor a little better, it wasn't thick enough to pipe. If you are going to serve it in a dish (and not try to unmold it like you would a panna cotta), it it great!

If you want to pipe it or unmold it, I suggest using all heavy cream.

As I'm sure Lumière would say- "C'est Magnifique!"



Ta for now,

To find out more about Be Our Guest and New Fantasyland, see my post here: New Fantasyland & Festival of Fantasy Parade.



The Grey Stuff
by Tina @ Sugar Bean Bakers

2 cups heavy cream*
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 packet unflavored gelatin
3 Tablespoons cold water
1 cup chocolate sandwich cookies (re: Oreos)- finely crushed
Sugar Pearls, optional.


Place 3 Tablespoons water in a large bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over and allow to 'bloom' for 5-10 minutes.

In a heavy saucepan, add 1/4 cup sugar to 2 cups heavy cream. Allow to heat until sugar is dissolved, but do not boil.

Once sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and add vanilla extract.

Pour the warm mixture over the gelatin and stir until dissolved.

Add crushed cookies to mixture and stir well.

Chill for at least 4 hours.

The cookies will fall to the bottom and create a sort of crust. You will need to stir the panna cotta create The Grey Stuff look. I used a whisk for a couple minutes. Return to fridge for 30 minutes. Pipe onto plates just before serving and garnish with sugar pearls.

*for a looser set (not for piping), use 1 cup Half and Half and 1 cup heavy cream. Serve in bowls.



Adapted from David Lebovitz

{Strawberries & Creme Parfaits}

I have ODPD.

I'm sure I'm not the only one out there, in fact, I know Darla at Bakingdom suffers from the same affliction. Right now though, people just don't get me.

Obsessive Disney Planning Disorder. I haven't googled yet, but I feel pretty certain it's a real thing. Bean and the Hubs are making fun of me because I watched my Disney Planning DVD. Again. I may have, perhaps, even ordered the new 2014 DVD (which is probably exactly the same). I've read numerous websites, made lists, crunched numbers, downloaded an app, and started a pin board on Pinterest. That doesn't sound THAT crazy for a quickly approaching vacation you say?  Well, um, ours is not for 7 months. Hey, I'm a planner, what can I say?

Seven months is a long time, you know. I have to distract myself, or I'll go crazy. So, I made these parfaits. They are quick and easy. You'll just need a little cooling time for the pudding, but other than that, these can be made in a matter of minutes.

This is a basic, homemade vanilla pudding with crushed strawberries and whipped cream. I topped these off with Pepperidge Farm Verona Strawberry cookies and a few red sprinkles. You can find the cute heart pick at Bake It Pretty.

These were a huge hit in my house. Even hubs said they were "pretty tasty" and he's not a big pudding kind of guy.

Well, I'd love to stick around and chat, but there's much more to read on Disney. I mean, Bean and I only spent ONE day there at Magic Kingdom (post). This trip we will be going to all four parks over four days, PLUS Universal Orlando and back to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (post) including the new section of Diagon Alley! SO. MUCH. TO. PLAN.

 Between Darla and I, I feel we will have the best planned vacation ever. We can't wait!

Tina




Strawberries & Creme Parfaits
by Tina @ Sugar Bean Bakers

Pudding: *
2 1/2 cups milk, divided
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon butter
pinch of salt

Add 2 cups milk, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium high heat. In another bowl, combine cornstarch with remaining milk. Add egg yolks and whisk together well. When milk/sugar mix comes to a full boil, remove saucepan from the heat. Stir in the cornstarch mix. Pudding will start to thicken. Return to the heat and cook for 1-2 minutes.

*you can also use pudding mix (instant OR cook)

For the Strawberry Puree:
 1 cup strawberries, fresh, or frozen that have been thawed
1 tablespoon sugar

Whipped Cream:**
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In the bowl of a standing mixer, whisk the cream and sugar together on high. When peaks start to form, stop, add the vanilla and then continue beating until stiff peaks form.

**You can also use Cool Whip for this recipe

To assemble

After pudding is totally cool, assemble in clear bowls/jars/etc.

Pudding, strawberries, whipped cream, pudding,  pipe whipped cream to top. If not serving right away, reserve the final whipped cream to just prior to eating. Top with sprinkles and a cookie, if desired.

*Pudding recipe lightly adapted from Taste of Home

{Andes Chocolate Pudding & Oreo Trifle}

Can I just tell you how much I hate grocery shopping?

I know that is a random way to start a conversation, but it's true.

I hate everything about it. I hate pushing carts, to start. I hate going through the aisles, I hate that it takes forever, I hate unloading the cart onto the belt, I HATE PAYING FOR THEM, I hate loading them into the car, I hate hauling them into the house, I hate putting them away.

Yesterday I had to clean my fridge before I could fit the new stuff in, so that was super fun.

The only good thing in the stupid stupidness that is grocery shopping is that I go with my friend Lori and we have lunch out.

This is usually the bright spot in my otherwise stay at home week.

Yesterday we traveled to Walgreens, Frisch's (Big Boy) for lunch, and Kroger (grocery store).

I know, we live on the edge. Be jealous.

Next week we will go a local farm to get our fresh beef.

Oh, la, la.

However, having Lori there (who I've mentioned several times on this blog, I've used some of her recipes), and I always manage to make the best of it. We grab things the other forgot, we see things on the shelf that the other didn't, we remember things off the other's list. Honestly folks, we are like a Grocery Shopping Super Duo. ;)

And yesterday, I remembered we both needed cornstarch.

You know what you can make with cornstarch?

Pudding.

Darla mentioned she was making a Mint Cream for St. Patrick's Day and my mind went immediately to Chocolate Pudding. (It's SUPER great having a food blogger for a friend too, let me tell  ya. We bounce ideas off each other all the time).

I finally came up with this.

Andes. Pudding. Oreos. Whipped Cream. Cause yum.

If you've  never made homemade pudding, don't be scared, it's easy.

This can also be accomplished by using packaged cook pudding, not instant.

Homemade is better though ;)

You can layer these into little cups, like I have (aren't they cool? They are from my Dad), or little jars

 or you can just arrange it all into one big bowl. Doesn't matter. Still tastes good!

Dress them up for St. Paddy's with a little bit of green sprinkles!

In the words of the Irish:

Wishing you a rainbow
For sunlight after showers—
Miles and miles of Irish smiles
For golden happy hours—
Shamrocks at your doorway
For luck and laughter too,
And a host of friends that never ends
Each day your whole life through!

I hope you are blessed with friends as good as mine!

Ones to remind you to buy cheese & ones to tell you, 'No, I don't think that will make a very good recipe'.  Ones you talk to daily and ones you can iMessage random thoughts to, ones you've known since you were a kid, and ones you are yet to meet in real life, ones you see all the time, and ones that are Facebook friends from across the world.

I'm blessed. Hope you are too.

Check out Darla's gorgeous and yummy Mint Creams here. 


Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Tina

 

 Andes Chocolate Pudding & Oreo Trifle

recipe by Tina @ Sugar Bean Bakers

For the Pudding:
1 cup white sugar
2 cups milk
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 Andes Chocolate Mint Candies

You will also need:

12 Cool Mint Oreos, finely crushed
(food processor works great)
Whipped Cream

Add all ingredients into a medium sauce pan, except the vanilla & Andes.

Bring to boil over medium heat. Add in the Andes. Allow pudding to thicken.

Remove from heat & stir in vanilla.

Once the pudding is fully cooled, assemble your trifles.

Cookies, Pudding, Cookies, Pudding, Whipped Cream.