Disney has been finding ways to bring the magic into the comfort of your own home with the new #DisneyMagicMoments series. The latest project — #DisneyMagicMoments presents Inside the Kitchen — featured one of the chefs from EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival as he hosted a cooking/culinary demo live.
Related: A Guide to Disney’s 2020 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival
The EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival typically takes place during the fall months at the theme park, but for 2020 Disney has debuted the popular event early! In fact, it began in July of 2020 when the Walt Disney World Resort reopened its theme parks to Guests. This year’s festival is being called “A Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival!
I had the amazing opportunity to attend the virtual culinary demo from Disney Chef Kevin Downing as he went live from the Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival and let me tell you, it was absolutely incredible.
As a huge foodie, attending this virtual cooking demonstration was a dream come true and I wanted to share some of the highlights as well as tips and tricks that I learned from Disney Chef Kevin Downing’s culinary demonstration with you all. We at Inside the Magic highly encourage you to try and recreate these dishes at home and share them with us and with Disney by using the hashtag #DisneyMagicMoments!
Le Cellier’s Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup
The first popular dish from EPCOT’s International Food and Wine demo that Disney Chef Downing taught the group was the Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup which can be found at Le Cellier. This recipe has been around for 38 years — can you believe it?
Related: Enjoy Le Cellier’s Famous Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup at Home!
Follow the recipe below along with these tips and tricks to make sure you nail the perfect Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup from Le Cellier!
Our Attempt
During the live demonstration, I decided to cook alongside Chef Downing and attempt to make the famous Cheddar Cheese Soup. Since I am a vegetarian, I made some small changes to the official recipe including the exemption of bacon and replacing the chicken broth with vegetable broth.
Chef Downing reassured the viewers that if you have any dietary restrictions, including vegetarian, vegan, allergies, keto, lactose intolerant, etc., feel free to make those adjustments to the ingredients as necessary. He did say to keep in mind that you may need to do some experimenting as some milks, flours, and other ingredients have different consistencies so just keep that in mind when adjusting!
Step 1
The first step is to prep your ingredients! Chef Downing recommends measuring out and chopping your ingredients ahead of time to help cook your dish more efficiently, which you can see I did in the photo above.
Step 2
The normal first step is to cook the bacon, but since I am a vegetarian I skipped this step and went right to cooking the onion, celery, and butter.
Step 3
The next step is to add the flour and to make your rue. Disney Chef Downing says different rues have different colors — For the Cheddar Cheese Soup, you want to make sure you have a blonde rue.
Step 4
Next, I added the vegetable broth, which I used in place of the chicken broth since, again, I am a vegetarian. I let this simmer for 15 minutes.
Step 5
Next, I added the milk. I made sure the soup didn’t come to a boil and it remained at a steady simmer. I stirred the soup occasionally to avoid burning.
Step 6
Remove the soup from the heat and add in your cheese, Worcester sauce, Tabasco sauce, salt and pepper. Use an immersion blender to ensure the cheese is fully incorporated. Chef Downing said if you do not have an immersion blender you can either use a whisk or transfer to a regular blender but it may take a bit longer.
Step 7
Transfer your soup into a bowl and garish with scallions. Serve and enjoy!
Leftovers and Reheating?
If you have leftovers (since this recipe serves 10 people you most likely will have leftovers) you can store in the fridge or you can even freeze the soup! If you want to freeze, be sure to let the soup chill before transferring to a container. Then, you can divide into portions and freeze. Once you are ready to eat, be sure to thaw the soup in the fridge prior to heating. Once thawed, you can either reheat the soup in the microwave or a pan.
Filet of Beef with Roasted Mushrooms and Beurre Blanc
The second popular dish from EPCOT’s International Food and Wine demo that Chef Downing taught the group was the Filet of Beef with Roasted Mushrooms and Beurre Blanc, which can also be found at Le Cellier.
Related: Disney Recipe: Filet Mignon From Le Cellier Steakhouse in EPCOT
Follow the recipe below along with these tips and tricks to make sure you nail the perfect Filet of Beef from Le Cellier! Chef Downing suggests pairing this delicious dish with a bold red wine — such as a nice Pinot Noir or Merlot.
Leftovers and Reheating?
If you have leftovers, you can certainly store these in the fridge! When you reheat the dish, the sauce may break since it is butter based, but Chef Downing assured us that even though the sauce may not look as pretty, it will still have all of the delicious flavors!
Check Out The Full Demonstration Here
We at Inside the Magic highly encourage you to try and recreate these dishes at home and share them with us and with Disney by using the hashtag #DisneyMagicMoments!