Disneyland's Monte Cristo

A friend was posting yesterday from Disneyland. I found myself jealous of him when he mentioned Mr. Toad's Wild Ride but it became worse when he talked about the Monte Cristo. That was such a treat when I did my 2 Kingdoms in 1 day trip. From my Disney cookbook, I bring you:

The Monte Cristo
Blue Bayou Restaurant*Disneyland Park*Disneyland Resort

1 egg
1 3/4 cups plus 2 Tablespoons water
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
8 slices egg bread (challah works well) sliced 1/2 inch think
8 thin slices ham
8 thin slices turkey
8 thin slices Swiss cheese
3 cups canola oil
Confectioners' sugar
Blackberry preserves

Serves 4

1. Line a cookie sheet with paper towels; set aside.
2. Whisk the egg and water together in a mixing bowl. Add flour, salt and baking powder and whisk thoroughly for 2 to 3 minutes, or until smooth, scraping side of bowl.
3. On one slice of bread, arrange 2 slices of ham, turkey and cheese, covering the bread evenly. Place another slice of bread on top and slice each sandwich in half diagonally.
4. Heat oil to between 365 F and 375F in a 10-inch pan. Do not let the oil reach a higher temperature than this; if the oil starts to smoke, turn the heat down. Dip half of the sandwich into the batter, allowing exces to drain, and very carefully place into the oil.
5. Repeat with the other sandwich half. Cook 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Place the cooked sandwich on the prepared cookie sheet in a warm oven until golden brown. Place the cooked sandwich on the prepared cookie sheet in a warm oven until ready to serve. Repeat with the other three sandwiches. Cook one at a time, and allow the oil to reach the desired temperature between each.
6. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar, and serve with blackberry preserves on the side.

Food and Wine Festival

The festival kicked off this past weekend in Epcot at the Walt Disney World resort. The weather couldn't have been better! The longer lines were at Germany, Brussels, France, and Canada. Germany was out of the Pilsner when we stopped there. Will go back to try Brussels again since we bypassed that line. I did get a couple bottles of wine. I want to go back to get more of one of them and the other is a gift. Looking forward to sharing time there with friends when I go back in a couple weeks. I would like to get some recipes about a couple items I tasted. Didn't go to watch the concert for Eat to the Beat series, but could hear it from where we decided to watch the fireworks at. It was a great day! Hope you can get there to enjoy it.

Happy Birthday Walt Disney World!!!

Today is the 39th Birthday of the Walt Disney Resort in Florida. The resort started out with just the Magic Kingdom, Fort Wilderness Campground, and 2 hotels, the Polynesian and the Contemporary. Now it is 4 parks, 2 water parks, shopping area, and over 23 hotels now (not all Disney owned) and a campground.