This is not your average mac and cheese!
During the nearly four-month closure of Walt Disney World’s theme parks, Disney kept us busy with countless recipes so that we could recreate our favorite Disney snacks and treats, like churros, Dole Whip, and Mickey beignets, at home. The July reopening of the theme parks has given Disney food lovers their chance to get back to eating their way through the parks, especially at the Taste of Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.
And, for those who aren’t able to visit, Disney has shared a mouthwatering recipe for a festival favorite dish: Gourmet Macaroni and Cheese.
This macaroni and cheese comes from a new booth at this year’s festival: Mac & Cheese Hosted by Boursin Cheese. Located at Epcot’s World Showplace pavilion, this booth serves up four different decadent mac and cheese dishes: Gourmet Macaroni & Cheese, Buffalo Chicken Macaroni & Cheese, Lobster Macaroni & Cheese, and a delicious vegan Macaroni & Cheese topped with plant-based Italian sausage made with Impossible meat.
The classic Gourmet Macaroni & Cheese is made with Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs cheese and topped with herbed panko for an elevated take on everyone’s favorite comfort food. If you can’t make it down to Walt Disney World to try it at Epcot, here’s how to make it at home!
Gourmet Macaroni And Cheese With Boursin® Garlic & Fine Herbs Cheese topped with Herbed Panko
From Mac & Cheese Hosted by Boursin Cheese (World Showplace at Epcot)
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
Toasted Panko:
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup panko
- Coarse salt, to taste
Gourmet Macaroni and Cheese:
- 1 (16 ounce) box cavatappi pasta or elbow macaroni
- 3/4 cup butter
- 3/4 cup flour
- 8 cups whole milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/2 pound white cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/2 pound yellow cheddar cheese, shredded
- 3 (5.2-ounce) Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs cheese wheels, divided
- Coarse salt, to taste
- White pepper, to taste
Directions
For Toasted Panko:
Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Add panko and stir until combined. Toast in pan for 3-5 minutes until golden brown. Remove from heat; salt to taste. Set aside.
For Gourmet Macaroni and Cheese:
- Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Drain well. Set aside keeping warm.
- Melt butter in 5-quart saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until a blonde roux, approximately 4 minutes.
- Add milk, garlic powder, onion powder, and mustard powder and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes, until thickened.
- Fold in both shredded cheddar cheeses and two Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs cheese wheels. Blend with immersion blender until cheese has melted and smooth.
- Season to taste with salt and white pepper.
- Add hot, cooked pasta with cheese sauce and mix untilcombined and divide evenly into 6-8 bowls.
- Cut remaining Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs cheese wheel into 6-8 pieces or crumble into a small dish.
- Top Gourmet Macaroni and Cheese with toasted panko and Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs cheese pieces or crumbles.
- Serve immediately.
Here’s a print-at-home recipe.
More From The Festival
EPCOT’s annual festivals are a major draw for Walt Disney World visitors, so it was a bummer when this year’s was abruptly cut short by the park’s closure in March. But, when EPCOT reopened July 15, Disney adapted by launching the Taste of Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, which features the best of Epcot’s annual food and wine fest along with a few highlights from the Flower & Garden Festival. Here are some of our favorite things from this year’s fest.
Food Choices Galore
The festival features more than 20 global marketplaces serving food and drinks inspired by international destinations around the world, from France and Japan to Hawaii and Brazil. It also features themed booths centered around a particular ingredient or flavor profile: Citrus Blossom celebrates citrus ingredients, while Earth Eats highlights plant-based dishes like festival favorite the Impossible Burger Slider.
Signature Sips
Summer in Florida can be HOT, so the festival’s signature frozen drinks are a favorite way to cool down. One of the most popular is the La Vie en Rose Frozen Slushy from the France marketplace, made with Grey Goose L’Orange vodka, St. Germain Liqueur, and white and red cranberry juice. Slushies not your thing? Countless wine, beer and co*cktail offerings are available throughout the festival.
Safety First
As we continue to face the coronavirus pandemic, stringent health and safety protocols are in place during the festival and throughout Walt Disney World’s theme parks. Physical distancing, contactless menus and payment options, widespread hand-sanitizing and hand-washing stations, and non-negotiable mask requirements are all strictly enforced.
Fun For The Kiddos
Taste of Epcot offers plenty of elevated food and wine offerings for adults, but there are lots of snacks, treats and activities to keep kids busy. From Caramel-Apple Popcorn in a fun souvenir apple container at the Appleseed Orchard marketplace in World Showplace to an engaging scavenger hunt starring Remy from Pixar’s “Ratatouille” (Remy also happens to be the star of a new ride, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, coming soon to Epcot), the festival offers all-ages family fun.
Festival Merchandise
2020 has been a year some of us might not feel like commemorating, but themed festival merchandise starring Disney characters like Epcot icon Figment just might change some minds. New food, wine, and beer-themed merch drops Sept. 1.
Will you be visiting EPCOT this year or will you stick with cooking your favorite Disney foods at home?
