Ashley Craft has been an enthusiastic fan of the various Disney parks since she was a child.
“I’m the ultimate Disney nerd,” Craft said. “I love it. It’s so special to me.”
Craft, a native of Anaheim, Calif., who has been to Disneyland frequently, will release her latest book this month focusing on the culinary side of Disney’s Epcot Park. “The Unofficial Disney Parks Epcot Cookbook” debuts June 14.
The new cookbook features 100 recipes for dishes ranging from snacks and entrees to desserts that are treats park visitors will find in restaurants. Everything from giant pretzels, Power Greens salad, hummus house fries and lemon chicken tagine to macaron ice cream sandwiches, crunchy arancini and crab and cheese wontons can be found in the book. of the kitchen.
Craft called Epcot a “culinary mecca” at Disney. Epcot features a global showcase, which showcases the rides, various attractions, and food and beverages served in countries around the world.
“A big part of culture is (about) the food,” Craft said, adding that she wanted to highlight the many tasty offerings found at culturally rich Epcot.
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The majority of Craft’s research and visits to Epcot for this book took place specifically in early 2021.
“I visited at least three times (as research to write the book),” Craft said. “I love learning about different cultures and other countries,” she said, adding that researching for the book was really fun.
Craft originally started compiling Disney recipes while blogging in 2017. Her latest two Disney themed cookbooks are “The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook” and “The Unofficial Disney Parks Drink Recipe Book” .
For all of her books and blog over the years, she has always focused on authentically recreating the recipes they contain.
Craft said she traveled with various friends and family to Epcot at different times to sample the park’s offerings. The author said she also made sure to visit the various festivals featured at Epcot, including the Arts Festival, Food and Wine Festival, and Flower and Garden Festival.
Craft, who previously lived in Kansas, now resides in Minneapolis. She grew up in Anaheim and was a huge Disneyland fan. She also completed two internships at Walt Disney World and has visited Disneyland and Disney World extensively over the years. Craft’s blog, titled Ashley Crafted, has frequently included recipes from Disney parks.
According to Craft, the biggest challenge of making this cookbook is that she wanted to make sure everything was up to the standards people would find in the Disney parks and “live up” with the quality presented there. .
“I didn’t want to offer products that let people down,” she said.
Craft’s next cookbook will feature recipes from Universal Parks.
The following recipe is taken from “The Unofficial Disney Parks Epcot Cookbook”.
Homemade crab and cheese wontons
48 ounces vegetable oil, for frying
3/4 cup grated imitation crab
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 medium green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat to 350 degrees.
2. Line a large plate with paper towels. In a small bowl, combine the crab, cream cheese, green onions, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce.
3. Roll out 1 wonton wrapper at a time and place 1 teaspoon filling in the center of the wrapper. Dip finger in water and dab center of each long edge of wrapper with damp finger. Bring opposite edges of dough together and pinch along edges.
4. Gently lower 3-4 wontons at a time into the hot oil and fry for 1-3 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a prepared plate and repeat with the remaining wontons. Serve immediately.
