Alice in Wonderland
In the 1952 Disney animated film, a daydreaming young girl named Alice finds learning poems and listening to literature boring. She prefers to live within her imagination. One day, while enduring just such a poetry reading, she spots a large white rabbit dressed in a jacket and carrying a large watch. He scurries off, saying he's late, for a very important date. She follows him through the forest. He then disappears down a rabbit hole. Alice follows, leading her to all manner of discoveries, characters and adventures.
The film is full of scrumptious and sometimes there, sometimes not, food including oysters, “magic” mushrooms, sugar cookies, and cake. And how can we forget the tea at the Mad Hatter's “unbirthday” party.
"0 Oysters, Come and Walk With Us!"
“Oh, uh, Oysters, come and walk with us,
The day is warm and bright!
A pleasant walk,
A pleasant talk,
Would be a sheer delight!
Carpenter: Yes, and should we get hungry on the way,
We'll stop and, uh, have a bite.”
The Scene: The Walrus and the Carpenter pose as the oyster’s friends, but they obviously have ulterior motives. After promises of “a pleasant walk, a pleasant talk” the Walrus and the Carpenter eventually make it clear that they are going to eat the oysters. Source
Fun Fact: In the Walrus and the Carpenter sequence, the R in the word "March" on the mother oyster's calendar flashes. This alludes to the old adage about only eating oysters in a month with an R in its name. This is because those months without an R (May, June, July, August) are the summer months in England, when oysters would not keep due to the heat, in the days before refrigeration. The times have changed and the U.S. has made huge strides in the safe and sustainable harvesting of wild oysters. It's okay to eat oysters year-round, and they are now considered a popular summer-time dish. Source.
Today we will be making:
Oysters on the Half Shell With Mignonette
Oysters on the half shell are a delicious, quick and easy—and showstopping—seafood appetizer served with a simple mignonette. =
Ingredients
1 dozen east or west coast oysters
1 shallot
1 teaspoon pink peppercorns
4 tablespoons champagne vinegar
4 tablespoons unseasoned rice wine vinegar
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Directions
Make the Mignonette
Combine 1 shallot, 1 teaspoon pink peppercorns, 4 tablespoons champagne vinegar, 4 tablespoons unseasoned rice wine vinegar, ½ teaspoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves in a small bowl. Stir until sugar and salt are dissolved. Set aside
If you don’t have champagne vinegar, you can substitute red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar instead
Clean the Oysters
It's vital to clean your oysters well before shucking. Use a stiff-bristled brush to remove sand, dirt, and debris. You can also put your oysters into a cold icy saltwater bath to soak for an hour to purge them of sand and grit
Shuck the Oysters
To shuck an oyster, you'll need an oyster knife, a cloth or tea towel, and fresh oysters. If you don’t have an oyster knife, a paring knife can also be used
Hold the oyster firmly with the flatter side up in the cloth or tea towel
Insert the tip of the knife into the hinge of the oyster
Twist the knife with pressure to pop the hinge open
Slide the knife under the top shell, keeping it along the bottom, to release the oyster and remove the shell
Use the knife to cut or scrape off any meat attached to the top shell
Repeat the process along the side of the oyster until it's completely open
Scrape along the top of the shell to separate the muscle from the bottom shell and remove it
Serve the Oysters
Line a serving platter with crushed ice. Nestle the oysters in the ice to keep them chilled and upright so you don’t lose any oyster liquor
Spoon a little mignonette onto an oyster in its shell or serve with other optional condiments such as horseradish or hot sauce
Why This Recipe Works
It’s quick and easy to shuck oysters; it just takes practice
You can make oysters on the half shell for one, two or ten people, so it’s easily scaleable
You can use any cold-water oysters for this appetizer (East or West Coast).
The simple mignonette recipe takes 5 minutes to make (but you can also use other garnishes such as horseradish, cocktail sauce, or hot sauce)
Pro-Tips
Oysters on the half-shell are best eaten when they are very cold. If you’re shucking them before guests arrive, refrigerate them for an hour or so until you’re ready to serve.
Don’t dress the shucked oysters with the champagne mignonette until just before you eat them.
If you can access shaved ice, it’s perfect for serving oysters on the half-shell, otherwise, a bed of rock salt will hold them steady (but won’t keep them chilled). Spread an even layer of crushed ice on a tray and rest the shells on the ice.
“EAT ME? All right.”
The Scene: After she miraculously shrinks down from drinking a magic potion, a small, lidded gold box filled with cookies embellished with the famous phrase “EAT ME” magically appears to Alice. Our sweet, naïve little Alice only utters the 4 words “Eat me? All right,” and then takes a bite out of a cookie before growing to nine feet tall.
Fun Fact: In the 2010 movie adaptation, the “EAT ME” cakes are referred to as Upelkuchens, which are supposedly made from 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of sugar, worm fat, a pinch of fungus, worm fat, tongue of blowfish, a pinch of thyme, 3 coins from a dead man’s pocket, and 2 tablespoons wishful thinking—but luckily the recipe in this book is a bit more palatable (though feel free to add the wishful thinking as you like!)
Today we will be making:
“EAT ME” Frosted Sugar Cookies
Permanently ingrained in our minds as the “Alice in Wonderland Cookie”, these classic frosted sugar cookies can transport us back to our childhood to delight in one of the many scrumptious foods from the film.
Ingredients:
For the sugar cookies:
2 cups salted butter (softened)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsp. vanilla
4 tsp. baking powder
6 cups flour
For the buttercream:
1 cup butter, softened
3 1/2 to 4 cups powdered sugar
1 teasoon vanilla
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
Food coloring of choice (optional)
Directions
Make the sugar cookie dough:
Take the butter out of the fridge and let it warm to room temperature 30-60 minutes
Take the eggs out and let them warm up to room temperature for 5-10 minutes
Add the 4 of softened sticks of butter and 2 cups of white sugar to your mixer
Using a standing mixer or hand mixer, Cream the butter and sugar until it is completely mixed (3 minutes on medium-high)
Add the vanilla and eggs
Mix the cookie dough until light and fluffy (about 3 more minutes)
Add the baking powder and continue to mix
Mix in the 6 cups of flour two cups at a time Don't over-mix the dough when you are adding the dry ingredients. Mix it only until the flour is incorporated into the dough
After you have added all the flour the dough should be firm but not dry or crumbly. If the dough seems to dry, add a tiny bit of vanilla or milk (start with a teaspoon) and mix again.
Roll a handful of the dough out on a prepared surface until it's about 3/8" thick. We like thicker sugar cookies so they will hold a good amount of frosting
Cut out shapes with cookie cutters or you can use an upside pint cup if you don’t have cookie cutters to make the classic round shape
Bake in an oven pre-heated to 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes. They might not look done but they are—the cookies should be set and just starting to slightly brown around the edges
Let your cookies cool and then they are ready for frosting
Make the buttercream frosting:
While the cookies are baking and cooling, make your frosting
Take the butter out of the fridge and let it warm to room temperature 30-60 minute
Using a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, or a hand mixer, mix the butter until smooth
Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed at first, then increase to medium speed and continue mixing for 1 to 2 minutes or until fully combined
Add the vanilla and milk and mix until everything is well combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed
Frost the cookies:
Use a piping bag to frost the cookies. Write EAT ME on each one carefully. If you don’t have a piping bag, cut a small hole in a Ziploc bag corner and fill it with the frosting, seal it, and use that to pipe
Why This Recipe Works
These cookies are super simple to make and are ingredients you probably already have on hand!
Thicker cookies hold the buttercream frosting better
This recipe will make a lot of cookies (about 36) but the actual number depends on the size of the cookie cutters you are using.
Pro Tips
Use Sweet Cream Salted Butter for the best sugar cookies when baking
Line the cookie sheets with a piece of parchment paper, it keeps the cookie from sticking to the sheet and from over-browning
You can keep the icing white or tint it your desired color. Use gel food coloring because liquid food coloring can change the consistency
Cookies should always be stored in an airtight container. They should be completely cooled before storing them. Cookies stored at room temperature should stay fresh for 3-4 days. You can also keep them in the refrigerator and that extends their freshness for up to a week. If you need them to last longer, you can freeze them for up to 3 months. You can pull them out of the freezer and leave them on the counter for 1 hour and they will be ready to eat
Today we will be making:
“The March Hare’s” Tea Cocktail
“Take some more tea,” says the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly. “I’ve had nothing yet,” Alice replies in an offended tone, “so I can’t take more.” “You mean you can’t take less,” said the Hatter, “It’s very easy to take more than nothing.”
The Scene: After Alice wanders off on her own, she encounters the Dormouse, Mad Hatter, and the Hare in the midst of an “unbirthday” tea party celebration. The Hatter and the Hare ask her to explain her predicament, to which Alice tries, but becomes frustrated by their constant interruptions and absurd logic.
Fun Fact: The famous Mad Tea Party is probably one of the most intentionally difficult to follow scenes in the film—full of slapstick, prop gags, and lines that were mainy ad libbed by the actors Ed Wynn and Jerry Colona. Walt Disney loved their off the cuff dialogue so much he tasked the animators to create the scene. The sound man objected, “We can’t use that speech.” Disney smiled and told him “That’s your problem,” before walking out of the room.
Enjoy this adult version of the Mad Hatter tea. After all, in the original book (omitted from the rated-G movie) the following lines cater to our vision of the modern day “adult tea party”.
Alice looked all round the table, but there was nothing on it but tea. “I don’t see any wine,” she remarked.
“There isn’t any,” said the March Hare.
“Then it wasn’t very civil of you to offer it,” said Alice angrily.
Ingredients:
1 Green tea bag
1 oz Gin
Directions:
Brew 1 Green tea bag in hot water
Stir in 1 oz of Gin
Serve in teacup
Why This Recipe Works
Gin and green tea pair well together because both are botanically derived beverages with herbaceous, floral, and piney notes. Gin with fruity notes can work well with green tea, and the refreshing citrus notes in green tea pair well with gin. Some say that the light, but dry tannic notes of green tea add complexity to the flavor and texture when paired with floral gin flavors
Pro Tips
Serve in teacups for the immersive Alice in Wonderland experience
Add a dash of St. Germain Elderflower Liquor if you like for a sweet, floral taste
You can make this alcohol-free by simply skipping the gin
