Are y'all bundled up inside thanks to this bitter cold weather plaguing so much of the country? Our home state of Texas has had ice, sleet, and snow a couple of times this year but here in Charlotte, just a couple hours from the ski resorts, we've had nothing more than frigid days. Some might think that's a good thing, but I could go for a snow day!
My week ran away from me so my last Recipes of Disney is super late. Apologies. On the upside, it's one worth the wait!
Remember in Beauty and the Beast, the song "Be Our Guest" has a line that says "Try the grey stuff, it's delicious! Don't believe me, ask the dishes!" Well, when Walt Disney World recently opened the new Beauty and the Beast themed restaurant, Be Our Guest, in the expansion of Fantasyland, people immediately asked where the grey stuff was. It wasn't even considered when the menu was planned (do these Imagineers not watch their movies a bajillon times like we do?) but so many guests asked about it, they got in the kitchen and created The Grey Stuff!
It's so popular that you can now even buy a cupcake topped with the delicious concoction. Which is what I plan to make with my leftover Grey Stuff :)
I think the latest presentation of it at dinner is a dollop on a plate topped with edible pearls so that's how I plated mine below. The taste is similar to cookies and cream pudding - it's really, really good. And super simple to make!
This would be fun to serve at a princess birthday party or for the Beauty and the Beast fanatic in your life. Or, on cupcakes just because.
"The Grey Stuff"
1 package instant vanilla pudding mix
1.5 cups whole or 2% milk
15 Oreos (not double stuff)
1 (8 ounce) tub whipped topping
3 tablespoons instant chocolate pudding mix
edible pearl sprinkles
In large mixing bowl, whisk together the vanilla pudding mix and milk. Let is cool in the fridge for 5-10 minutes.
In your food processor, blend the Oreos until they are a crumb consistency.
Remove the pudding from the fridge and mix in the crushed Oreos. Fold in the tub of whipped topping and blend well. Mix in the 3 tablespoons of chocolate pudding mix and stir well. It should now be a grey color!
Place in the fridge to chill at least another hour before serving topped with the edible pearls.
{to get the look that Disney uses, you need a cake decorating bag fitted with a star tip - Wilton 1M}
Source: The Disney Diner
Did you see the other Disney recipes already featured?
What a fun series, Aimee! I don't know the movie Beauty and the Beast that well, but I love your story about how "the grey stuff" made its way on the menu. Yours sounds really delicious! Thanks for sharing it with us at Saturday Night Fever :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Andi!
DeleteCute and very creative! I always watched that part and imagined it being sweet :-)
ReplyDeleteMe too! I saw an online "debate" about the grey stuff and some had in mind that it was something like liver pate - hilarious that people will debate anything! I'm a fan of this much more than pate!
DeleteThis is awesome! Beauty and the Beast is my favorite movie. If we ever have a Beauty and the Beast themed party, this would be a perfect item for the menu. :)
ReplyDeleteYes! Would be perfect for a party :)
DeleteI found you on Pinterest and am in love with this idea! B&B is one of my favorite movies (said every girl who's ever seen the movie). Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you found me!
DeleteThis looks and sounds fantastic. I can't wait to go home and try it! Thank you :)
ReplyDeleteLet me know if it works for you!
DeleteSince I practically lived in Disney this past fall, Be Our Guest was my favorite place to go(when you can get a reservation!) at MK. And the Masters Desserts (theres a cookie bar at Dinner and a delicious Cupcake at lunch) are my favorite, this recipe for "The Grey Stuff" is pretty close to the real deal and I could sit and eat it out of the bowl all night! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAh, I would love to live at Disney! :)
DeleteThe grey sruff has always been available. It was the birthday & anniversary dessert, and came out as a dollop, just like in the movie. However, demand for it caused the restaurant to introduce it as a dessert for purchase. But to say imagineers "overlooked" it is blatantly incorrect.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the Disney chefs, it was not originally on the menu and only was put on (in form of a treat for special occasions) after fans asked for it. I saw the head chef interviewed about it on The Travel Channel but he is also quoted in this article: http://www.insidethemagic.net/2012/11/closer-look-be-our-guest-restaurant-details-served-up-by-imagineer-and-chef-as-walt-disney-world-opens-new-fantasyland/. I'm not a castmember; just repeating what the powers that be said.
DeleteStuff*...my phone likes to do phantom typing.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the European equivalent of whipped topping? And the instant pudding, is that like Angel Delight?
ReplyDeleteThey now serve it on a brownie. Sooo good!
ReplyDeleteIs whipped topping the same thing as whipped cream?
ReplyDeleteYes! Like Cool Whip brand :)
DeleteWhen you crumble the oreos is that just the chocolate cookie part or the frosting too?
ReplyDeleteYou can do the whole cookie, as long as you're not using the double stuf version :)
DeleteYou know the grey stuff in the film Beauty and the Beast is actually Fois Grois, right? Goose liver paté. Its not a dessert. It is delicious, but its not a sweet treat.
ReplyDeleteI always thought the same thing when I watched Beauty and the Beast. Foie Gras, grey stuff that sounds disgusting but is supposedly delicious. I hear it's expensive which would make sense why they would be making it for their honored guest.
DeleteHowever I doubt people in the park would line up to eat fattened goose liver paté on a hot day. You'd have a lot of disappointed little kids, make it sweet and fluffy, that's just good marketing.
Yup! I think Disney surely knew that pate wouldn't go over well at a Magic Kingdom restaurant so they just created a sweet (very inexpensive) treat instead :)
DeleteSince the movie doesn't say, what makes you ask Aimee if she "know[s] the grey stuff in the film Beauty and the Beast is actually Fois Grois"? Is it in a commentary or something like that? Or is it your interpretation? Just curious.
DeleteSince modern fois grois is totally unethically made, I think this version is perfectly Disney. :) Thanks, Aimee!
-Erica
This tastes great! Ours was grey until we added the chocolate pudding mix. Maybe next time we will skip the chocolate pudding mix or add less of it so that we can keep the grey color.
ReplyDeleteif you look at the movie clip the "grey stuff" is on a plate with savory snacks. the grey stuff is probably pâté. Pâté makes sense as it is considered a wealthy delicacy - and would go quite well with the mini sausages, olive sandwich, and charcuterie on the plate.
ReplyDeleteHow far in advance can you make this?
ReplyDeleteWhat size of vanilla pudding mix do you use, 4 serving or 6 serving?
ReplyDeleteI made this tonight using this recipe but the pudding was super runny. I had to google how to thicken it up. I was making it for a special dinner. I ended up throwing it on the stove to heat up and then stuck it in the fridge again so it would thicken while it cools. It did the trick but it made the Oreos texture a bit weird after I heated it up.
ReplyDelete