I've never tried anything from Victoria and Albert's and boy, this recipe has me thinking I should save my pennies and give Walt Disney World's ultimate luxury dining experience a try.
Victoria and Albert's is located at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and is one of the most acclaimed restaurants not only in Walt Disney World, but central Florida. It has the highest luxury fine dining reviews on TripAdvisor and Yelp, and it's one of only three restaurants in all of Florida to have AAA's 5-Diamond Award. During your two hour experience, you have not just one, but two servers who work with each person individually to craft your own personal menu that's laid out over six courses. That is, unless you sit at the Chef's Table... Then you get your own Executive Chef who comes out and consults on your 11 course meal over three or four hours. No big deal, right?
Since dining here is slightly out of my price range, I was really excited to try a recipe from here. Not only did I want to get a taste of what the high rollers get to experience, I wanted the chance to practice some different techniques and just see if I was up to the challenge of making something that's fine dining-style, as opposed to homestyle.
I was really fascinated by this recipe because it wasn't what I expected, in the absolute best of ways. It ended up being a spectacular reminder that a few well-chosen, high quality ingredients prepared correctly can really knock your socks off.
As this is a cheese soup, my mind went immediately to perhaps the most famous cheese soup on property, and I expected this to be really similar. However, it could not be more different. Where the Cheddar Cheese Soup at Le Cellier is thick, creamy, and hearty, this soup is light, clean, and very thin. The texture is more like your traditional broth soup and not a thick cream. Designed to be a light soup course meal, this is a great alternative to people who love the flavor of that other cheddar soup, but not the heaviness. Honestly, and I was told it was sacrilegious to say this, I feel like this soup is actually better than Le Cellier's soup. While you could bulk it up with bacon for a taste that's both light and elevated, but slightly more hearty, I really think this soup is best appreciated as-is.
I think this recipe is a new favorite of mine and I wish I could do justice to describing the flavor. The sharpness from the beer is obvious, but it's tamed by the snap of the cheese and the creaminess of the cream, making it a really bold and not overwhelming flavor. While I can only have a bowl of the Le Cellier soup before feeling full, I ate a whole bowl of this and felt warmed, satisfied, but not heavy. It's so amazingly delicious and perfect as both a cold weather comfort, or a light introduction to a gorgeous, luxurious dinner.
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Roast Garlic and Gruyere Cream Soup
As is served at Victoria and Albert's, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort
°o° 4 tablespoons olive oil°o° 10 cloves of garlic, crushed and roughly chopped
°o° 1 small onion, chopped
°o° 3 stalks of celery, diced
°o° 1 leek, white part only, diced
°o° 4 cups chicken broth, not unsalted
°o° 6 ounces dark beer
°o° 1 cup heavy cream
°o° 1 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
In a large pot, warm olive oil. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned. Quickly add onion, celery, and leek and cook until tender and onion translucent. Stir constantly. Slowly add broth and bring to a rolling boil. Lower heat, add beer and heavy cream. Bring back to a low boil. Using an immersion blender, blend soup until thinned. Add cheese and stir until melted. Strain the soup, then return to the stove and warm gently, discarding strained and cooked vegetables.
Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and serve.
Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and serve.
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Your soup looks delicious! We haven't been to Victoria and Albert's yet, maybe someday :)
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