Go down the rabbit hole with more than 50 topsy-turvy recipes in ‘Alice in Wonderland: The Official Cookbook’
If you like to have mad tea parties, celebrate Unbirthdays, and think of as many as six impossible things before breakfast, the new “Alice in Wonderland: The Official Cookbook” is for you.
Photos courtesy of Disney and Insight Editions
The new Disney cookbook is themed after the beloved 1951 animated film following Alice’s adventures in the topsy-turvy world of Wonderland. Penned by Elena Craig and S.T. Bende, the cookbook also features a forward by actress and “Alice” superfan Ashley Eckstein.
The cookbook includes more than 50 recipes, including recreations of dishes from the film as well as ones inspired by Wonderland characters, locales, and scenes.
There’s Growth Potion, which is made with pineapple juice and cream soda and topped with whipped cream and a drop of cherry filling. The recipe for Unbirthday Par-tea Cupcakes includes instructions for edible candles and serving them in colorful tea cups to celebrate your 364 unbirthdays this year.
Other recipes include A-E-I-O Soup, Painting the Roses Red Pavlova, Tweedledee and Tweedledum Brownie Cake Pops, Ocean of Tears Blue Drink, Queen of Hearts Tomato Tart, and more.
Authors Craig and Bende said the cookbook is crafted like “a culinary tour” of Wonderland, inviting home chefs on an adventure through London, Down the Rabbit Hole, Ocean of Tears, Tugley Wood, A Mad Tea Party, and The Red Queen’s Kingdom.
“For London, Elena (Craig) captured the essence of Alice’s idyllic English meadow in our Lazy Daisies Garden Quiche,” the authors said in an email to Attractions. “She brought out the prim and proper perfection of traditional English dishes in Curiously Cornish Pasties and Perfectly Potted Cheese – a recipe that incorporates an old-fashioned preservation technique Alice’s family might have used to prepare their own cheese for a picnic!”
Bende also highly recommends the Curiouser and Curiouser Chocolate-Covered Digestive Cookies, which are inspired by her memories of falling in love with this type of cookie during her time in England.
The authors also drew a lot of inspiration from the colors and textures of “Alice in Wonderland” as well as incorporating ingredients common during Alice’s day (the mid-1800s).
“The mushroom is an iconic ‘Wonderland’ symbol, so we made a point to incorporate mushrooms throughout the book – whether in the recipes themselves or by forming dishes into the shape of mushrooms,” the authors said.
Many of the recipes feature bright and bold colors and cooking methods to preserve their color.
“We wove our regional themes into the dishes, using blue spirulina (sea-dwelling algae) in the Ocean of Tears Blue Drink,” the authors said. “We played with era-appropriate techniques whenever possible (the Fanciful Fruit Shrubs are a nod to the way fruit would have been preserved for dressings, drinks, and sauces back in Alice’s day!)”
There’s even an homage to C.S. Lewis (the author of the “Alice” stories) and his poem “How Doth the Little Crocodile,” which appears in the second chapter of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” The Crocodile Golden Scale Beets is a bright and tangy salad or side dish featuring golden-orange beets.
“And, of course, we tried to capture the essence of ‘Alice’ in each of our introductions, pulling quotes, phrases, and that all-important air of whimsy to pay tribute to our very curious friend,” the authors said.
“Alice in Wonderland: The Official Cookbook” from Disney and Insight Editions is available now wherever you buy books.
Disney also recently released a new “Official Disney Parks Cookbook” that includes recipes from park festivals, resort hotels, and more.
