The Disney Dish – Remembering Disney Teas at Disneyland’s Steakhouse 55

One of my favorite things to do at the Disneyland Resort is sadly a thing of the past. When I wasn’t spending my time in the parks, I absolutely loved having tea at the Disneyland Hotel’s Steakhouse 55 restaurant. So, when I found out that Steakhouse 55 would be closing permanently, saying that I was brokenhearted would be an understatement. Today is 2 years since my last tea-time visit to Steakhouse 55 so I thought I would take you on a trip down memory road with me to remember the good teas and treats during those special events. And… so things aren’t too sad, I’ll share some recipes so we can recreate the magic at home. 

Steakhouse 55 Teas

The specialty tea luncheons at the Disneyland Hotel’s upscale Steakhouse 55 were always popular with me and my friend group. The ladies and I loved the Halloween tea, which was themed to the Haunted Mansion. And the very last tea that was served at the restaurant in 2020 before closing permanently was my very favorite, a Cinderella tea.

I loved the different themed sandwiches, scones and desserts that they served. They had a regular tea and a premium tea which also included a salad, an alcoholic beverage such as champagne, and take-home truffles in a little box.

I thought it would be fun to recreate the Steakhouse 55 tea at home for my mom and call it a Galentine’s tea (a gals’ day to celebrate friendship)! Last week when I was in Trolley Treats, I bought different flavors of Disney’s Wonderland tea (mom had the Mad Tea Party blend and I had the Topsy Turvy) and some cute honey stir sticks. They come in different shapes but I thought the heart ones were perfect for the Galentine’s theme. I mimicked the truffles and bought some of my favorite champagne truffles from Teuschers. Fresh flowers are always a must on any tea table and Disney always had cute themed centerpieces.

I love to make most of my tea yummies from scratch including clotted cream, lemon curd, scones, sandwiches and dessert! Here are a few of my favorites!

Clotted Cream

It is very simple to make clotted cream but just time-consuming. I heat my oven to 200º F and take a half-gallon of NON-Ultra pasteurized heavy cream (I find it at Smart & Final from Alta Dena) and pour it into a 9×13 Pyrex dish and place in the oven for 8 hours.

Take it out, cover it with foil and chill in the fridge overnight. I used a slotted spoon to scrape the top butterfat layer (this is the clotted cream) and leave the liquid in the pan.

The leftover liquid can be used in cream-based soups. I mix the clotted cream in a bowl and then take it out 30 minutes before serving.

Mom’s Favorite Lemon Curd

Ingredients:

• 3 lemons
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 extra-large eggs
• 1/2 cup lemon juice (3 to 4 lemons)
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions:

• Using a carrot peeler, remove the zest of 3 lemons, being careful to avoid the white pith. Put the zest in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the sugar and pulse until the zest is very finely minced into the sugar.
• Cream the butter and beat in the sugar and lemon mixture. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined.
• Pour the mixture into a 2 quart saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly. The lemon curd will thicken at about 170 degrees F, or just below simmer. Remove from the heat and cool or refrigerate.

The BEST Mickey Scones!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cubed into pieces
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream plus more for brushing the tops
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

• Preheat oven too 400°F (204°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the cold cubed butter and use a pastry cutter or fork to cut it into the dry ingredients until you have small pea-sized crumbs.
• In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the heavy whipping cream, egg, and vanilla extract until fully combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. The mixture may be a little crumbly at this point, this is okay!
• Scoop the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and work it together in a ball, then flatten into a 7-inch circle. Cut the dough into 8 equal-sized pieces and place them on the prepared baking sheet, making sure to leave a little room between each one. I used a big Mickey cookie cutter and it made 6 scones.
• Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 5-10 minutes or until the scones are chilled.
• Brush the tops of each scone with a little heavy whipping cream. You can top them with coarse sugar if desired.
• Bake at 400°F (204°C) for 18-22 minutes or until the tops of the scones are lightly browned and cooked through.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Steakhouse 55 Cucumber Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 1/2 English cucumber, peeled and sliced with a mandolin
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• White vinegar
• 4 slices of white sandwich bread
• 8 oz onion and chive cream cheese spread

Instructions:

• Place cucumber slices and dill into a small ziplock bag. Cover cucumber with white vinegar and marinate for 20 minutes
• Spread the cream cheese on the sandwich bread. Arrange the cucumber slices slightly overlapping down the bread in two columns. Cut off the crusts of the bread and cut between the two columns of cucumbers. That’ll leave you with two open-faced cucumber sandwiches!

Coronation Chicken Sandwiches

Queen Elizabeth II just celebrated the 70^th anniversary of her ascension to the throne, so I thought I would honor her by making the same chicken salad sandwich recipe that was served after her Coronation ceremony.

Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2-3 tsp mild curry powder, to taste
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp Apricot preserves
• 2 cups shredded chicken

Instructions:

• Mix the mayo, curry powder, cinnamon, chutney and sultanas together and season with black pepper.
• Add the shredded chicken and stir to coat in the sauce. Stir in 2 tbsp water to loosen if needed, then season and serve as desired. I serve them on 2 slices of wheat bread, crusts cut off and sliced on the diagonal.

Mickey Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

Instructions:

• In a large bowl with an electric mixer (or using a stand mixer) beat butter until creamy.
• Add sugar, vanilla extract, and salt, and beat until completely combined.
• Gradually add flour until completely combined into butter mixture. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed so all flour is incorporated. Stir until combined, but try not to over-work the batter as this can warm it up and make it sticky/difficult to manage and make your resulting cookies tough.
• Use a spoon or spatula to work dough together into a ball and then transfer to a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper. Work into a disk then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 15-30 minutes.
• Once dough has nearly finished chilling, preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Once dough has finished chilling, transfer to a lightly floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll out to just over ¼” thickness. Use round, 2 ½” cookie cutter to cut into shapes. Use a spatula to transfer to prepared baking sheet.
• Space cookies at least 1″ apart. Bake in 350F (175C) oven for 15 minutes or until edges are just beginning to turn a light golden brown. Allow to cool completely on baking sheet

Oreo Truffles

Ingredients:

• 8 oz package cream cheese softened
• 36 chocolate sandwich cookies like Oreo (creme-filled sandwich cookie)
• 12 oz package light pink candy melts (I used a bag of white with a few red melts mixed in since they were out of pink.)
• Valentine’s nonpareils (optional)

Instructions:

• First, make the truffle filling. Crush the cookies into crumbs, using a bag and meat tenderizer, or a food processor.
• Add cream cheese and crushed cookies to a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until completely combined.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and form the mixture into one inch balls, then set on a baking sheet.
• Freeze truffles for 10-15 minutes.
• Read the instructions on how to melt the candy melts.  I usually melt candy melts (Wiltons or similar brand) in the microwave. But you can also melt candy over a double boiler
• Melt at 50% power. When the candy melts, it is ideally a smooth mixture.
• Line another baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Remove truffle balls from the freezer and dip into melted candy. I usually use a fork.
• Set on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and immediately top with sprinkles.

COPY (DELETE AFTER PASTING)

Let’s Hear From You

Do you have fond memories of Steakhouse 55 at the Disneyland Hotel? Did you ever attend any of the themed teas there? Do you think it’s time for Disneyland to bring back Steakhouse 55? I always love to hear from you in the comments!

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