December 07, 2009

Disneyland's Blue Bayou Gumbo

Yum

So here's the deal. I got Disney's Blue Bayou Gumbo recipe. Yeah that Disney, and yeah that Blue Bayou. Whoa, right? Long story short, I have it. It tweaked it down to the correct proportions because they make it in HUGE batches all day. I had to cut it down by 8 or 12.


This is superb gumbo. The best I've ever had at a restaurant, at least. I know you're thinking "Seriously? Disneyland?" but yes! It's really just that good. And now you'll know how to cook it yourself. There are two styles of cooking it, so experiment with both. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.


Disneyland's Blue Bayou Gumbo

Yield: A lot!
Ingredients

  • 2 ounces roux (¼ cup room-temperature butter and ¼ cup flour - see note and instructions)
  • 1 cup (2 medium) yellow onions, cut into ¼-inch dice
  • 1 cup celery, cut into ¼-inch dice
  • 2 quarts (8 cups) chicken stock
  • 1 cup (12 ounces) cut okra
  • 12 ounces meat (chicken and/or andouille sausage and/or shrimp)
  • 1 6-ounce can diced tomatoes
  • ¼ teaspoon white pepper AND 1/3 teaspoon cayenne pepper (OR 1 tsp. cajun seasoning replaces both)
  • 1 teaspoon gumbo file
  • 1 tablespoon salt, divided use (OR to taste)
  • 2 cups cooked rice
  • optional: 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided use
  • optional: ¾ pound green bell pepper, cored, seeded, cut into ¼-inch dice
  • optional: 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • optional: 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
Cooking Directions
    Two ways to cook:

    Directions 1 (the Disney way - how un-imagineering, if you ask me)

  1. Place room-temperature butter in a small saute pan or saucepan over very low heat. Slowly whisk in flour until very smooth. Continue whisking until the roux is the color you desire (blond to brown).
  2. Add the onion and celery. Cook for 5 minutes.
  3. Add the stock and make sure the roux is dissolved completely. Simmer for 10 minutes.
  4. Add remaining ingredients (except file and salt) and return to a simmer. Adjust salt to taste.
  5. If you are adding seafood, add it at the very end and make sure it is completely cooked.
  6. Add file. Mix well and serve over rice.

  7. Directions 2 (the non-Disney way)

  8. Place room-temperature butter in a small saute pan or saucepan over very low heat. Slowly whisk in flour until very smooth. Continue whisking until the roux is the color you desire (blond to brown).
  9. In a large pot, heat half of the oil over medium heat, add half of the okra and saute until light brown and slimy looking. Add onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic and andouille. Saute until the vegetables become translucent. Be careful not to burn.
  10. Add the diced tomatoes, white pepper/cayenne pepper or Cajun seasoning and ¾ tablespoon of the salt. Mix well.
  11. Add roux to the chicken stock. Whisk until the roux is completely dissolved. Mix chicken stock/roux mixture with vegetables. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let simmer 10 minutes. Stir frequently so the gumbo doesn't burn into the bottom of the pot.
  12. In a saute pan, heat remaining oil over medium heat. Add chicken and remaining salt. Saute until the chicken is cooked through and slightly brown. Add the rest of the okra and cook until hot.
  13. Drain well, add to the gumbo. Add/cook seafood. Add the file. Mix well. To serve, divide rice evenly among bowls (a couple of tablespoons per bowl) and ladle gumbo over rice. Garnish with parsley.
And there you have it. If you liked this, I'm sure you'll like all the other things we have in store here. Feel free to come back often and subscribe to the updates on our culinary journey of discovery.

20 comments:

  1. I literally wish I could go to Disneyland JUST for the gumbo. Thank you!!!

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  2. Do you mean this feeds 8-12?

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  3. It could feed 8-12, but it more likely will feed 4-6. Let me know what you think!

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  4. I have to tell you - I LOVE this recipe. It feeds our family of four twice, and it really is just like Disney. I even make sourdough bowls to go with it. :) I think I have made it over five times since December and it is always a hit. My friends are always asking me for the recipe and I send them here. I do it the Disney way and cheat a bit with frozen veggies so the total time this takes me from start to finish is only about 30 to 40 minutes. Thank you for sharing this recipe!! We love it!!

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  5. Thank you, Jessica. I love that you've come back to it again and again and are making it your own. It's personally one of my favorite recipes, and I don't get around to having it enough. Great job on cutting down the total cook time too!

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  6. I just made this last night, for some reason mine came out pale colored and watery, not thick at all. I added every thing on the recipe and did it correctly I think...any reason why this could be happening?

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  7. Hi Megan. If you're looking for a thicker gumbo, I might suggest letting it simmer longer or decreasing the amount of chicken stock that is added. Let me know if I can help any further.

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  8. I cant wait to try this! i love the gumbo at the blue bayou i will go there JUST for their gumbo although the resturant has other good food and beautiful on the inside but its like $80 for two people to eat. I love disneyland though so oh well but thanks again!

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  9. I can't have the okra, can I make this without it? Is there something I should substitute instead?

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    1. Okra doesn't really do anything but add some texture. Doesn't taste like much. You'll probably be fine leaving it out.

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  10. Came out way too watery. I am going to cut the amount of chicken stock in half

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  11. I have made this for special gatherings & is always a hit. Fresh okra is rare where I live, so I use frozen. It also works well to substitue beef stock for chicken stock, & swap the chicken for some top round steak. I use Rice a Roni Dirty Rice. Easy to make gluten-free with Red Mill flour.

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  12. Has anyone here had success with reducing the amount of stock? I'm going to try this recipe for the first time on valentines day. Thank you

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  13. After eating at Blue Bayou over the holidays, my hubby just begged me to try to make gumbo at home. I was so excited to find this recipe and am thrilled to say it was a huge hit! I doubled the recipte for our family of 4 (which includes two young daughters who really don't eat much) and glad I did. It was amazing and it allowed for leftovers - YUM! Many thanks.

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  14. Hi Disneyphiles! I’m not very experienced at cooking, but can follow recipes okay. Can someone clarify for the Disney Way if the meat (chicken, sausage) needs to be cooked first? Appreciate it!

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  15. Hi Paul! No need to pre-cook the meat. It'll cook with everything else. Enjoy!

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  16. From what I. Can find, there’s no such thing as a 6 Oz can of diced tomatoes. Am I to use the standard 14.5 Oz can?

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  17. There are no tomatoes in gumbo.

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  18. If you’re looking for Disneyland gumbo at home, this recipe sadly missed the mark. While it was still good (we used chicken as the meat), it just tasted like a chicken and rice soup. For anybody wanting to try it for themselves, this recipe calls for way too much broth. Disney’s gumbo has a thick broth and this recipe is way too runny. Also, I’d recommend beef broth instead of chicken broth. The color of this gumbo was light whereas Disney’s is dark. I’d also use sausage instead of chicken. I plan to try again with these tweaks.

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