With California Grill closing for refurbishment soon, we thought we would re-post this Take Out article – so you can still have the restaurants famous signature dish at home.  Enjoy!

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There is nothing we enjoy more than sitting down to a beautiful meal in a restaurant.  With so much going on in life – work, children, bills – it’s nice to be fussed over.  We also understand that eating out is expensive and occasionally it’s difficult to pay for food that can be made at home.  You certainly don’t need to be a chef to create stunning food.  Here we’ll give you the chance to bring to your table the best Disney appetizers, entrees, and desserts.  And no, you will not need an ADR.  

We’ll share with you what the ingredients cost at home, and compare it to what you would pay at Disney Parks.  Yes, there is a little more work involved. We’re sure you’ll be thrilled with the results.  

Please note:  Unless otherwise noted, our cooking is based on 2 people.  Unfortunately, our 8 month old daughter can’t handle the Disney portions (yet).  With few exceptions, the ingredients will result in having leftover product to use for another dinner.   We don’t want to be presumptuous about how many people you are feeding, or how much they all eat, so all recipes are pretty basic.  You can tweak accordingly.  Along the way, we are going to add our own touches, and you can too.  That is one of the small joys of cooking at home.  

Now, let’s eat. 

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California Grill’s Grilled Pork Tenderloin with roasted mushrooms, goat cheese polenta, Zinfandel glaze and crispy sage

The California Grill dining room sits atop Disney’s Contemporary Resort.  The restaurant  claims one of the most stunning views at Disney World and is complimented by its wonderful menu.  Guests enjoy the birds-eye view of Magic Kingdom, Seven Seas Lagoon, and the surrounding area while enjoying amazing flat-breads, some of the best Sushi in the United States, and a phenomenal list of entrees.

Considered to be one of the top-tier dining experiences at Disney World, it can be a strain on the pocket-book.  Let’s take a look at their signature entree: the grilled pork tenderloin with roasted mushrooms, goat cheese polenta, zinfandel glaze, and crispy sage.  The Price: $37

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Our ingredients were purchased at Publix in Windermere. We are trusting that you will not need to purchase butter, cooking oils, salt, and pepper. 

You’ll need:

• Pork tenderloin ($11.45 – two loins, will have leftovers)
• Mushrooms ($3.49 – wild mushroom mix)
• Corn meal ($1.99 – 1 container, will have leftovers)
• Fresh sage ( $1.99 – one package, will have leftovers)
• Goat cheese ($2.99 – one package, will have leftovers)
• Heavy cream ($2.49 – small carton, will have leftovers)
• Table Zinfandel ($5 – save a glass for you, but only a glass.)

Total Price for all ingredients: $29.40.  $8 less than what you’d shell out at the Grill.  You can easily feed 4-5 people for this price – with leftovers.  Invite your friends.  Tell them to bring Zinfandel – you’re using yours to make sauce.

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For the polenta…

1 cup diced white onion
1 head garlic, diced and sautéed
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups corn meal
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh herbs-equal parts thyme, rosemary, sage, and chives (if using dried herbs, cut proportions in half).
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Bring water and cream to a boil. Whisk in corn meal slowly, stirring until thick and bubbling. Continue to stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let thicken for 5 minutes.

Pour mixture into a pan and bake at 275 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and fold in cheeses and herbs. Add salt and pepper and pour into a crock to serve.

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To sage or not to sage…

To fry the sage, simply heat oil on medium heat.  If it bubbles when you put the sage in, the oil is ready.  Fry individual sage leaves for 10-15 seconds and place on paper towel to drain.  Will crisp as they dry.  Reserve for later.

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Mushrooms…

Toss your mushrooms with oil (Maybe that left-over truffle oil from the Mushroom Filet recipe – but canola or olive will do, too), salt and pepper.  Toss some chopped herbs in there, too.  That will taste good.  Roast at 400 until soft and yummy. Easy, right?

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Protein…

We rubbed our pork in mustard and fresh herbs (yes, they do it at the Grill) and seared it in a cast iron skillet.  After it was beautiful browned on all sides, toss it in the over – set it to 400 for this – for about 15 minutes to cook to medium.  Cook longer if you like your pork well done.

It’s had a rough journey, so let it rest after you take it out of the hot-box.  You’ll thank us when the juices have gone back inside the meat.

Cut three 2-3 inch slices per serving.

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You so saucy….

Grab your cheapo bottle of Zinfandel – you can drink the one your friends brought over.  Put it in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil and drop heat to medium.  Reduce by half.  Add some butter to smooth it out – oh, and don’t forget the pan drippings from the pork you just pulled out of the oven.  Sauce done.

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Plating…

Who am I to tell you how to plate your dinner?  If you want it to look the same as the California Grill version – and isn’t that the point here – place a scoop of polenta on the plate.  Your three pieces of pork are going to sit on top.  Mushrooms and sage in the middle.  Pour your sauce around.

We paired it with the Pepperwood Grove Pinot Noir – $6.99 a bottle – a little dry, but serious body.  The smoky notes in the wine along with the raspberry and cherry tones complimented the herby pork and rich polenta.

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Eat…

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Note: just as a reference, here is what the original from California Grill looks;