Disney’s Festival of the Arts Mediterranean Flatbread recipe is a fun and simple way to enjoy a bit of Epcot’s late winter food festival at home. The full name of this flatbread is Mediterranean Flatbread with Za’atar Pesto, Artichokes, Roasted Peppers, Sundried Tomatoes and Fennel Cream and is served at the Mosaic Canteen in Morocco. Don’t let the long name worry you; almost all the ingredients are available premade. With the make ahead fennel cream this is a great weeknight dish.
Disney’s Festival of the Arts Mediterranean Flatbread Recipe: The Fennel Cream
Make the fennel cream the day ahead to make the Mediterranean Flatbread a weeknight breeze. Starting with one half of a fennel bulb your remove any bruised outer leaves. Then remove the hard core of the bulb. Roughly chop the fennel and and half a medium shallot. Add the chopped veggies into a food processor and pulse until very finely minced. Finely minced is important as a larger mince will clog a squeeze bottle or even a plastic bag later.
Next, heat a melt a half teaspoon of butter over medium heat in a heavy saucepan. Add the minced vegetables and cook until translucent and tender. Do not brown the veggies. Then, remove vegetables to a bowl and set aside. In same pan, melt an additional tablespoon of butter. Mix in a half tablespoon of flour to form a roux and cook until just barely golden. Do not brown.
Whisk in a quarter cup of white wine. Continue whisking until the roux is completely incorporated into the liquid and no lumps remain. Add one cup of sour cream cream and one half tablespoon of cream cheese. Stir until the cream cheese has melted thoroughly into the sauce.
Finally, return cooked vegetables to the pot and fold them into the cream sauce. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes or until the flavors have combined and the sauce is the desired consistency. It should be very thick. Refrigerate until needed.
Assembling Disney’s Festival of the Arts Mediterranean Flatbread
We purchased all the items we needed for the flatbread from a local grocery store with an exception of the Za’atar. Za’atar is a Mediterranean spice mixture that is becoming more popular in the United States. If it’s not available in your market you can purchase it online.
Bottled pesto, roasted peppers, artichoke hearts and sun dried tomatoes simplify this dish. To start, preheat the oven to 375. Put a pizza stone into the oven if you have one. Then mix six tablespoons of pizza with two of the za’atar. Spread the za’atar mixture over the naan bread.
Place the remaining ingredients except the fennel cream atop the bread.
Place the naan bread directly onto the pizza stone (if available) or onto a cookie sheet. Cook for 10 minutes or until the edges begin to crisp.
Pipe or drizzle the fennel cream over the flat bread. Cut into three pieces and serve.
Adjustments
We are a lactose free house and this recipe adjusts well. Lactose free butter and sour cream were used without any impact to the flavor.
Disney's Festival of the Arts Mediterranean Flatbread Recipe
Ingredients
Fennel Cream
- 1/2 Fennel Bulb chopped
- 1/2 Medium Shallot Chopped
- 1 1/3 tbsp Butter
- 1/2 tbsp Flour
- 1/4 cup Dry White Wine
- 1 cup Sour Cream
- 1/2 tbsp Cream Cheese Softened
- Salt and Pepper To Taste
Flat Bread
- 4 Naan Bread
- 6 tbsp Pesto
- 2 tbsp Za'atar
- 8 oz Artichoke Hearts
- 4 oz Roasted Red Peppers about 1/3 of a jar
- 4 oz Sun Dried Tomatoes about 1/3 of a jar
Instructions
Fennel Cream
- Remove any bruised outer leaves from fennel bulb and its tough core. Roughly chop fennel and shallot and transfer to food processor. Pulse until very finely minced.
- Heat a heavy sauce pot with 1/2 tsp butter over medium heat. Add minced vegetables and cook until translucent and tender, 3-5 minutes. Do not brown. Remove vegetables to a bowl and set aside.
- In same pan, add an additional tbsp of butter and melt. Mix in flour to form a roux and cook until just barely golden to remove doughy taste. Do not brown.
- Whisk in white wine and continue stirring until roux is completely incorporated into liquid and no lumps remain. Add half and half or cream and cream cheese and stir until cream cheese has melted thoroughly into sauce.
- Return cooked vegetables to pot and fold into cream sauce. to taste with salt and white pepper. Allow to simmer over low heat 10-15 minutes or until flavors have combined and sauce is desired consistency. It should be very thick. Remove from heat and cool,
Flatbread
- Preheat the oven to 375. Put a pizza stone into the oven if you have one.
- Mix the za'atar with the pesto. Spread the za’atar mixture over the naan bread. Place the remaining ingredients atop the bread. Place the naan bread directly onto the pizza stone (if available) or onto a cookie sheet. Cook for 10 minutes or until the edges begin to crisp.
- Pipe or drizzle the fennel cream over the flatbread. Cut into three pieces and serve.