A few weeks ago 16 chefs from some of Central Florida’s best restaurants accepted a unique challenge for the second annual Appetite for the Arches fundraiser. The concept? Use McDonald’s ingredients to create a signature dish all benefitting the Ronald McDonald House Charities.
We were lucky to be among 500 guests sampling gourmet creations such as filet of fish tacos and fried chicken terrine with truffled egg puree, each served with a wine pairing. Additionally, mixologists from Cask & Larder and The Ravenous Pig prepared signature cocktails with McDonald’s ingredients. Here’s what we tasted and enjoyed over the course of the evening!
Cask & Larder’s Old Fashioned: Made with Hazelnut Syrup and Cherries from McDonald’s. Really strong, but my better half thoroughly enjoyed this libation.
The Coop’s Bacon Wrapped Meatball: Sitting atop a bed of fluffy mashed potatoes, using a variety of ingredients straight from the golden arches.
The Rusty Spoon’s Deviled Egg: Topped with a smidge of bacon and filled with creamy goodness.
Four Seasons Resort Gelato: Served from an adorable ice cream truck of sorts, this luxury resort served up two flavors of gelato – Orange “Hi-C” and Hot and Crispy Apple Pie, made from the Hi-C drink and McDonald’s flaky apple pie, respectively.
And because we didn’t get enough golden arches in our life, the following morning we were treated to some bundt cakes courtesy of McDonald’s. Both the chocolate and coffee cake bundts are baked fresh in-house daily in McDonald’s kitchens. And at 300 calories and $1.99 for both bundts, you can totally afford that McCafé latte. Come one, how can you resist these morsels of baked mini goodness?
Big thanks to McDonald’s for a weekend of yumminess!
Photo Credits: RMHC, bundt cake photo owned by Spork