I didn't mean to do two breakfast recipes this week...  And I didn't mean to do yet another recipe from Disney's Polynesian Village Resort...  Yet, here we are.  I can't help it.  I love that resort and I adore their food options.  What other place has more classic dining experiences under one roof than Disney's Polynesian Village Resort?  Dole Whips, chicken wings, welcome bread...  It's all amazing!  But what food-related profile of Disney' Polynesian Village Resort would be complete without mentioning possibly the most famous, the most sought after, the most coveted breakfast of all?

That's right...  Tonga toast.

Oh, Tonga toast...  Let's talk about the fanatical, devoted fanbase that people have for Tonga pineapple pancakes and Tonga toast.  You wake up to that smell every morning?  You just have to have it.  You can't blame them for being practically obsessed with it.  And the people not at the Polynesian?  Let's just say I've seen some insane daily plans from people, plans that involve getting up super early, taking multiple buses, or walking a mile just so they can get to the Polynesian to have their slice of Tonga toast.  It's no joke people...  Tonga toast is a big thing.
toast.  The Run Disney runners are obsessed with it because it's a bounty of perfect race foods...  Bananas, carb-loaded toast, heaping piles of sugar.  I think Kona Cafe becomes on par with Be Our Guest during race weekends in terms of how hard it is to get a reservation.  Runners want their Tonga toast.  Guests at Disney's Polynesian Village resort are equally as obsessed with the stuff.  How can they not be? Every morning the only smell that hits you in the lobby is

I didn't get the magic of the Tonga toast until I stayed at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort for the second time.  On our last day, my mom had ordered it at Kona and I tried a bite.  That one bite left me hooked.  It was sweet banana heaven on a plate (my mom didn't like it...  She's not a fan of French toast...  I know, she's crazy).  I very nearly regretted ordering the pineapple pancakes instead.  Nearly...  I'm obsessed with pineapple.

Anyway, this is like an eggless banana-stuffed french toast meets sweet Monte Cristo sandwich.  Banana is stuffed in bread, deep fried until golden, drenched with sugar and cinnamon and served warm, sometimes with syrup, sometimes without.  Occasionally people get a strawberry puree drizzle on top and I've seen one strange soul claim that ketchup (?!) on it is the bomb.

This recipe made my mouth and my tummy so happy (then immediately made it sad again because I'm on a diet for the Wine and Dine Half Marathon and sugar coated toast isn't part of the training plan).  This tastes exactly, to the smallest detail, exactly like what they serve at Kona Cafe.  Sweet, warm, banana so warm it's gooey, crunchy, and just plain good.  It smells like heaven, it tastes like heaven.  Put a blindfold on me and turn on some tropical music and I'd tell you I was sitting in a gorgeous tropical-themed lobby of one of my favorite resorts getting ready to grab a monoral for a day at EPCOT.

The morning before the half marathon in November, I have a breakfast scheduled at Kona for 7:30.  I'm going to go, load up my plate, and eat this like I'm about to run 13.1 miles and not regret a bite of it.  I can't remember a recipe that's made me this antsy to get back to Walt Disney World as this one has.        

~~~~  °o°  ~~~~

Tonga Toast

As is served at Kona Cafe and Capt. Cook's, Disney's Polynesian Village Resort

 

°o°  1 cup granulated sugar  
°o°  2 teaspoons cinnamon  

°o°  1 loaf sourdough bread, sliced into 2 inch thick pieces  

°o°  2 bananas, peeled, cut in half crosswise, then sliced lengthwise  

°o°  canola oil  

Mix sugar and cinnamon until completely blended in a large, flat bowl or dish.  Set aside.

Take the thick-sliced sourdough bread and cut in the middle, but not all the way through, making a hot dog-bun like cut.  On one side, scrape out a very small amount of bread, but do not scrape all the way through (you're creating a small well).  Stuff with 3 pieces of banana.  Set aside.

Add enough oil for frying to a deep pot or pan and heat until 350.  Add stuffed bread to oil and fry for 1 minute.  Carefully flip and fry the other side an additional minute.  Carefully remove and allow extra oil to run off, then place the toast in the cinnamon and sugar mixture.  Coat liberally on both sides with cinnamon and sugar.  Put on a wire rack or paper towel to drain for 1 minute.  Repeat process with other stuffed toast pieces.

Serve warm with maple syrup, strawberry drizzle, fresh fruit, or as a stand-alone meal.    
=

~~~~  °o°  ~~~~

Unknown

 

So I know that practically every Disney blogger has their own version of the make-at-home Dole Whip...  Which is funny, because if you really, really wanted to make the real deal at home, the mix is widely available online for purchase.  In fact, I think many would say that the last thing the Disney universe needs is another DIY Dole Whip recipe. 

Yet, here I am, sharing my version.  And it's not exactly complicated...  I dare say, I'm not the first, last, or only person who's come up with this particular technique to make Dole Whips, though I can say honestly that I did come up with it on my own through experimentation (which isn't saying much, this is so simple I feel a little silly for even sharing it).

Now, this begs the answer to the obvious question "if you can make the real stuff by just ordering the mix, why don't you do that?"  Well, simply put, the mix comes in a bag that makes 70 servings.  While I know you don't make them all at once, I would have a hard time figuring out how exactly to store a bag that presumably weighs several pounds so that I can make Dole Whips on demand from now until the end of time.  Because even I, who could have Dole Whips every day, wouldn't even begin to know what to do with so much mix.

The other issue, and I know this sounds ludicrous, is that I think when it comes to making ice cream, I'm jinxed.  Something always goes wrong.  Either the drum isn't frozen all the way or I don't have enough ice or it doesn't set right...  So spending $25, plus shipping, to ruin 70 servings of Dole Whip mix just sounds like the opposite of fun to me.  I'm not opposed to fine-tuning my ice cream skills, but not with something that costs so much and makes so much.

Finally, it's a lot cheaper and easier to buy a bag of frozen pineapples and try to
make a Dole Whip out of that than the options above.  In the end, what's cheaper and easier usually is what wins out for me.  Like I said before, this is so easy it's stupid.

For my version, I use my handy, dandy Yonanas machine.  For those who don't have one, no fear...  A good blender can do roughly the same thing with maybe a slightly less creamy texture (seeing as I do not have a good blender, I can't really compare the results between the two...  My blender stinks, so whatever I get would be much waterier).  That said, I really encourage checking out a Yonanas machine though, especially if you're into clean or healthy eating and struggle with giving up sweet treats.  I've put everything from bananas to smoothie mixes through to make really great, healthy dessert options, and there are so many great recipes out there...  Besides mine, I mean.

The only thing I sometimes switch up when I make my Dole Whips is the whipped

topping.  The real deal Dole Whips are vegan friendly with no dairy, so I suppose

the most authentic way to serve this is without the whipped topping.  I, however, like a really creamy texture, so I like to add the whipped topping.  It's all personal taste, and personally, I think it tastes more like the real deal with the whipped topping.  But if you're a purist, skip the whipped topping and I promise, you'll still be in heaven.  The consistency is light, though admittedly not as light as the in-park soft serve, but close enough for me. 

Now, on with the recipe.  Seriously, it's insanely easy.  Nobody throw anything at me for posting this.  I did warn everybody.  It's easy.  Embarrassingly easy.  Don't make me write how to make this a Dole Whip Float...  Just put pineapple juice in a glass and scoop some of this on top.  Easy.  Super, duper easy.

I'd be ashamed to post my Citrus Swirl recipe because that's even easier.

~~~~  °o°  ~~~~

 Dole Whip

Inspired by the Dole Whips served at Aloha Isle and Captain Cook's at The Polynesian Village Resort

 

°o°  1 16-ounce bag of Dole frozen pineapple chunks
°o°  1/2 cup whipped topping (optional)

°o°  Water (if using a blender)

Remove pineapple chunks from freezer.  Allow to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.

Using a Yonanas machine, feed the pineapple chunks into the chute.  Using the

plunger, push through the feeder into a bowl.  Disassemble unit and scrape out remaining whipped pineapple.  

If desired, mix in whipped topping until thoroughly blended.  Serve immediately.
 

If using a blender, add pineapple into the blender and blend on puree, adding water slowly in a thin stream while the blender is running as needed, to achieve desired consistency.

~~~~  °o°  ~~~~

 

I warned everybody, this was ridiculously easy.

 

Unknown