I'm sure everybody has seen the picture of the mac-and-cheese and bacon topped cones that were posted on The Disney Food Blog last week.  They went viral on Pinterest, Walt Disney World food sites, even mainstream media (People Magazine had an article about them!).  The indulgent decadence of these cones fascinated everybody and people were scrambling to figure out how to get them in the parks.

Served only at the food kiosk within Hollywood Studio's "Fantasmic!," apparently these cones were a feature all summer at only that one location.  Despite having choice between bacon topped mac-and-cheese and "Fiesta Chili Cheese," these flew under everybody's radar for almost three months before they were discovered.  And, in a cruel twist of fate, only days after they were featured at The Disney Food Blog, they were quietly removed from the menu...  Meaning just as the cone was going viral and their demand was about to skyrocket, they were retired.  According to one cast member it was simply due to the lack of demand.  It wasn't until after their photo went viral that people started clamoring for them.  Oh macaroni and cheese cone, you were gone too soon!

I've been flooded with requests on how to make these cones in the last few weeks, from people who aren't getting to Disney in the near future, to people who went and sadly found they had just missed their chance to order it.  Believe it or not, I actually got a Tweet from somebody sitting in Fantasmic! saying "At Fantasmic now. They're not here anymore! Help @orangebirdswirl! Tell me you have the recipe! I NEED THIS!!!!!!!!!"

Well, first the bad news.  These cones?  They're not made on property.  That's right...  They're this company.  The good news?  I've got a relatively easy way to do a version of it at home.  While not officially what they serve at Walt Disney World or Disneyland (where you can still find versions these cones), it's pretty close.  To say they were a huge smash hit in my house is an understatement.
ordered in from, as best as I can tell,

Today I'll share a "how to" for the cones, then Wednesday I'll share the recipe for the bacon mac-and-cheese (using a version that was once on the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater) and chili on Thursday.

My only tip is to make sure you allow enough time for it to rise while it's sitting on the cones.  If you don't, it will be a bit chewy.  Secondly, these are best warm.  Serve them fresh out of the oven or re-warm them in the oven or toaster oven.  Otherwise they're a bit chewy regardless of how long they were rising for.

So, no need to mourn the loss of the mac-and-cheese cone...  Ok, that's not true.  Mourn away.  I know I am.

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Bread Cones

In the style of what's served at the Cozy Cone Motel, Disneyland, and the Fantasmic! Concession Stand, Disney's Hollywood Studios

 

°o°  2 bags of premade pizza dough, thawed  
°o°  1 egg, beaten  

°o°  Salt, to taste  

Remove dough from freezer bags and allow dough to rise about 45 minutes to an hour.  

While the dough is rising, using stiff cardstock, roll cardstock into a large cone.  Use a staple to secure the top of the cone (don't staple the bottom, it'll crush the cone) and trim excess paper.  Wrap with aluminum foil, folding the ends of the aluminum foil over the edge of the cone (to prevent the scorching of the paper).   Repeat with 5 additional pieces of paper, making a total of 6 cones, covering all with foil.  Spray liberally with non-stick spray.

After dough has risen, punch down and cut each dough ball into three equal pieces (you will have 6 pieces of dough all together after cutting both balls of dough).  Working with one piece at a time on a very lightly floured surface, roll dough into a long, even, dough rope.  Lightly press the dough rope so it is slightly flattened.  Beginning at the pointed end of the foil cone, wrap up the cone, making sure that the dough touches or very lightly overlaps over each coil.  Tuck the end in on itself after coiling up the cone.  Pinch the pointy end of the roll to seal shut.  If desired, press and smooth the dough so that is thin and even up the cone.

Stand the cones, point side up, on two foil lined baking sheets.  Repeat with the remaining portions of dough.  Cover and allow dough to rise again about 30-45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

After dough has risen again slightly, brush each with the beaten egg wash and dust with a pinch

of salt.  Lay them on their sides of greased baking sheets for baking.  Bake in a 350 degree oven until done and the cone is a golden brown color, about 25-30 minutes (but start checking at about 15-20 minutes...  It browns quickly!).  Remove from oven and allow to cool on the cones for about 2 minutes.  Carefully remove and serve immediately.

Stuffing ideas include mac-and-cheese, chili, scrambled eggs, salad, cheesesteak, shrimp, or seasoned ground beef.

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I've never actually made beef bourguignon before, but it was been something I wanted to try after watching "Julie & Julia."  It looked like a combination of simple flavors, paired with simple techniques and patience with the ultimate payoff of a great dish with complex flavors.  After discovering a Disney recipe for it, I knew I just had to give it a shot.

This recipe didn't disappoint.  The meat melted in my mouth like butter and the flavors were just out-of-this-world...  I even overcame my hatred of mushrooms. And it was really neat to prepare and eat a dish with history to it, both in Walt Disney World and the culinary world in general.  At Disney, this dish used to be one of the top offerings in the most exclusive of restaurants.  Everywhere from Chef Mickey's to the Food and Wine Festival served a version of this dish.  Perhaps the most famous version was found at King Stefan's Banquet Hall.  In the 90's, King Stefan's was the signature dining experience to end all dining experiences at Disney.  Located in Cinderella's Castle, the menu was made up of all sorts of fancy, signature meals and the beef bourguignon was the top of that list.

Today, King Stefan's is long gone, having been replaced by Cinderella's Royal Table, and beef bourguignon has also largely filtered off the menus around Walt Disney World.  While it does still make a yearly appearance at the Food and Wine Festival and occasionally it appears as a seasonal dish at various restaurants, it's not the staple it once was on the menus at Disney.

While I get that it's a somewhat dated dish, more vintage 80's than modern and innovative, it's a

shame because this dish is easy to make, has a surprisingly complex flavoring, and has a very home-style feel to it which makes it satisfying in a way that some modern dishes just aren't.

Now, I know there's somebody reading right now and wondering if I made a typo...  "Wait, in Cinderella's Castle, there was a restaurant called 'King Stefan's Banquet Hall?'  Isn't King Stefan Princess Aurora's father?  Why would Sleeping Beauty's father have a restaurant in Cinderella's Castle?"  Well, this did create a lot of confusion (which is why I think the restaurant ultimately was renamed to "Cinderella's Royal Table"), but the answer is surprisingly simple and has a degree of amazing historical accuracy to it.  Many believe that the reason the restaurant was named King Stefan's Banquet Hall was because it was a regal sounding name to fit with the regal surroundings of the castle.  Because Cinderella's father was unnamed and even Prince Charming's true name was a mystery, the best the Imagineers could come up with was to name the castle restaurant after King Stefan of "Sleeping Beauty" fame.  But the Disney Imagineers are pretty clever people...  It doesn't make sense that this was "the best" they could come up with.

Well, the real reason the restaurant in Cinderella's Castle was named after King Stefan is because historically castles had multiple banquet halls, a main banquet hall for the day-to-day festivities, then banquet halls for visiting royalty.  These banquet halls were often named after the rulers of the neighboring allied kingdom's ruler.  For example, King Henry VIII had a banquet hall named after the King of Spain to denote the close relationship he had with the family of his first wife, Queen Katherine of Aragon.  It was a tribute and an offering that showed that, should the rulers/representatives of that castle come to visit, that they should feel welcomed.  A regal "my home is your home" gesture.  By having a banquet hall dedicated to King Stefan at Cinderella's Castle, it's an acknowledgment that the kingdom where Cinderella lives (Walt Disney World) is allied with the kingdom where Princess Aurora resides (Disneyland).  It was the subtle tie between the two parks and a sweet tip-of-the-hat from the newer park to the original park.

Knowing that, it's kind of a bummer the name got changed!

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Beef Bourguignon

As was served at Chef Mickey's, Disney's Contemporary Resort, King Stefan's Castle, Magic Kingdom, and Food and Wine Festival, EPCOT

 

°o°  3 tablespoons olive oil  
°o°  2 pounds beef tips, cut into cubes  

°o°  1 1/2 cups onion, diced  

°o°  1 cup fresh crimini mushrooms  

°o°  1 cup button mushrooms  

°o°  2 tablespoons flour  

°o°  3 tablespoons tomato paste  

°o°  1 1/2 cup red wine  

°o°  1 tablespoon Kosher salt  
°o°  1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground  

°o°  2 bay leaves  

°o°  1 cup beef broth 

°o°  4 tablespoons butter

°o°  Rice, noodles, potatoes, or bread (to serve under the beef)  

  

Heat olive oil in a an and sear beef tips on sides, about 10 minutes.  Add onions, mushrooms, flour, tomato paste and stir to combine.  Cook 5 minutes to bring up to temperature, just under boiling/simmering.  Add wine to deglaze the pan, scraping browned bits off the bottom of the pan.  Add salt and pepper, bay leaves, and beef broth.  Bring to temperature again.

Lower heat to low so that liquid goes to a simmer.  Cover and simmer on low for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so.  

After 45 minutes to an hour, or when meat is fork tender, remove from heat and stir in butter until totally melted.  Serve immediately over rice, noodles, mashed potatoes, or bread.  Remove bay leaves before serving.

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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.        

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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.    
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I've heard a lot about the breakfast pizza at Chef Mickey's...  Next to Mickey Waffles and Dole Whips, the breakfast pizza is one of the most talked about "must have" foods at Walt Disney World.  While certainly most commonly attached to Chef Mickey's, I can say that I've also seen it in various forms at Tusker House, Crystal Palace, and other breakfast buffets.  That said, I can't say I've ever tried it...  I don't know, I like eggs (but they're not my favorite) and I enjoy pizza, but something about it just didn't seem to pair well.  Clearly, I didn't get what the fascination was and I was OK with that.

My son, however, talks about when he went to Chef Mickey's and had breakfast pizza with the same enthusiasm that people reserved for when they met The Beatles.  There were three things he could share about his trip...  He went to Animal Kingdom Lodge, he saw lots of animals, and he had breakfast pizza with Mickey at Chef Mickey's.  Could he remember what rides he did?  Nope.  Did he remember which parks he saw?  Nope.  The characters he saw?  Kind of.  Where he ate? To listen to him talk, it was Chef Mickey's and breakfast pizza the whole trip.

Considering how wild he was about the pizza and that yesterday was the first day of school (we start after labor day in our area...  Don't be too jealous, we go to school until about July), I figured it'd be a nice treat for him.  This really was a "the kids will like it, just make it" recipe.  Even my husband was kind of "yeah, I'll try it" but overall not to excited to eat it.

I realized that this wasn't exactly what I thought it was as I was putting it together.  It's more of a

really thin, cheesy quiche than scrambled eggs baked with cheese on a pizza crust, which is what I thought it was.  Putting it together was super easy and fast (big plus) and it didn't create a lot of dishes (super big plus).  When I served it, the kids went nuts!  I didn't get half as much fanfare for doing a full Thanksgiving dinner as I did for this pizza.  Everybody had at least 2 slices...  Obviously this means this passes the kid test with flying colors.  It also got the thumbs up from my husband who also had more than just a couple slices.

After eating it, I have to say that I've judged breakfast pizza wrong for all these years.  It's actually really, really good!  You can really taste the different cheeses and there is an undertone of quiche-like eggyness to it that's not dominating or overwhelming.  Personally, I think copious amounts of bacon or sausage would make this the perfect meal (isn't that how it's served at Tusker House?  I think it is, actually), but it's really good just with the cheese and eggs.  Something fast, kid-pleasing, and easy to put together? For sure my dinner table will be seeing this meal again.

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Breakfast Pizza

As is served at Chef Mickey's, Disney's Contemporary Resort

 

°o°  2 eggs  

°o°  1/4 cup heavy cream

°o°  1/2 teaspoon salt  

°o°  black pepper, to taste
°o°  1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded  

°o°  1/2 cup provolone cheese, shredded  

°o°  1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded 
°o°  12-inch pizza shell, precooked  

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine eggs and cream.  Beat using a fork until eggs are well blended into the cream.  Add salt and pepper and stir.  Toss in cheeses and stir until cheese is well mixed and coated with the egg mixture.  Pour into the pizza crust (for best results, put pizza crust on foil lined baking sheet or pizza stone).  Bake for 12-15 minutes in preheated oven until the center of the cheese mixture is set (it won't jiggle while being moved), cheese is melted and starting to turn golden.

Cut and serve immediately.

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I think anyone who's spent any time on this site can probably guess I'm a little obsessed with Disney's Polynesian Village Resort. Honestly my love affair with the Polynesian started before I can even remember.  I know we used to zip by on the monorail and I'd kind of peer into the property and I just kind of fell in love with the look, the layout, and the theme.  When I ate at 'Ohana the first time it was pretty much a done deal...  I loved the place.  Now I've been lucky enough to stay there twice and I'm a huge fan of the resort, the dining options, really everything about the Polynesian.  While I have to say Disney's Pop Century is my home, on splurge trips or trips where I want luxury, I'm team Polynesian Village Resort all the way.  The big dream is to get one of the Villas they're opening there in the Disney Vacation Club...

While I've eaten at 'Ohana numerous times, I've actually never been there for dinner.  I know it's the place to eat and it's hard to get reservations there, but I'd love to one day time it so that I'm there for dinner, sitting by the window, and enjoying food while watching Wishes fireworks show in the distance.  For Disney foodies (which I like to consider myself), 'Ohana is one of the tried-and-true places for some of the best dining in Walt Disney World.  Really, it has an impeccable reputation for great ambiance, fantastic service, and most importantly, ridiculously good food.  When you ask people about dinner here, people will inevitably tell you about the two most popular foods there: the welcome bread and the honey coriander chicken wings.

Now, I'm not usually a fan of chicken wings.  They're just not my favorite.  Pretty much the only
wings I eat are at Buffalo Wild Wings.  Anywhere else I skip them.  And that was kind of my feeling about these wings.  I understood everybody thought they were amazing, but as a person who wasn't feeling chicken wings in general, I wasn't convinced the magic of the 'Ohana wings would capture me.  I'll be honest, I sat on this recipe for almost 10 years before getting around to trying it for this site, and I think the only reason I tried it is because my husband loves chicken wings probably enough for the both of us.  While I'm not a fan, he's probably one of the biggest wings lovers I've ever met.  I figured at the very least he'd enjoy them.  And I'll admit, not being a fan of chicken wings, I guess I was always under the impression that making them was a long and complicated process.

First off, making these couldn't be easier.  Make the dry mix, toss the wings, bake, toss them in the wet sauce, serve.  No frying needed.  I'm a big fan of that, both because I'm trying to be healthy while training for the Wine and Dine Half Marathon, but also because frying things is so darn messy.  I'll admit, I taste tested the rub and the wet mix along the way and I thought that this had real possibilities.

Secondly...  These wings may change my mind about chicken wings.  Holy cow, they were spectacular!  Yes, they were messy, but they were this fantastic combination of sweet and spicy without being too spicy or too sweet.  I couldn't believe how moist and juicy these wings were despite what I thought was a really long (longer than it should have been anyway) cooking time.  I can see why these are so popular at 'Ohana.  They're incredible!  My mouth is watering just thinking about them...  Plus, the color on them is gorgeous.  They're a rich, vibrant red color and it's quite dramatic on the plate.

I made these exactly as described below, but I don't think I reduced the sauce enough.  No big deal, it just meant I had enough sauce for eight pounds of chicken wings as opposed to the four pounds I made.

This is for sure a "go out and get all the ingredients and make it tonight" recipe. Even people who're not confident making meats will find that this is pretty easy to get perfect, and it's a surefire family hit.

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Honey Coriander Chicken Wings

As is served at 'Ohana, Disney's Polynesian Village Resort

 

Liquid Spice Rub
°o°  1 tablespoon salt  
°o°  2 tablespoons paprika

°o°  2 tablespoons sugar  

°o°  1/2 teaspoon black pepper 

°o°  1/2 teaspoon turmeric  

°o°  1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon    

°o°  1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper  

°o°  4 tablespoons canola oil  

°o°  4 pounds chicken wings/drummettes

Wing Sauce  
°o°  1 tablespoon chili powder  

°o°  1/2 teaspoon ground ginger  

°o°  1 tablespoon ground coriander 

°o°  2 tablespoons lime juice  

°o°  1/2 cup soy sauce  

°o°  1 cup honey  

°o°  3/4 cup water
°o°  2 tablespoons cornstarch  

Preheat oven to 500.  

In a very large bowl, combine all ingredients but the chicken for the spice mix and toss until well mixed.  Add chicken to the spice mix and using your hands, toss wings so that they're well covered with spice rub.  Lay chicken pieces on cookie sheets lined with foil so that they're well spaced and not overlapping.  Bake until cooked through and browned, about 20-35 minutes depending on size of wings and drums.  Juices will run clear when they have cooked through.

While the wings are baking, combine all ingredients for the wing sauce in a saucepan and heat to boiling.  Once boiling, reduce heat to a steady simmer and stir occasionally until the sauce has reduced to a syrup and is thickened.  Remove from heat.

When chicken wings have cooked through, toss with the wing sauce in a large glass bowl and serve immediately.

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When I decided to make a string of Biergarten recipes last week, I have to admit this was the one I was looking forward to making this recipe all week.  When I was growing up, my mother used to take part in neighborhood cookie swaps where around Christmas, a group of people would get together and bring homemade cookies, then everybody would "swap" cookies and recipes and go home with a huge tray of a bunch of different cookies.  It was almost a solid guarantee that she either made or came home with Florentine cookies, which were my favorite (I love fruit cookies!) So for me, these have not just Disney memories but childhood memories...  And I've always said that recipes that bring out food memories are the best recipes.

Making this recipe is super simple, but I took some shortcuts that did change the recipe a bit from how it's served at Disney.  Namely, I didn't roll the cookie dough nearly thin enough.  This dough is supposed to be super thin, like thin crust pizza thin, and I didn't go quite that thin.  Blame it on my recent move...  I know I have a rolling pin, but I've yet to unpack the box that I apparently put it in!  I also put it in a glass dish instead of a large cookie pan, which I wouldn't suggest, because my cookie sheets were already in use.  I definitely suggest that these cookies go on a foil-lined cookie sheet for the best results.  And finally, I used a lot of jelly...  Maybe a bit too much.  What can I say? I love fruit cookies!

This recipe lived up to both my food memories and the recipe I had at Biergarten in EPCOT.
 The sugar cookie was moist and crunchy and there was just the right level of fruity ooey-gooeyness.  I actually think the sugar cookie base was yummy enough as a stand-alone sugar cookie even without the fruit on top.  I think, with the tweaks above, I'll be making this every Christmas too!

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Raspberry Florentine Cookies

As is served at Biergarten, Germany Pavilion, EPCOT

Cookie Dough  

°o°  2 cups all-purpose flour    
°o°  1/2 teaspoon salt  

°o°  1/2 teaspoon baking powder  

°o°  1 cup unsalted butter, softened  

°o°  1 cup sugar 

°o°  1 egg  

°o°  1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Filling  

°o°  2 cups raspberry jam (or jam of your choice)  

°o°  1 cup sliced, blanched almonds

Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Using a mixer, beat together butter, sugar until fluffy and light.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  Once incorporated, slowly add the flour mixture.  Mix until just combined.  Do not overmix!

Place dough on a foil or parchment lined cookie sheet, spreading as thin as possible.  Cover with plastic wrap and put in refrigerator for 2 hours or until firm and easy to handle.

Preheat oven to 375.

Remove from fridge and roll flat to a thickness of about 1/4 inch.  Place on a foil lined and
greased cookie sheet.  Spread with jam and top with almonds.  Bake 15-20 minutes or until cooked through and the edges are browned.  Edges may brown faster than the center of the cookie.

Once cooked, cut into individual cookies.  To prolong freshness, store in sealed container in the refrigerator.  

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