A Picnic at Sea

After our recent dive into the culinary endeavors of a long extinct restaurant, a tasting tour that ended in disappointment, we thought we should definitely continue looking at extinct recipes. We move from the Contemporary Resort over to the Polynesian Village. Now known as ‘Ohana, this much beloved space of the south seas in Florida was for 23 years known as the Papeete Bay Verandah.

 

The Papeete Bay Verandah was home one of the earliest buffets and character meals to be found in Walt Disney World, Minnie’s Menehune Breakfast, a lunch buffet, and the prelude to the luaus to come, Polynesian Revue. The dark wooden decor matched up well with the charred and smoked meats served up on the menu and was offset by vibrant colors and flavors of the tropical fruits found in almost every dish. These fruits, particularly from the buffet, were elevated by a pair of simple dips. The Coconut Dip and the Polynesian Honey Dip are a wonderful way to chase away the winter blues, and the next recipes we’re taking on in our home kitchen.

 

COCONUT DIP

 

Ingredients:

 

2/3 Cup Sour Cream

1/3 Cup Coconut Cream

1/3 Cup Brown Sugar

 

Directions:

 

Mix together all ingredients.

Serve with tropical fruits, such as orange sections, pineapple spears, fresh figs, apricots, or banana slices.

 

POLYNESIAN HONEY DIP

 

Ingredients:

 

1 Cup Sour Cream

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup Honey

2 Tbsps. Brandy

Cubes of Fresh Coconut

 

Directions:

Place sour cream in a blender and blend for a few seconds until smooth consistency. A bowl and hand-mixer will also work.

Gradually add brown sugar while blending until mixture is smooth.

Add honey and brady and mix for a few seconds to blend together.

Chill dip.

Serve with bite-sized cubes of fresh coconut.

Both of these are delicious and will be found on some sort of muddle-headed breakfast charcuterie plate I’ll come up with when I’m trying my best to be nice to my wife on the spur of the moment on a random Sunday morning. The Polynesian Honey Dip is a bit thinner, and you can taste the brandy, so I would completely recommend it for children. That said, it also has layers of sweetness that makes it playful as it darts from taste centers all over the palate. The Coconut Dip is creamy and has a wonderful balance between sour and sweet.

 

Fresh coconut is recommended for the Polynesian Honey Dip, however, unless this is a texture and flavor profile I would recommend using other fruits. Likewise, the Coconut Dip doesn’t pair as well with sliced bananas. Whichever dip you choose to whip up, go with the tropical fruits you know and appreciate. The dips should be extensions of and highlight what is already special about tropical fruits, so pair these with what you already love. For our part, pineapple, dried apricots, and cantaloupe were all fabulous for our homemade breakfast buffet.