Recreating Disney foods at home brought back delicious memories. But there's one ingredient you can only find in the parks — a touch of Disney magic.
Tarah Chieffi
My favorite thing about Disney World isn't the rides. It's eating and drinking all the things.
But I live almost 1,000 miles from Disney World. I can't pop over on a whim just because I'm craving my favorite Disney foods, so my taste buds were very excited when two new cookbooks came into my life.
Tarah Chieffi
"Delicious Disney: Walt Disney World: Recipes & Stories from The Most Magical Place on Earth" shares recipes from the Disney World of yesterday and today, while "The Unofficial Disney Parks Drink Recipe Book" has more than 100 drink recipes inspired by drinks you can find inside the Disney parks.
I flipped through both and saw so many of my favorite foods. I couldn't wait to get in the kitchen and try to recreate them.
When I'm planning my trips to Disney, the list of foods and drinks I want to try is usually much longer than the attractions I want to ride. I love sampling the global cuisine from the food booths EPCOT sets up during its annual festivals, and there's always a new Dole Whip flavor I just can't pass up.
Tarah Chieffi
As much as I enjoy trying new things, there are a few Disney menu items that I have to order every time I'm there. Some, like Mickey-shaped pretzels and ice cream bars, I order time and again for nostalgic reasons. Others are newer additions that taste so good I dream about them between visits.
I went with the latter when choosing which recipes to test first, because I wanted to see how close they came to their in-the-park counterparts. I ultimately settled on the Star Wars-themed Ronto Wrap and an Avocado Margarita from EPCOT.
Tarah Chieffi
The Ronto Wrap was introduced in 2019 when Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge opened at Disney World and Disneyland. It's made with smoked sausage, shaved pork, a tangy slaw, and a spicy peppercorn sauce wrapped up in warm pita bread. You can find it at Ronto Roasters, along with equally tasty breakfast and plant-based versions.
When I'm at EPCOT, you can usually find me eating and drinking around the World Showcase. World Showcase has pavilions that immerse you in the customs and culture of 11 countries, and I love sampling items from each location. In the Mexico pavilion, I love to stop into La Cava del Tequila to check out their inventive margaritas.
Tarah Chieffi
My favorite is the Avocado Margarita. The avocado doesn't take away from the fruity flavor, but it does add a creaminess that always hits the spot on a hot day at Disney World.
When I decided to take this on, I was nervous the ingredients would be hard to find or expensive. In fact, I decided against one of my other favorite drinks — the Fuzzy Tauntaun from Oga's Cantina — because the buzz button flowers used to give the foam on top of the drink a tingly effect cost close to $90.
Tarah Chieffi
For the two recipes I chose, I already had a lot of the ingredients in my kitchen. Most of the ingredients I didn't have on hand were easy to find at my local grocery store. The only items I had to order were a bag of dried hibiscus flowers to make the hibiscus salt for the margarita, as well as ground sumac and Szechuan peppercorns for the Ronto Wrap sauce.
I only needed a couple tablespoons of the hibiscus flowers, so now I have a giant bag of flowers hanging out in my kitchen and no idea what to do with it. Maybe it'll inspire me to make some scented soap or candles as gifts for friends and family.
The Avocado Margarita was incredibly easy to make. All of the ingredients just go in the blender together, save for the hibiscus salt. I didn't have a muddler to mix the salt and hibiscus flowers, but my molcajete (similar to a mortar and pestle) was a solid stand-in.
Tarah Chieffi
I was almost afraid to take that first sip because I didn't want to be disappointed, but I was happily surprised to find the taste and texture were practically the same as what I've ordered at Disney World. I'm more of an IPA girl, but next time I'm in the mood for a cocktail, I would make this again (especially because I have all those hibiscus flowers to use up).
There are plenty of nights when I heat up frozen pizza or make grilled cheese for dinner, so nobody in my house was complaining about the Ronto Wraps. The taste was very similar to what I've had in the parks, but I could tell something wasn't quite there.
Tarah Chieffi
The slaw and peppercorn slaw were the closest to the real thing, but I wish I'd spent more time finding the right smoked sausage. I just picked the first smoked sausage I found at the grocery store, but it was nowhere near as good as the sausage used at Disney World. Not to belabor the point, but the sausages used at the parks are thinner and longer than a hot dog and have a satisfying snap when you bite into them.
Tarah Chieffi
That said, I cleaned my plate and made them the next night as well. If I were to make them again, though, I'd do my sausage research before making a purchase.
I don't think I'd make Disney dishes every night for family dinner, but I'll definitely look to these books for inspiration when celebrating a special occasion or throwing a themed party.
Both recipes brought back delicious memories of being at Disney World, but one of the things I love about my favorite Disney foods is that I can't get them anywhere else. I guess it's because there's one ingredient you can only find in the parks — a touch of Disney magic.
