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Grown Up PB&J, Hawaiian Pizzas, and Chicken Salads feat. Dole Foods
This post is sponsored by La Brea Bakery – sponsors of DisneyExaminer.com
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The La Brea Bakery Café at the Downtown Disney District in Southern California cannot be missed! It’s visible as you step off the Mickey and Friends Parking Tram and at the doorsteps of those two magical theme parks. If you’ve ever wondered what kind of food goodies are readily available to you, now is a great time to be able to see (and taste)!
Downtown Disney just launched a new promotion in partnership with Dole Foods and invites everyone to “Taste – Play – Live the Spirit of the Pacific Islands” by experiencing summertime art, performances AND food of course! Downtown Disney restaurants will have special menu items using Dole’s line of delicious products and our friends at La Brea Bakery Café shared a sneak peek of two of those special items below.
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Almond Butter Dole Strawberry Sandwich
The name is quite a mouthful, but I think you’ll want a mouthful of this sandwich once you’ve heard what’s inside.
In case you couldn’t tell by the self-explanatory name, the Almond Butter Dole Strawberry Sandwich is made up of *drumroll please*:
Almond Butter,
Dole Strawberries,
and
Whole-grain bread! (didn’t see that one coming)
Chef Keith Silverton, chef of the Café, was telling me that he had studied cooking for so long that he “saw” flavors. I laughed at him, thinking it was a joke, but he stared at me with a face so serious that my hearty laughter turned into nervous chuckles.
Fortunately, he was gracious enough to explain: he infuses the foods with the inspirations that prompt their creation. You might be like, “What does that even mean, Tami?”
Well, I asked Chef Keith what flavor he saw in the sandwich and he said, “I see pb&j”
To be honest with you, readers, I don’t think I’ve ever had a pb&j sandwich because I do not enjoy j and pb does not appeal to me. However, I really liked the sandwich, especially the almond butter (Almonds AND butter? AMAZING.) The only thing I’d recommend is for you to buy a drink when getting this item, because the almond butter does make you thirsty!
Chef Keith also explained to me that he created this sandwich to be a healthy kids’ menu item, though he admitted he would change switch the whole grain bread for white bread, which kids apparently like better. For all you over eighteen, don’t fret: the sandwich will be available to both the young and the young at heart.
Speck and Pineapple Flatbread Pizza
What in the world is speck?
I was wondering the same thing when I asked, “What in the world is speck, Chef Keith?”
“Well” he explained to me, “It’s a little like prosciutto, or bacon – basically, it’s air cured ham.”
Another instance of self-explanatory naming, the Speck and pineapple flatbread pizza is made up of dole pineapples and bacon, as well as some jalapenos.
I personally love eating bacon, and I was happy to see it on the pizza. After picking off all the jalapenos (I’m spice-sensitive, you know), I ate two whole slices and even brought home another two for my family.
Chef Keith explained that the inspiration for this item, the inspiration he “sees” in it is Hawaiian pizza, another food I had never tried before today. I ate it for you, reader, and I actually liked it! Perhaps I’ll be eating Hawaiian pizza more often now.
UPDATE 6/26: The last special menu item that’ll be served at the Café as part of the Dole promotion will be a tasty chicken salad with Dole mangoes! We’ve included the recipe for you all below –
Ingredients:
Grilled chicken breast - 5 oz.
DOLE Chef-Ready Cuts – Mango Cubes – 2 oz
Jicama – 1.5 oz
Toasted cashews - 1 oz
Oil Blend (80/20) - 1 Tbsp/0.5 oz
Green onions - 0.5 oz
Butter lettuce - 3 oz
Salt & pepper
Grilled Chicken:
Place the 5 oz. chicken breast in a bowl and add the 80/20 oil blend. Season with salt and pepper. Grill 4 minutes on each side. Place on a sheet tray and refrigerate until 41°. When cool, chop into 2” dice.
Charred Pineapple Vinaigrette:
DOLE Chef-Ready Cuts – Pineapple Cubes – 16 oz
Rice wine vinegar - 4 oz
DOLE pineapple juice - 24 oz
Ginger - 1 oz
Dijon mustard – 2 Tbsp/1 oz
80/20 Oil blend - 2 Cups/16 oz
Chili flakes - 0.25 oz
Kosher salt - 2 tsp/0.34 oz
Directions:
Season DOLE Chef-Ready Cuts – Mango Cubes with Kosher salt & pepper then char them on the grill.
Peel the ginger using a spoon and slice thinly. In a stainless steel pan, add DOLE pineapple juice & thinly sliced ginger. Reduce in half then reserve.
In a food processor, add the 1) charred DOLE Chef-Ready Cuts – Pineapple Cubes, 2) rice wine vinegar, 3) Dijon mustard, 4) chili flakes, 5) the reduced DOLE pineapple juice & ginger – pouring the juice into the food processor through a strainer.
Blend for 1 minute, then slowly add the 80/20 oil blend. Finish with Kosher salt.
Salad Preparation:
Peel jicama and cut into batons. Dice the batons into 1/8” dice.
In a 350° oven, toast the cashews for 10 minutes – stirring after 5 minutes.
Wash the green onions and trim off the white part. Slice on a bias from end to end.
Tear the basil & mint into ¼ then reserve.
In a serving bowl, place 2 halves of butter lettuce on the bottom of the bowl.
In another bowl, combine all ingredients (including chicken) except the cashews, basil & mint. Toss the ingredients with the 2 oz. charred pineapple vinaigrette.
Place the tossed & dressed salad on top of the butter lettuce in the serving bowl. Pile high!
Garnish with the toasted cashews, basil and mint.
Serve.
All these items will be on the menu by June 28 in conjunction with the Downtown Disney + Dole promotion, so if you have time, please head on over La Brea Bakery Café and try out the Grown-up PB&J sandwich and the speck and pineapple pizza. Your tummy and your taste buds will be glad you did, trust me.
#eatgood
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Are any of you DisneyExaminers ready to try any of these dishes when the promotion begins on June 29? Tell us in the comments!
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