Foodie Friday-Recipe Swap: Tonga Toast

Here’s what you’ll need: 1 cup sugar 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 loaf of sourdough bread (8 inches, unsliced) 2 bananas, peeled 1 quart of canola oil, for frying

You will also need a large, heavy pot or pan and a candy thermometer for the frying. Don’t be afraid if you haven’t tried this kind of thing before, it’s not difficult if you’re prepared ahead of time, and I will walk you through all of it Here's what you'll do: 1. Put the canola in a large, heavy pot and turn the burner onto medium high to begin warming the oil. Clip your candy thermometer to the side of the pot and keep a close eye on it. You want the oil to reach 350°F for frying, but you don’t want it to get any hotter or it will burn your toast. 2. Mix the cinnamon and sugar together. I put the mixture into an 8x8 Pyrex dish, which worked well for tossing the fried toast. 3. Slice the bread into four 2-inch slices. Don’t be afraid to break out the ruler here, folks! I sliced off the ends of the loaf, and then cut what remained into four sections. It’s really thick.

6. When the oil is at 350°F, carefully place one slice into the pot (I used tongs for this), and let it cook for approximately 1 minute, until light brown. Then carefully turn it over to cook on the other side. Mine took a little less than a minute on each side, so keep an eye on it. Remember to keep an eye on your thermometer and adjust the burner as necessary! 7. Remove the fried toast and toss in the cinnamon sugar mixture. 8. Repeat for the other 3 pieces. Leslie’s Notes: This can be served plain or with maple syrup (or any other kind of syrup you like, for that matter!) From start to finish, this entire process took me about 15 minutes, so it really was quite quick and easy. The toast fries up fast, so you want to have everything in place - the cinnamon sugar in a dish that is big enough to accommodate the toast, a plate to put the finished product on, etc. You don’t want to walk away from the frying at any point, and you don’t want the kids too close by when you do this, in case of splattering. Similarly, you want to use tongs (preferably 12 inches or longer) and to be gentle with the toast in the oil so you don’t splash and burn yourself. Finally, remember to keep an eye on the temperature on your thermometer so you don’t burn your Tonga Toast! This dish was a huge, huge hit in our house. All 3 boys and my husband raved about it, and this lead to a discussion of whether we can try the real thing on our next trip to Walt Disney World! The portions are quite generous - 3 slices was enough for all 3 kids and my husband, leaving one left over.