Epcot International Food and Wine Festival: Recap Three

Ok so, I’m down to the last three countries from my first trip to the Food and Wine Festival. Tonight I’m covering South Korea, Poland, and Puerto Rico. I’m just gonna get right to the food.

South Korea:
Lettuce Wraps with Roast Pork and Kimchi Slaw. Damn good was my first thought, HOLYCRAPTHAT’SHOT was my second. The heat wasn’t right up front it sort of hid and hit you in the back of the mouth. I gave the second half of my wrap to BFFMandy cause it was too hot, but overall it was fab. I also had Honey Ginger Tea. It was cool and refreshing. It tasted a lot like the flavor of chai tea. B+

Poland:
I love Pierogies. I especially love this pierogie; which was serve with kielbasa and caramelized onion. The dumpling was hot and crispy on the outside and smooth and creamy on the inside. The onions were my favorite parts, they were perfectly caramel-y sweet with a sour finish. Yum-O! A

Puerto Rico:
I did not eat in Puerto Rico, I drank. The Bacardi Frozen Torched Cherry Colada. It was cool and creamy with coconut and cherry flavors. It was out of this world. Probably my favorite drink of the day. A+

That’s all of the reviews for the first round this year, but I’m going back tomorrow.

=)

Epcot International Food and Wine Festival: Recap 2

So I previously covered, Greece, Canada, and Ireland. Tonight: France, Australia, and South Africa. Let’s just get right down to the food.

France:
Escargot! There a a bunch of other French words in the name of this dish, but it basically comes down to escargot with butter and parsley over brioche. If you’re rolling your eyes at my excitement or internally cringing; STOP! I mean it do not write this off until you’ve tried it. The escargot come in little bread bowls and are topped with butter, garlic, and parsley. This is the dish that made me love escargot and I don’t lie about good food so just try it. I also had the Cosmo Slush. It was pretty good; equally sweet and tart. A+

Australia:
I have previously always skipped Australia, but this year we stopped by and had Seared Barramundi with Blistered Cherry Tomatoes, Arugula, and Lemon Oil.  The fish was good firm, but not dry, and lemony. The fish was extremely good, but the salad was odd. I expected the salad to be warm, what with the whole blistered tomatoes thing, but it was cold. It was ok, just odd. B-.

South Africa:
South Africa had one of my favorite plates of food, despite the fact that I couldn’t finish it. We had the Seared Beef Tenderloin with Sweet Potato Puree and Mango Barbecue Sauce. The beef and the sauce were well paired, but very spicy. The sauce was sweet to start but had a definite kick at the back end. The sweet potatoes were smooth, creamy, with just a hint of a spice I could identify ( I found out later it’s ginger.) A-

Only three countries left in my first foray into this year’s festival: South Korea, Poland, and Puerto Rico.
=)

Happy 15th Anniversary Food and Wine Festival!

So as previously mentioned, BFFMandy, BFFMandy’s Mom, PZ, and I went to the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival. This was not my first time at Food and Wine, my family and I have gone since I was in college, but the is the 15th anniversary, so there are new kiosks and tons of options for fun. Now, let me state up front that I am lame and I forgot my camera. I didn’t realize until I was almost to the theme park. So no pictures, but I’m going again this weekend so there will be pictures eventually.

Ok so I know that all the maps of Epcot start the World Showcase in Mexico, but I’m a rebel and I prefer to start in Canada. I’m not actually a rebel, I do this because the World Showcase usually opens around 11AM and if you start in Mexico you spend all afternoon with the sun in your eyes; if you start in Canada you’re walking with the sun at your back (or side) in the afternoon. This doesn’t have anything to do with my recap of The Food and Wine Festival except if you’re looking at the festival guide I’m recapping in reverse.

First up:
Greece:
Greece is a perennial festival favorite. This year PZ and I had Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki, though I seriously considered the Spanikopita because it is to. die. for.  But back to the chicken. They were making it fresh as we ordered (we were just lucky), so the chicken was piping hot. The tzatziki was cool and garlicky and the pitas were warm and perfect for folding around the chicken or sipping up extra sauce. All in all an A.

Canada:
You know what I had in Canada. The Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup. This soup is deliciousness in a bowl; it doesn’t matter that I’ve had this soup at home at least a dozen times there is something about having it at Epcot. I’m actually fairly certain the published recipe isn’t exactly the same as the restaurant recipe. The texture at the park is ridiculously smooth and creamy. I also had a glass of Chateau des Charmes Riesling, it was light and fruity it would;ve been a better match for the Maple-glazed Salmon, but what-evs. A+ 

Ireland:
Lobster and Scallop Fisherman’s Pie. Does that say enough? No? It was very good, the potatoes were creamy, peppery, and just the right amount of crispy on the top. The inside had a good amount of seafood in the relatively small dish, I got two scallops and several large pieces of lobster in a creamy tomatoey lobster bisque. Accompanied by a perfectly poured Guinness and eat in the shade next to the World Showcase lagoon, we couldn’t stop talking about what great weather we lucked into. A

That’s all for tonight. Up later this week, France, Australia, and South Korea.
=)

Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup

I’m going to Rpcot tomorrow! =). BFFMandy, BFFMandy’s mom, PZ, and I are going to the Epcot International Food and Wine festival. It is total awesomeness and I am very excited for this year’s new editions: Belgium and South Korea. In honor of our upcoming adventure, I figured it’s an appropriate time to post one of my recent kitchen adventures (this will also make me one post away from being caught up in the recipe posts category).
One of my most favorite things at the Food and Wine Festival is the Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup from well…Canada. They have this all the time at Le Cellier, the steakhouse in the Canada pavilion, but’s just better during food and wine.

This soup does not photograph well, but it taste’s amazing.

Le Cellier Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup
Ingredients:
¼ pound of Smoked Bacon (finely chopped, if you freeze the bacon for 10-15 minutes you can chop it fairly easily)
1 Medium Red Onion (finely chopped)
½ cup Celery (finely chopped)
½ cup Carrot (finely chopped)
3 tablespoons All Purpose Flour
3 cups of Whole Milk (room temperature-ish, just not refrigerator cold)
2 cups of Chicken Stock (room temperature-ish, just not refrigerator cold)
12 ounces of Grated or Shredded White Cheddar Cheese
3 dashes of Hot Sauce
½ teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
½ cup Beer (Supposedly Disney uses MooseHead Lager, I used Yuengling)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Saute’ the bacon in large, heavy-bottom, non-reactive soup pot over medium heat until lightly browned (the original directions say not to brown it at this point, but it you don’t it will never get brown and it will be mushy, chewy gross-ness in your soup).
2. Add Onion, Celery, and Carrots and cook until onions are translucent. (SideNote: Chop you veggie pretty small, not like minced, but still pretty small otherwise they don’t cook through and again, it’s not good.)
3. Sprinkle in Flour and stir constantly for 2 minutes. Stir in Milk and Stock, a little at a time, blending well to ensure that there are no lumps (do this slowly with a little liquid at a time to start.) Bring the liquid to a boil, cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and whisk in the Cheese, Hot Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce and Beer. Season with Salt and Pepper to taste.
5. Serve and enjoy you yumminess.

That’s all. More from Food & Wine Festival tomorrow.
=)