Let me tell you, it’s as delicious as it looks. That’s Germany’s Apple Strudel with Werther’s Original Karamel Sauce and Vanilla Sauce.

Andrew and I were so lucky to be able to go to Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival this past Sunday with my best friend Kristin and her darling boyfriend, Geoff (The two of whom will now be referred to as Gristin, you had to be there.). I have never been to the festival, even though I’ve lived in Florida all my life. You have to remember though, I’ve only been really interested in culinary arts for less than two years. I had quite the career change, even though my first career never technically started. I digress. I love what I do.

So, the challenges going into this day were:

1. Locating the items without gluten

2. Staying within our budget.

Since the festival has been open a few weeks, we found a few blogs regarding gluten-free foods offered at festival. While not a ton of options, there were some things he could have. Unfortunately, towards the end of the day we realized he may be more sensitive than we thought, he had the, what we call, “gluten-belly”. He’s recognized the feeling it gives him. He didn’t cheat, but there was some cross contamination of crackers. We’re still learning how careful we need to be, clearly more caution must be taken! The Disney employees were great about accommodating his allergy, if they were unsure of something, they found out for us.

Where to start!?

This is where we went and what we tried.

Caribbean: Jerk Spiced Chicken Drumstick w/ Mango Chutney.  The chicken was very juicy, a little spicy for the weak at heart, but the mango chutney’s sweetness helped that for me. We also tried the Bacardi Frozen Dragon Berry Colada, it was delightfully sweet and cold.

Australia: Shrimp on the Barbie. Lovely! I’m not a shrimp person, but this was good, very flavorful.

Scandinavia: Cured Salmon, Herring and Shrimp Salad. Both couples ordered this, ours had significantly more fish on it. Also, for GF’s – this has a cracker on top, order without. (We did not… fail)

South Africa: Seared Filet of Beef w/ Smashed Sweet Potatoes. Tender meat, the potatoes were okay, nothing special.

Cheese Country!: 1. Trio of Artisan Cheese with Beecher’s Flagship Reserve Cheddar, La Bonne Vie Goat Brie, Rogue River Creamery Echo Mountain Blue Cheese. All three cheeses were tasty, the blue was actually our favorite. 2. Cheese Fondue with Sourdough Bread. This reminded me a lot of Olive Garden’s Alfredo w/ bread sticks, nothing mind blowing. 3. Sterling Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, we all enjoyed this wine.

Germany: Andrew order the Roast Bratwurst minus the bun, he seemed a little disappointed by it. Kristin and I ordered the Apple Strudel (pictured above). It was delicious, I think it was my favorite dessert.. It was definitely right up there with the Lava Cake.

Poland: Keilbasa and Potato Pierogie w/ Carmelized Onions and Sour Cream. I enjoy Pierogies (anything potato related really), this was no different. I did think that the Keilbasa was in it, but it wasn’t. The caramelized onions with it was great.

Italy: Cannoli al Cioccolatato. YUM.

Hops & Barley: Linda Bean’s Lobster Claw Cuddler chilled w/ Herb Mayo (No mayo for Andrew, not GF). We also enjoyed a nice glass of Angry Orchard Crisp Apple Cider, I love ciders!

Florida Local: (Yay Florida!). White Corn Arepa w/ Mangalitsa Pork Rillette and Zellwood Sweet Corn Salad. I loved this, it was probably my favorite, and for that it gets its own photo. Could it be my favorite because I’m from Florida? Maybe. But seriously, it was good.

 

Singapore: 1. Beef Rendang with Jasmine Rice. Gluten-Free! Probably the most interesting flavor we had all day, too spicy for me. Andrew ate it all though, he was pretty hungry. 2. Seared Mahi Mahi with Jasmine Rice and Singa Sauce. I had a piece of Gristin’s Mahi, it was really tender and flavorful.

Belgium: Guylian Belgian Chocolate Seashell Truffles. Anti-climactic, it’s a boxed truffle.

France: Garlic and Parsley Snails in Brioche. Don’t turn your head to the snails, in one swift bite you get the most delicious flavor of the buttery brioche and garlic-y escargot.

Ireland: 1. Lobster and Seafood Fisherman’s Pie. Eaten by the Gristens, tasted by the Gassens. Pretty tasty, the girl at the booth said it was GF, it was not mentioned on the GF blog though, we were leery. 2. Lava Cake GLUTEN FREE! What. Yeah, it was GF. Therefore, Andrew ate 5 of them. I had two. They are the size of a mini-cupcake, and quite tasty.

Canada: 1. Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup. What’s not to love about a cheese soup? Exactly. 2. We ordered the Beef Filet Mignon, no sauce or mushrooms – it definitely needed some sauce. 3. Neige Premiere Apple Ice Wine. I love Ice Wine, none of them had ever had it. Needless to say, the 1/2 ounces cup didn’t last long.

Greece: Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki. Andrew could eat this whole dish, he said it was probably his favorite. I didn’t like the Tzatziki as much as I have enjoyed some in the past, but Hub’s enjoyed it.

Desserts and Champagne: We got the trio which included: Yogurt Panna Cotta with Orange Cake, Raspberries, and Pomegranate…Very light panna cotta, I didn’t really get any “cake” texture, I’m not sure why…. ; Lemon Custard Verrine with Blueberry Compote… The custard definitely tasted just like lemon curd (which I love), the blueberries added a nice pop. Dark Chocolate Mousse with Chili and Salted Caramel… This was the one I was most interested in, however, it was my most hated of the day. The spice of it completely took over the chocolate, not one of us enjoyed it.  2. To offset the spice in the Mousse, we ordered a Frozen Strawberry Nesquik, that was a fun drink…. very fluffy feeling.

Hawaii: 1. Kalue Pork Slider with Sweet and Sour Dole Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise. Delicious! 2. Tuna Poke with Seaweed Salad and Lotus Root Chips. We all thought the Lotus chip was just cool! The tuna was enjoyed by all as well.

Here’s a few more photos from the day:

The Gassen’s in Germany

Kristin and Geoff in Germany

The girls down in Mexico!

Silly Boys!

 

One amazing husband, who I cherish. Two amazing friends, who I love dearly. Five drinks from around the world. Twenty five foods and last but, certainly not least. Mickey. Not Mouse. Mickey Thomas from Starship!

Marconi plays the mamba, listen to the radio, don’t you remember….

We built this city, we built this city on rock and roll!!!!

 

Find it,

Rachel