Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival: At Home

If there are two things we love more than anything, it’s Disney and food! Combine the two and you know we will be ALL over it. The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival was one of the WDW festivals we hadn’t visited yet, but this year they decided to EXTEND the festival (to run longer and start earlier), which meant we had the AMAZING pleasure of visiting in July!

What’s most exciting about this year’s Food & Wine is that it’s the first Epcot festival since the COVID shutdown that’s a complete festival and not just a “taste of” version. I think it’s so smart that they extended it… and they cleverly made some booths only available in certain months to keep locals going back again and again!

The other three festivals are International Festival of the Arts (typically runs January-February), International Flower & Garden Festival (February-June this year!), International Food & Wine (usually September-October, but this year it starts in July!), and the Festival of the Holidays (late November-December).

Each year can vary a bit, but we’ve noticed a lot of the recipes repeat themselves. We had a great time replicating 11 recipes from Flower & Garden in the Spring. If you want to check out those recipes, head over to our post here.

The Menu

For Food & Wine we tried our hand at a number of recipes that sounded amazing and here’s the menu!

In this blog post you will find the recipes for:

– Warm Raclette Swiss Cheese with Alpine Ham, Cornichons, and Baby Potatoes (The Alps)
– Traditional Poutine: French Fries, Beef Gravy, Boursin Cracked Black Pepper Crumbles and Cheese Curds (Refreshment Port, Canada)
– Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter, Caramelized Onions and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds (The Wine & Dine Studio)
– Kālua Pork Slider with Sweet-and-Sour DOLE Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise (Hawai’i)
– Crispy Chicken on a Sriracha-glazed Donut (Donut Box)
– Candy Jar Donut made with M&M’s, SNICKERS and TWIX (Donut Box)
– Belgian Waffle with Warm Chocolate Ganache (Belgium)
– Deconstructed Pavlova with Pastry Cream, Citrus-macerated Berries, and Lemon Myrtle Meringue (Australia)
– Freshly Baked Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing (Hops & Barley, USA)
– Spiced Apple Twinings of London Chai Tea, with Whiskey or non-alcoholic (Earth Eats)

This blog post is part of a Food-themed Disney Friends Blog Hop as well. We are all about community over competition. At the end of the blog, head over to our next friend’s blog and keep scrolling through until you come back to us!

Warm Raclette Swiss Cheese (The Alps)

You can find this tasty item at the Alps booth! Essentially this is a non-recipe. It’s sort of funny when you break down some of the offerings at Food & Wine because it’s just about putting things together.

We bought the smallest dill pickles (with garlic) we could find, a cooked ham from Costco (I heated it up (covered) in the oven, then uncovered for the last 15 min to get some colour on the skin. We found a swiss cheese fondue kit, so all we had to do was heat and stir… and it was DELICIOUS! Add boiled baby potatoes, with some butter and salt & pepper added. Picked up an artisan baguette at the local Walmart for $0.94 and we were good to go. First, I was surprised by how very full we were (this was dinner), and second, how good it tasted. It was a huge hit for our family! You could also serve different items with the melted cheese (and no one would know!).

Traditional Poutine (Refreshment Port, Canada)

Poutine is a classic Canadian dish made with French fries, cheese curds and gravy. I never miss an opportunity to eat poutine, so I absolutely had to make Epcot’s version with Boursin cheese. I love how the Boursin melts into the gravy, making it extra creamy and delicious. Next level delicious. 

Fries: You can use whichever fries you have in your freezer, we like Cavendish extra crispy. Bake at 400F for 20-25 min or until crispy and golden. 

Gravy: Beef gravy is my preference for poutine. Melt 2T butter with 2T of AP flour to make a roux. Add 2 cups of beef consomme or stock and bring to a boil until it’s nice and thick. Season with salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard (just a squirt). 

Cheese Curds: Most grocery stores carry cheese curds these days, but if you can’t find them shred or cube some mozzarella. I like to put the cheese curds on top of the fries for the last 2-3 min of baking so they melt a bit. 

Boursin: In Epcot they use the cracked pepper Boursin, but our local store only had the classic herb & garlic, which was still delicious. It’s a soft cheese, so gently crumble on top once the poutine is assembled. Fries, cheese curds, hot gravy and then the Boursin. It’s a must try, you can thank me (or the refreshment port) later!

Squash Ravioli (The Wine & Dine Studio)

I saw this and was immediately like, “YAAAASSS, get in my belly!” And let me tell you, it didn’t disappoint. However, save yourself the time and heartache… buy squash ravioli from the store and just make the caramelized onions and brown butter. But if you HAVE the time, it was super fun and delicious to make.

The nice thing about this recipe is you can use any fall/winter squash you have on hand (goodness, I actually ended up using yams and it was fantastic), or even canned pumpkin (not pie filling, but pure pumpkin). I also suggest starting the caramelized onions first so that they have lots of time to cook low and slow. The recipe I used originally only cooked them for 1 hour, but everyone knows the longer you can cook them down, the richer they become. It’s up to you and how much time you have! I turned my burner down to low sooner, and ended up cooking mine down the whole time that I was prepping my ravioli, which made for amazing caramelized onions!

Caramelized Onions:

• 2 large onions, peeled and cut into ¼ inch strips
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• Coarse Salt, to taste

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until they are soft and starting to turn translucent (about 10 minutes).
2. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook until onions are golden brown, about 40-50 minutes, stirring every few minutes to prevent sticking. (If the pan starts to get too dark, or if the onions start sticking, you can add a splash of water and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits.) You can also reduce the heat to low if they are starting to get crispy or stick.
3. Taste and season with salt.

Squash Ravioli:

• 2 pound winter squash; such as butternut, kabocha, buttercup, or acorn (or yams)
• ½ Tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp coarse salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• ½ cup ricotta
• 1 tsp crushed basil
• 100 wonton wrappers
• 1 egg, whisked with 1 tsp water (for egg wash)

1. Preheat your oven to 350F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Wash squash, remove stem, cut in half, and discard seeds (if using a yam, just cut them in half, leaving the skin on). Rub the cut side with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Roast, cut side down, until soft and tender (about 1 hour). Remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle. While still warm, scoop out the flesh, discarding skin.
4. Place warm squash in a food processor and add butter, basil, and cheese, then process until silky smooth. (I also added a little bit of garlic powder and onion powder here… JUST a little).
5. Lay down about 10 wonton wrappers on a clean workspace. Brush the whole wrapper liberally with egg wash. Put about 1 tsp of filling in the middle of each wrapper. Place a second wrapper over each filling and press down, trying to remove any trapped air if possible. I ended up using a clean shot glass to make my ravioli beautiful and round, and it helped me press the sides together (in hindsight I would have cut off some of the excess but this time I did not). If you don’t want a lot of excess wrapper, trim them down leaving a bit of a frill around your filling.

6. Place finished raviolis on a tray sprinkled with flour while you repeat this process 4 more times to make 50 ravioli. You will have leftover filling which you can refrigerate for another day, or you can continue making more if you would like.

7. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.

Make the brown butter before cooking the ravioli. Add 1 stick (1/2 a cup) of butter to a medium skillet over medium heat. Continue cooking until butter is nutty and browned (about 4-6 minutes).

Work in batches so you don’t crowd your pot. Drop the ravioli carefully into the boiling water and cook until they float (about 1-2 minutes). Drain ravioli and place in a large bowl. Drizzle with browned butter and toss gently to coat.

Top them with caramelized onions, pumpkin seeds, and parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Kālua Pork Slider (Hawai’i)

As far as I can tell, this has been an offering at Food & Wine as far back as 2011! I was excited to try it because I love anything pineapple; but if I can be honest, the real deal was quite disappointing and bland! I think this at home recipe is a great way of honouring what you find at Food & Wine, but if I do say so myself… even better than the OG.

PORK: I used a slow cooker, but an instant pot works too. I used 1/3 of the pork loin from Costco and put it in the crock pot fully frozen. Salt and pepper, put the lid on, slow cook for 8 hours. Set it and forget it! Right before serving I shredded it with a fork and then put some Teriyaki sauce in for a flavour boost… I always need more flavour!

BUNS: I used the Hawai’i buns that you get at the grocery store, but you can also use brioche! I didn’t toast them because they aren’t served that way at the festival… but if you like your buns toasted, just do it. No one will know.

PINEAPPLE CHUTNEY: I did this in an instant pot, but stove top is just as effective. I used a whole pineapple (you can totally do canned as well), chopped coarsely. Red pepper flake, cinnamon, onion, red bell pepper, 1/2 cup each of rice vinegar and white vinegar, a few sprinkles of brown sugar, some fresh grated garlic and ginger. (Pro Tip: Keep your ginger in the freezer and just grate some in to taste.) I also added a little ground clove and allspice.

SPICY MAYONNAISE: Literally mix mayo of choice with sriracha. I added a little lime juice for some acid, it was a good call. Put it in a squeeze bottle.

And just because I had to, I added a COLESLAW. It was so dry otherwise. I used a cabbage and broccoli slaw. Sprinkle of rice vinegar, red wine vinegar, honey, salt & pepper and pineapple juice (save the juice from the can if you used canned pineapple for the chutney, or put it over the pork). It was definitely the right decision and I 100% recommend a slaw with it. If I could make it and bring it into the park, I probably would haha!

Donut Box

Since donuts are one of our most loved treats of all time (have you made our classic Mickey beignets yet?), I was of course inspired to make something from the Donut Box. Not only one, but TWO easy recipes you can recreate at home. 

Crispy Chicken on a Sriracha-glazed Donut

Erica had a chance to try this crazy concoction and said that it was one of her favourite bites at the festival. It’s just crazy enough to work. Start out with a good donut, in Canada that would be the honey-glazed from Tim Hortons. Just make sure to get any good quality glazed donut you like, the fresher the better. 

Sriracha Glaze:

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 tsp sriracha (adjust to taste)
• 1-3 tsp water

Combine until you get a smooth glaze consistency. It has to be thin enough to dip but not too thin or it will run off the donut. Dip the top of your donut to create an even layer on the top of the donut. I put them in the fridge for a few minutes to help them set.

Pickled Vegetables:

• Matchstick carrots
• Thinly sliced green onions
• Julienned cucumber 
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 2 T rice & white vinegar
• 2 T water

Combine salt, sugar, vinegars and water in a small bowl. Heat in the microwave for 1 min until sugar and salt are dissolved. Add vegetables and stir. Can be made 1 hour to 1 day in advance. The longer they sit, the more pickled they will become. I made them 1 hour ahead and they were perfect. Stir whenever you remember, in order to distribute the liquid evenly. 

Sriracha Mayo:

I measured with my heart. Approximately 1/2 cup of mayo and 2 tsp of sriracha. Adjust to your heat level preference. I put it into a squeeze bottle with a fine tip to drizzle over the top. 

Crispy Chicken:

If you want to go the extra mile to bread and fry your own chicken, by all means, be my guest! I used the Hampton House buffalo style breaded chicken breasts from Costco and they were absolutely perfect for this. Just bake as per the manufacturers instructions.

Simple Steps:

1. Turn oven on for chicken 
2. Pickle the vegetables
3. Glaze the donut
4. Make the mayo
5. Assemble and enjoy!

Candy Jar Donut

This donut is just as good as it sounds and will not disappoint. We made these with store bought glazed donuts, which are just a little bit smaller. It’s such a rich donut (and we had donuts for dinner already), so I preferred the smaller size. Use whatever plain glazed donut makes your heart happy.

Chocolate Glaze:

• 1/2 cup of chocolate chips (I used bittersweet, but you can use milk if you prefer)
• 1/4 tsp coconut oil 

Candy:

• M&M’s (mini or regular)
• 2 miniature Snickers bars
• 2 miniature Twix bars (or 1 regular stick)

Melt chocolate and coconut oil in a microwave safe dish on low (10% power) until the chocolate melts. The coconut oil helps set the chocolate, but you want to put your candy bars on first before it sets. Place the two Snickers in the middle then put the M&M’s all over the chocolate glaze. Cut the top of the Twix on an angle and place on top. Enjoy!

Belgian Waffle (Belgium)

It doesn’t get more “phoning it in” for me than making waffles for dinner. About once a month we will do it… and as per my husband’s family tradition, we serve it with ice cream. I am (slightly) embarrassed to say that we had the waffles last night with the warm chocolate ganache, but also with leftover Eggnog ice cream… and my husband had it with Tiger Tiger ice cream (black licorice and orange).

Waffles: Make your favourite waffle recipe; when we do it for dinner I use a mix from Costco but add some chia seeds, cinnamon, vanilla and a little ground flax to bump up the nutrition. You know, to balance the ice cream! I made a few Belgium waffles to be more authentic, then the rest we made Mickey shaped with my Mickey Waffle maker. It just doesn’t get happier than a Mickey Waffle! We served them in the bowls our girls got at the Food & Wine Festival, by completing the challenge to find all of the Remys.

Chocolate Ganache or Berries: To make the ganache, start with warming up cream or milk and add your favourite chocolate chips to it until glossy and delicious! We put it in a zip-lock bag and drizzled over the waffles. If you want the berries version, just cook down berries on the stovetop with a little sweetener and you are good to go!

Deconstructed Pavlova (Australia)

This is something that sounds more complicated than it is to be honest, but everything is actually SO easy to put together! But it is also not something you can just whip together, as some of the components take time, so I recommend making the pieces the day before you want to enjoy for less stress!

Pastry Cream:

First, you need to start on your pastry cream. Pastry cream is just a less-sweet vanilla pudding or a nice custard… it just sounds fancy. For a quick fix (or for a vegan option), you can use Bird’s Custard, which honestly tastes super good and is really simple to use. If you want you can also make it from scratch, though I DEFINITELY recommend doing your mise en place before getting started as once it starts to heat up you don’t have a lot of time!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 egg yolks + 1 egg
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or 1 vanilla bean pod)

Directions:

If you are going to be using a vanilla pod, open it up and scrape out the beans, keep the pod and set aside. In a heavy saucepan stir together milk and the 1/4 cup of sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat.

While the milk is warming up, get a medium bowl out and whisk together the egg yolks and egg. In a separate bowl stir together the 1/3 cup white sugar with the cornstarch and mix until smooth. Add the sugar mixture into the eggs and set aside. 

When the milk comes to a boil, drizzle the hot milk into the egg mixture to “temper” your eggs. Go slow and try to keep it in a thin stream as you add it to make sure you don’t cook the eggs. Return mixture to the saucepan and slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly so the eggs don’t curdle or scorch to the bottom. Remove it from heat when it begins to thicken (for me, I never ended up bringing it to a full boil before it had thickened). Stir in the butter and vanilla until completely blended.

Pour into a heat-proof container (if it seems a little chunky, you can strain it through a fine-mesh sieve) and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream (this will keep a skin from forming on top). Let sit out until it almost reaches room temperature and then place in the fridge to set. 

Meringues:

So I have ZERO clue what Lemon Myrtle is, and also don’t live somewhere where we have that readily available, so I made some Lemon Meringue kiss cookies. If you want to make this vegan, you can substitute the egg whites for Aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas). If you are using egg whites, make sure to clean your mixer bowl well and then use a little bit of vinegar to remove any trace fats from the bowl and then rinse out well (if there is any fat the egg whites will not whip properly).

Ingredients:

• 3 egg whites (room temperature if you can)
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup sugar (berry sugar if you have it)
• 2 tsp fresh lemon zest (it took about 2 lemons to get this amount for me)
• Juice of half a lemon (about 1 tsp)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 200F, line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a baking mat, and prepare a piping bag with a star tip.

Beat egg whites on medium-low with the whisk attachment on your stand mixer (you can use a handheld electric beater as well, but it will take a while). When the egg whites become foamy add your cream of tartar and your salt. Raise speed to medium and continue beating. Add sugar one tablespoon at a time, making sure to take your time. Once all the sugar is added, raise the speed to high and beat until thick, glossy, stiff peaks form. 

Gently fold in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla with a spatula until just combined. Carefully spoon the mixture into the piping bag and pipe about 1 teaspoon of the mixture into little kisses on the prepared baking sheet. You can pipe them rather close together as they do not spread while baking.

Bake for 2 hours, or until hardened and no longer sticky (if they are fully dried out they will peel off of the baking mat easily). Turn off the oven and prop open to let the cookies cool down gradually to prevent cracking. Store in an airtight container until you need them.

Citrus-macerated Berries:

This is the last step in the process and has to be completed 10 minutes before you actually want to serve, or else your berries will become too soft. (Prep-ahead Tip: You can slice the berries up to 1 hour before macerating them.)

Slice strawberries, then add them along with some blueberries to a small bowl. Squeeze over the juice from 1/2 a lemon and sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar. Mix and let sit for 10 minutes before assembling the Deconstructed Pavlova.

Assembly:

Smear some cooled pastry cream down on a plate, then top with berries and meringue cookies. That’s it! It’s that simple! This was a super summery dessert that my whole family loved.

Freshly Baked Carrot Cake (Hops & Barley, USA)

I have a confession. I am VERY picky when it comes to sweet things, and don’t particularly care for most desserts. There are few exceptions to this rule for me… and carrot cake is one of them. When I saw it on the menu at Hops & Barley in the American Pavilion I knew I had to have it. I have a serious emotional attachment to it, because it’s one of the things my mom would make for me.

However, what I didn’t count on was the hour long line-up to get it! It struck me as sort of funny that the longest line I waited in during the entire Food & Wine Festival was the American line… when I was in America. Anyway, it was real real good, definitely worth the wait. So I tried my hand at it back at home! What is special about this cake is that it’s already warm, and it has orange soaked craisins in it. And then they have this large vat of warm cream cheese glaze they pour over. I think I will always serve carrot cake that way from now on!

Cake:

• 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of craisins, soaked in orange juice overnight
• 2 1/2 cups AP flour
• 3 tsp cinnamon (I added some cardamom, allspice, and a little clove)
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• Shake of salt
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 cups grated carrots (I cooked them slightly in the microwave and used a towel to remove excess moisture)
• 1 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 capful of real vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9 x 13 pan (to make it more like the one in Epcot, you could do them in ramekins)
2. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl and place aside
3. Using a hand or stand mixer, mix together the oil and sugar; add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla
4. Add dry ingredients slowly to wet
5. Add carrots, cranberries (drain the orange juice), and walnuts to the batter until just incorporated
6. Bake 30-35 min in the large pan until toothpick comes out clean

Icing:

While the cake is baking, make the icing. Be sure to take out a block of cream cheese and butter the morning you want to make this recipe so that they are nice and soft.

Mix together 8 ounces of cream cheese with 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick) in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add a little vanilla and then slowly add icing sugar until it’s fluffy and sweet (about 1 – 1 1/2 cups). Add milk until it’s more glaze-like than spreadable icing. Move to a glass microwavable container and heat it up on power level 5 in 10 second intervals until it’s perfectly smooth.

When the cake comes out, let sit for 5 min, then cut and individually pour the icing over the pieces. Enjoy!

 

Spiced Apple Twinings of London Chai Tea (Earth Eats)

It’s a bit of a mouthful to say, but this drink, both the virgin and the alcoholic version, tastes like fall. I will be making this on the regular as I’m obsessed!

Tea: Steep 2 bags of Twinings (I could only find the Celestial brand) Apple Spiced Tea in 1 cup of water and allow to cool completely in the fridge. Sweeten to taste while tea is still hot. 

Chai: I like the pre-made Tazo chai concentrate that you can buy in the store.  

Mix 1/2 cup of tea with 1/2 cup of Tazo chai mix over ice. If you would like to try the spiked version add 1 oz of Fireball Whiskey. Serve with a cinnamon stick. (Serves 2.)

 

Thanks for stopping by! What recipe will you be making first? 

Don’t forget to check out all of our Disney Friends’ Food Blogs this month!

Roll Call:

1. www.stressfreemickey.com
2. www.mouseandthemagic.com 
3. www.accidentaldisneyfamily.com 
4. www.disneyparklife.com 
5. www.theorlandodinks.com 
6. www.dustlesspixie.com 
7. www.magicaladventureco.com 
8. www.cateatdisney.com 

 

Have a magical day!
Erica, Heidi, Elisia and Danielle

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