For anyone unfamiliar with Amorette's Patisserie at Disney Springs, do yourself a favor and get familiar ASAP. This artsy pastry shop is located right next to World of Disney in Disney Springs and offers a variety of signature cakes, macarons, eclairs, and more. The cakes and pastries here are so elegant you almost don't want to eat any of it! But, that's ridiculous because not only are the desserts gorgeous, they're DELICIOUS. In a relatively new addition, Disney has started offering Cake Decorating Experiences at Amorette's. Being a naturally creative and artistic person, I jumped all over it as soon as I saw it. It did take us a few months to be able to get into a class (they're now offered Sun-Thurs, but at first it was only once or twice a week). This 90-minute class takes you through the cake-decorating process of a signature Mickey Character cake. You and a partner are given all of the materials, ingredients, and guidance you need to create this show-stopping cake! We'll take you through the basics of the class and our experience with it so you can decide if this is something for you! If you find enjoyment in cake decorating, baking, or art in general we recommend giving it a try. It's a bit pricey ($150 per couple), but can be a lot of fun and you may just learn a thing or two! We started off by meeting in front of Amorette's at 8:30 AM. Class starts at 9:00, but get there early so you can get settled in and order your free drinks. Yes, FREE. (Considering the price of the class, it's the least they could do.) The class offers unlimited drinks from the menu above. We tried the mimosa, bellini, and caramel and vanilla lattes and cappuccinos. The class caps out at 14 guests, so seating is not an issue at all. We happened to be the first ones in so we picked the work station right in the center, but as you can see in the photo, there are no bad views. We got a short intro from our instructors about Amorette's, their backgrounds, and what the class would look like. We also got to sample some cake and buttercream (of course there are not-so-hidden Mickey's) They started by giving each of us the main "dome" of cake. This class is 100% about decorating, NOT baking. So, all of the baking and prepping part was done for us. The inside of the cake is Chocolate Chiffon Cake, Milk Chocolate Mousse and Orange Pate De Fruit Jelly. And it's AMAZING! Pouring the first layer of glaçage..aka gelatin-like icing. *Does this remind anyone else of a poison apple??* Next, we did our first layer of painting the ears, buttons, and tail (all made of white-chocolate) with edible paint. While waiting for those to dry a little we applied a second layer of glaçage which ended up looking like this. And a second layer of paint to the ears, buttons, and tail. Then the third and final layer of glaçage to the cake. This was the important one to make sure it looked it's best and didn't have any missing areas. While the cakes sat in the refrigerator for a while to let the glaçage set, we got to walk around, order more drinks, explore Amorette's and talk with the instructors. One of the coolest things about Amorette's is the fact that you can see the decorators working on their cakes and pastries while you're in the shop. Then came the most nerve-racking part of the class: transferring the cake. Notice how some of the buttercream came out but I just attempt to sweep it under the cake lol Luckily the "belt" fondant covers the bottom of the cake so you can't see any of your mistakes. Adding all the final pieces together! And the final product!!! Posing like proud parents with our creation haha. Everyone got to write their names on their cake in frosting. You know we HAD to put Ride or Dine! The other great thing about the class is that after you've finished, your cake is displayed in one of the glass cases in the bakery for everyone to see. If you want to leave it there and pick it up later, they'll hold it for you for the rest of the day. When you are ready to take your cake with you, it's placed in a nice box and bag and you're given a signed card by the instructors! And there you have it! A basic rundown of Amorette's Cake Decorating Experience at Disney Springs. We had an absolute blast (probably more Brittany than Parker) with this class! The cake was delicious, AND HUGE, and it was just an all-around fun morning. It was also something pretty different than we're used to on Disney vacations, so that was exciting. Amorette's Cake Decorating Experience runs Sunday-Thursday every week and offers this classic Mickey design cake on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays and the seasonal Mickey cake on Mondays and Wednesdays. (UM, YES PLEASE, PUMPKIN MICKEY!!) If this is something you're interested in, make sure to book way in advance! Classes are only offered to 14 students per day and fill up several months in advance!! Until next time, happy decorating!!
4 Comments
Today is a sad day in the Disney World. Today marks the last official day of the 2018 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival. The second best time of the EPCOT year, (right after Food and Wine of course). If you haven't gotten to enjoy this festival before, trust us, it's one you definitely don't want to miss. And if you have enjoyed this festival before, you know exactly what we're talking about! We lovingly refer to this festival as "Food and Wine Halftime" because that's kind of what it's become. There's about half as many booths as the Food and Wine Fest, but it's growing every year. Honestly, sometimes we kind of like the fact that there's half as many booths. It feels less overwhelming, and you get to try more things at each booth (especially if you only get to visit once). PLUS, there's amazing topiaries and beautiful flowers throughout the park. Below are some of the highlights for us of this year's festival! The Honey Bee-stroThis was a new booth for this year, and it's so cute! I love this area, and the food and drinks were great! One of our favorite stands of the festival! Honey-Peach Cobbler Freeze with Blueberry Vodka and Honey Tandoori Chicken Flatbread with White Cheddar Cheese, Charred Veggies, and Clover Honey Sour Cream. Pineapple PromenadeThis is somewhat of a famous booth at Flower and Garden festival. It's the booth that not only offers Dole Whip and Dole Whip WITH rum (both classic favorites), but also the ***Violet Lemonade*** This frozen flavored lemonade has built up such a following you can now purchase shirts, pins, hats, and more all over the internet to show your extreme fandom for the drink! I mean...what can we say? We're fans of it, too. It's THAT good. La Isla FrescaEasily the cutest booth of the festival, as you can probably tell by how many pictures we took of it. AND my own personal favorite drink, as well. The tropical freeze with mango rum. This was by far my favorite drink this year. It has real chunks of mango on top, and I'm pretty sure I drank the whole thing in about 4 minutes. Oops. The Sugar Cane Shrimp Skewer with Steamed Rice and Coconut-lime Sauce was also awesome! The Berry BasketTo be honest, with a booth dedicated to berries, I definitely thought I was going to enjoy this stand more than I did. The blueberry moscato was not great (didn't even get a picture of it, sorry), and the Green Tea Berry Mint Julep was just okay. I will say, this drink photographs SO well. And, it did get better when we mixed it around. When they first handed it to us (and you can see this in the photo) all of the liquor sank to the bottom. The bottom as in, where my straw was, as in, I took a huge gulp of bourbon and was not happy with the taste. But, like I said, it photographs SO well. Haha :) Jardin de FiestasOf course, we also love Mexico! They also have great options, and it kind of feels like home to us. This year, though, I think was one of Mexico's strongest line-ups yet. Violet Cassis Punch and Rose Margarita (my fav) The chilaquiles!!! One of my favorite food options this year. A little different than the chilaquiles we're used to in San Antonio, but still really good! Fried pieces of corn tortillas topped with ranchera sauce, chorizo, Mexican cream, and cotija cheese. Lotus HouseSo, China is another booth that's usually a favorite of ours. But, I've got to say- this year I was kind of let down. We didn't even bother ordering the cocktails since they always offer the exact same ones (at both Flower and Garden AND Food and Wine). I was excited for the Fried Chicken Dumplings, but after trying them, I realized that I like the regular dumplings better. Oh well, hopefully this Fall the China booth will be back on top. Bauernmarkt: Farmer's MarketToasted Pretzel Bread with Black Forest Ham and Gruyere Cheese and Potato Pancake with Caramelized Ham, Onions, and Herbed Sour Cream. They do offer a potato pancake with applesauce instead of the ham and onions if that sounds more appealing to you. And you can't stop in Germany without getting a beer! This is the Kostritzer Schwarzbier Black Lager. Primavera KitchenItaly's always a safe bet at any EPCOT festival. You know what to expect, and it's pretty much always good! Maine Lobster Ravioli with Vodka Sauce Fritto Misto- Crispy Shrimp and Zucchini with a spicy sauce drizzle. The Smokehouse: Barbecue and BrewsEPCOT always does a great job making sure America has great offerings during festivals. And this year was no exception! Three meats: One Sandwich! If this doesn't scream "'Murica!" I'm not sure what does. It's a Beef Brisket Burnt Ends and Smoked Pork Belly Slider with a Chorizo Cheddar Fondue, and topped with Garlic Sausage and a slice of House-made Pickle! Whew! That's a mouthful...of delicious! And a beer flight to wash it all down. Yum! HanamiAnother festival fan favorite item can be found at the Japan pavilion- Frushi aka Fruit Sushi. Personally, we're not the biggest fans of it. It's okay, but not a favorite on our list by any means. Also pictured above is the Ginger Beer Yakiudon: Thin-sliced Beef, Onions, and Noodles tossed in Soy and Ginger. Taste of MarrakeshDesert Rose- Sparkling Wine topped with Pomegranate Liqueur. Florida FreshThis was another one of the best looking booths of the festival. So much greenery around this one, plus, you can never go wrong with string lights. Step aside violet lemonade! The cucumber watermelon slush has arrived and it's giving you a run for your money! (Pictured left the awesome watermelon cucumber slush available with or without gin) And on the right- First Magnitude Brewing Co. Monarch Milk Stout. Fleur de LysFrance is home to the best alcoholic slushes in world showcase! And outstanding desserts! Macaron au Chocolat en Sucette: French for Large Chocolate Macaron Lollipop! This was SO good. Not only is it photogenic and easy to eat: it actually tastes great too! Easily one of our favorite desserts of the year! Confit de Canard au Gnocchi a la Parisienne: French for Braised Duck Confit with Parisian Gnocchi. Too many mushrooms for Parker, but other than that he really enjoyed it. Cider HouseIf you recall from previous posts, Parker is the Cider King! So, naturally, this is one of his favorite booths. Although we weren't crazy about the food, if there's a cider flight available, it's a win for him! Black Cherry, Pineapple Tropical, and Apple Orange Grand Mimosa. Potato and Cheddar Cheese biscuit with Smoked Salmon Tartare. Northern BloomCanada's always a great spot to get some hearty options at the festival. They usually offer some sort of meat and potato and/or thick soup, etc. This festival we absolutely LOVED the Canada booth! Beef Tenderloin Tips with Mushroom Bordelaise Sauce and Whipped Potatoes and Carrots. YUM! Seared Scallops with French Green Beans, Butter Potatoes, Brown Butter Vinaigrette, and Applewood-Smoked Bacon. YUM X2! TopiariesAnd of course, the Flower and Garden festival just wouldn't be as magical without the impressive living topiaries scattered throughout the park! Here are some of our favorites! And there you have it! The 2018 EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival all wrapped up. We're sad to see it go, BUT, that means it's only three months until Food and Wine starts!
Who's ready?? We know we are! We decided to roll with the Disney theme again this week and highlight one of our favorite spots from our most recent trip to Disney World! Baseline Tap House at Disney's Hollywood Studios is one of the newest additions to the park, and we've got to say, we were impressed. We recognize this place may not be everyone's cup of tea since it is pretty specific. But, if you're a beer fan and want a cool place to stop and take a much-needed break while exploring the parks, then this is the place for you! This California-themed pub is located right next to Sci-Fi Dine In Theatre Restaurant (also one of our favorite places, so we'll have to blog on that later) in the Grand Avenue area of the park. Like all things Disney does, this place is extremely well themed! The pub pays homage to the Figueroa Printing Company (a family-run print shop that used to have a partnership with Disney Studios) and is overflowing with charm. We loved the look of this Industrial Age-themed bar! The exposed brick walls are perfect! Alright, so here's the part we were talking about earlier when we said that this place is "pretty specific." Baseline doesn't offer a huge menu, there are no light-up Disney cocktails, or typical bar snacks here. However, they still try to make sure there's something for everyone. Yes, it is primarily a beer place. But, if beer isn't your thing, they still offer a a few wine and cocktail options. They also offer some non-alcoholic options as well -that wild strawberry lemonade sounds amazing! The Create-Your-Own Beer Flight lets you pick 4 different California Craft beers or ciders so that you can try several and figure out which you like most. We also tried the Ace Space Bloody Orange Cider in large form because Parker knew he'd like it. For food we went with the California Cheese and Charcuterie Plate and we LOVED it. We do tend to love all meat and cheese boards, though, so not sure if our opinion is biased or not haha! The best part of Baseline Tap House for me was probably just the overall atmosphere. For a few minutes, I honestly forgot we were in WDW. Even sitting on the patio, with park guests walking by you, it's easy to get transported somewhere else. Thank God for huge fans on that outdoor patio, because seating inside is extremely limited and Lord knows I was dying in that Florida heat. Those string lights! I'd love to sit on this patio and enjoy an evening drink and snack. Well, there you have it! An introduction to one of the newest and hippest spots in all of Walt Disney World. We really loved Baseline and are so excited for all of the changes coming to Hollywood Studios. Although Studios already had some great dining options, this was a much-needed addition and we hope for more things like it in the future.
Let us know if you've been to Baseline Tap House yet, or if it's on your list to check out on your next trip! It's finally here! Our official blog post about the largest and most epic food and wine festival in the industry! The mother of all theme park food events! The biggest reason we decided to start a theme park food blog! And one of our favorite times of the year! The EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival! After a year of patiently waiting, we finally made it to Orlando a few weeks ago for our annual Food and Wine trip! This year's event features the largest number of booths that the festival has ever seen! To help EPCOT celebrate it's 35th year, the park is featuring 35 booths which include everyone's favorites, plus some great new additions as well! As always, the festival includes celebrity chefs, food and beverage seminars, and exclusive merchandise. But, in this post we'll be focusing solely on the marketplace booths and all the delicious food and drink options within them. Let's get started! EPCOT Legacy Showplace and Craft Beer Plenty of selection on the craft beer side! Parker really enjoyed the Cheeseburger Mac and Cheese Handwich and the Chilled Scotch Eggs. We were really excited for the food at this booth since it featured some of our favorite things. It wasn't really as great as we were hoping, but we liked it overall. Flavors from Fire This stand featured two of Brittany's favorite picks from the whole festival! The Orlando Brewery Smokin' Blackwater Porter and the Piggy Wings! The Porter was really good, especially if you're a fan of darker beers! Light Lab The Light Lab was SUCH a cool pop-up bar added to the festival this year! Not only was it all blacklight with glowing cocktails and treats, but it was INDOORS! A/C for the win! Glownut (glorified Joffrey's donut) and Bleu Spectrum (Champagne with rainbow boba pearls!) This place was so cute, we just wish it photographed better! Active Eats Loaded Mac and Cheese- another dish that screams "PARKER!" Needless to say, he loved it. We also tried the M.I.A Beer Company Hard Cucumber and Lime water. It was hands down one of the strangest things we've ever tasted. It was essentially alcoholic cucumber water. It didn't have a very defined taste, but the smell let you know there was alcohol in it. Messed with the senses for sure! Coastal Eats A seafood lover's dream! This was one of our most anticipated booths as well (especially Brittany) because we love seafood! All three food options were great, but the standout was definitely the baked shrimp scampi dip! Refreshment Port Dole Whip all day every day. You can get regular pineapple dole whip or the adult version AKA dole whip with Bacardi coconut rum (highly recommended!!) Yum! The Almond Orchard The Almond Orchard features our favorite desserts of the festival! The Banana Almond Soft-serve Sundae. It was so light and refreshing, yet still sweet enough to calm that craving for sugar. We loved it! Farm Fresh Farm Fresh was another booth we were pretty excited for. Parker is the Cider King (refer to previous food and wine post from BGW) so naturally we got the cider flight here. We also tried the crispy chicken with griddled cornbread and red eye gravy. It was good, but very heavy and not ideal for the extreme heat that we were facing that day. Greece We tried the Spanakopita and the Loaded Greek Nachos. This is a popular booth amongst the festival goers, but we've got to be honest: we aren't the biggest fans. Bring back the gyro!! Thailand In Thailand we tried the Chicken in Peanut Sauce. Parker liked it a lot! Mexico Mexico is always a favorite booth Ribeye Taco with Roasted Chipotle Sauce & Tequila Chipotle Shrimp on a Black Bean Huarache For Margaritas we always prefer to go inside the pyramid to La Cava del Tequila. They have a better selection and it's just a neat hidden place. We can't wait for Choza de Margarita to open in the Mexico pavilion soon! Plenty of new and exciting Margaritas will be joining the EPCOT lineup! China We, unfortunately, didn't get any pictures in China because it started monsooning on us for about 20 minutes while we were finishing up in line. However, we got the failsafe chicken pot stickers and we tried the black pepper shrimp. Both were very good! We also tried both the Kung Fu Punch and BaiJoe Punch. At first sip, the BaiJoe was INTENSE, but after stirring it around for a while it was actually pretty good. The Kung Fu punch was also a thumbs up! Italy Italy's also another favorite! Crispy Calamari with Spicy Pomodoro Sauce Block and Hans / Hops and Barley We put these together because they're both in the American pavilion. Block and Hans just features beer while Hops and Barley features both drinks and food. We have quite the list of things tried in America because there was just so much that sounded good! - Hanson Brother Mmmhops Pale Ale (Because come on with that clever title how could we not??) - McKenzie's Seasonal Reserve Hard Cider (To reiterate, Parker=Cider King) - JDubs Bell Cow Porter (Because Brittany can never pass up a new Porter) - Killer Whale Cream Ale (For you, Shamu!) - New England Lobster Roll (A Festival classic!) - Smoked Beef Brisket with Pimento Cheese (yuuuuuummm) France La Passion Martini Slush , Bouchard Aine & Fils Chardonnay, and Croissant aux Escargots The escargot was not as good as it was a few years ago in 2012. They were baked into individual brioche buns and were far less chewy. But either way, we're glad we tried it! Ireland Ireland ended up being a pretty good booth as well. We had a Guinness Blonde Lager to drink. Warm Irish Cheddar Cheese and Stout Dip and Roasted Irish Sausage with Colcannon Potatoes and Onion Gravy. The sausage and potatoes were the clear winner this round! Scotland The Fresh Potato Pancake with Smoked Salmon and Herbed Sour Cream. Hands down one of the best food options in the entire festival. It was top 3 for Parker and he doesn't even like salmon, so that's saying something. Canada It's so appropriate that we end on Canada. We definitely saved the best for last! Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup (a long-time favorite) and "Le Cellier" Wild Mushroom Filet Mignon. Drink- Neige Premiere "Apple Ice Wine" The filet was so good, it was the only item in the entire festival that we ordered more than once. It's a 2-3 oz piece of filet for only $8, so not only is it delicious it's a great deal, too! It is a returning champ from last year's festival, and we hope it stays for a very long time! In Conclusion The food and Wine festival was everything we hoped for and more. 35 booths was ridiculously overwhelming, but, we tried everything we wanted to and we left content. Until next year, Food and Wine! EPCOT's Food and Wine Festival runs through November 13th, 2017.
Please share with us some of your favorite festival items in the comments! |
AuthorsParker and Brittany Ruhmel- Lovers of all things food and theme park related! Categories
All
Archives
August 2019
|