I enjoyed learning about the food and cooking process, but I thought the most special part was getting to see the chefs’ personalities and hear their stories. Kitchen Memories was my favorite of the three special events we attendedĪt the 2012 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. Chef Estes is originally from Texas, where we are from, and we talked about that as well as a local Houston chef who was a fellow competitor on Next Iron Chef with her.
Chef Estes showed us how to put the ramekins in a water bath before putting the custard in the oven.Īfter the demo, we had the opportunity to get the chefs’ autographs and chat with them briefly. I know crème brulee is a simple dish, but it was astonishing how quickly Chefs Estes and Steward whipped it up! What I found surprising was that they used cascabel chilies in the dessert. Our final dish was a Mexican Chocolate Crème Brulee with Mexican Wedding Cookies. The black-eyed peas and butternut squash added a bit of texture, and the guacamole was really good! The Twomey Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir was a great pairing – it didn’t overpower the dish the way a Cabernet might have, but was still bold enough to stand up to all the flavors of the food. This preparation made it so flavorful and tender. I have maybe only ever eaten rabbit once before, and I wasn’t sure whether I’d like it. Just as with the duck dish, we found the flavors in the rabbit dish to be remarkably simple and clean. The chefs explained that they like to keep their food simple and use high quality ingredients, which provide amazing flavors. The rabbit meat was placed on a tostada and topped with cheddar cheese, guacamole, cilantro and sour cream. In the meantime, Chef Estes made the smashed avocado – known to you and me as guacamole.
The preparation of the meat was essentially the same as the duck – sauté with spices, add stock, then place in the oven until the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender.Īfter shredding the meat, Chef Stewart combined it with black-eyed peas and butternut squash. He showed us how to butcher a rabbit (something I can say I’ll probably never do!). While we enjoyed the salad, Chef Stewart started cooking the next course – Rabbit Tostada and Smashed Avocado. The crispness of the Sauvignon Blanc paired nicely with the fattiness of the meat and duck cracklings. The watercress, corn, and cilantro added clean, slightly tangy flavor to the salad. The delicious leg meat was tender and flavorful, and the duck cracklings and tortilla strips added a nice crunch. I’m not generally a big fan of duck because it tends to be so fatty. I had purchased tickets in advance, but I believe you can purchase event tickets in the Festival Center (located in the old Wonders of Life pavilion), if there are still available spots. To our delight, the wine pairings for our lunch were by Silver Oak/Twomey Cellars.
Reality television fans may remember Duskie from her stint on The Next Iron Chef in 2010. The demo that we attended was presented by Chefs Duskie Estes and John Stewart from Zazu Restaurant + Farm and Black Pig Meat Co. But after doing a little research, my husband and I decided to attend an event called “ Kitchen Memories.” This event was a combination culinary demonstration and three-course lunch. Today’s the day that all guests can book the 2013 Epcot Food and Wine Festival special events! And to give a little taste of one of these fun options, we welcome back guest author Shayne Newell with a review of the Kitchen Memories seminar from the 2012 Epcot Food and Wine Festival! This is a great treat for those of us deciding what events to book at the 2013 Epcot Food and Wine Festival!Īs I prepared for my first trip to the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, I was a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of available culinary and beverage seminars and demonstrations.
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