Disney Day 4 was filled with lots of rides and meet and greets at Magic Kingdom so it was certainly nice to end it with a relaxing dinner and dessert in Epcot! I had scoped out the Flower and Garden Festival food options awhile before being there in person so I had a general idea of what they had in the gluten free department. On my list of potential treats to try were the Candied Strawberries in China, Frushi in Japan, and the Orange Blossom Macaron in France. Since I’d already tasted the Candied Strawberries, I was eager to either go with the Frushi or Macaron. I was in more of a pastry mood that night than a fruit one so macaron it was.
It was a beautiful night despite the excessive wetness during the day, so we took our time heading over to France, making sure we caught all of the beautiful topiaries on the way. Some of our favorites by far were Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs in Germany,
Lady and The Tramp in Italy,
and finally Beauty and The Beast, and all of their enchanted friends, in France.
These were so beautiful and the attention to detail was amazing! Now, after we had taken a few photos of the gorgeous French topiaries we spotted France’s Fleur De Lys Flower and Garden Festival stand.
I quickly ordered the Macaron a la Fleur d’ Oranger which was an orange blossom macaron with white chocolate ganache in the center. These were kept separately and already on their individual plates so I didn’t have to worry about the person handling the other gluten-filled options at the stand also touching mine as well. After picking up my macaron, we headed through France to the Les Halles Boulangerie & Patisserie to pick out a sweet treat for our little girl. She picked an impressive fruit parfait which was yogurt mousse with berries, a combination of ingredients that she happens to adore at home so I knew this one would be a hit. We headed out and picked an outside table to sit and enjoy our desserts together.
After watching my little one enjoy her first few bites of her fruit parfait I turned my glance to my sweet, gluten free macaron. It was put together so beautifully that I hated to take a bite and ruin the presentation, but no worries I certainly did my research.
The macaron was pretty large with a generous helping of the white chocolate ganache inside. It was incredibly soft and delicate, just how a macaron should be. The orange flavor of the cookie side was perfectly complemented by the chocolatey center. All together it was a sweet, gluten free ending to a wonderful day!
I must say, it was certainly special to be able to experience the Flower and Garden Festival for the first time. Disney did a fantastic job, as always, with all of the gardens throughout Epcot and added another exciting element with food stands in each country offering tasting size bites. I have to share just one more of my favorite topiaries that we spotted after walking through Canada, whose character was inspiration for my daughter’s nursery so this one holds a little sentimental value and really stole the show for me.
When we walked past, my little one nearly jumped out of her seat with excitement as she recognized Bambi, Thumper, and Flower. I think probably each of us had one of those moments as we walked through the countries, spotting favorite characters from childhood, depicted now in huge, flower displays. It was truly a remarkable event to attend! Thanks Disney!
Have A Magical Day,
Lindsay