If You Have A Sweet Tooth This Is For You

By Georgina Cruz

I knew it was a very good sign when the people next to us -a couple from Orlando-told my husband and me that they had been to Sweet Sundays at Epcot the previous year and now they were coming back for more. "It was just wonderful," they said. And sure enough, the event was sweet all right.

We were at Odyssey - The Chef's Showplace during Epcot's International Food & Wine Festival. Each Sunday of the festival, which runs from Sept. 29 to Nov. 12 this year, a different celebrity chef prepares three desserts in front of visitors' eyes. Our chef was Francois Payard of Payard Patisserie & Bistro in New York City.

We were received to our brunch program with a glass of champagne, Lanson Black Label Brut, very light and refreshing, and we drank a toast to all the sweetness to come. "I always say that when you have wine by nine," said our hostess, Pam Smith, "your day will be fine".

After a few sips of the bubbly, Smith invited us to help ourselves to a buffet including a variety of fresh fruits, orange juice, and hot dishes, including a delicious vegetable frittata, sausages, potatoes, and coffee.

As we munched, Chef Payard, who is a third-generation pastry chef, born in Nice, France, worked his magic. He first prepared a delicate lemon tart -he confided he likes desserts that are not too sweet sometimes. Then he went on to create some wonderful pineapple and almond tea cakes -like delectable ambrosia, which we enjoyed with additional glasses of champagne.

As Payard prepared these delights, he regaled us with warm commentary, telling us about his philosophy of cooking "I am an old-fashioned chef," he said, as he mixed some ingredients. "I use a wooden spoon." His pastry shop was, by the way, selected as one of the top 10 in the world by National Geographic's "10 Best of Everything" book.

When the last of his trio of desserts, a sinful chocolate pudding cake was almost ready for us to taste, we were served a glass of Les Clos de Paulilles Banyuls, a sweet red wine that complemented the chocolate dessert to perfection.

"Your Sundays will never be the same after this," Smith said. And she was right -we can't wait to return-and in the meantime we have Chef Payard's wonderful recipes we can try at home. He gave us each all three dessert recipes to try at home, and autographed copies of his books were available for purchase.

Two sessions of Sweet Sundays are presented each Sunday of the festival: one from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. (including brunch) and another one from noon to 2 p.m. (including lunch). The lineup of chefs for this year's festival is as follows:

Oct. 1 - Francois Payard, Payard Patisserie & Bistro, New York City.

Oct. 8 - Keri Fisher, Philadelphia PA and Greg Case, Boston, MA, co-authors of One Cake, One Hundred Desserts.

Oct. 15 - Keegan Gerhard, Food Network, The Food Network Challenge.

Tickets to Sweet Sundays cost $60 per person. Park admission is required. A one-day ticket is $67 for adults and $56 for children. For information, go to www.disneyworld.com/foodandwine