One of my never-ending quests as a food blogger is to make sure everyone saves room for dessert! So, to forward that goal, I’d like to tempt you with three World Showcase desserts that are often considered to be, in a way, “food ambassadors” from their respective countries.

When you’re dining at Chefs de France, the Rose and Crown Restaurant, or Marrakesh, these are some of the desserts that are on the menu to represent their national cuisine:

Chefs de France: Creme Brulee
Creme brulee is a dessert made of a baked and cooled vanilla custard topped with sugar, which is rapidly melted (usually with a blow torch or broiler) to form a caramel-y, candied top crust. One of the most fantastic things about eating creme brulee is that first “crack” of the sugar crust crunching when you dive in with your spoon! The earliest known reference to Creme Brulee — which means “burnt cream” — is in a 17th century French cookbook.

The Chefs de France Creme Brulee is BIG and beautiful! It’s authentic, and it’s served without the flavor-y flair (pistachio, maple, milk chocolate, etc…) you’ll in creme brulee versions at other Disney restaurants. This is simple, straightforward, rich, and — honestly — luxurious.

Chefs de France Creme Brulee

Rose and Crown Restaurant: Sticky Toffee Pudding
Compared to creme brulee, Sticky Toffee Pudding is a relatively new dessert in the culinary world! Said to have been developed in 1907 and refined by a Lake District pub owner in the 1960’s, Sticky Toffee Pudding is a warm sponge cake, often flavored with dates, covered with…well…a sticky, toffee-flavored sauce! Many restaurants serve sticky toffee pudding with ice cream or a custard sauce.

Rose and Crown‘s sticky toffee pudding is a bit “fancier” than those I’m used to; it’s molded all tulip-y when my previous STP’s have been plain old squares. But it’s still delicious. While there isn’t a strong, overly sweet taste to the dessert, the toffee and cream give it a hearty, heavy richness. My experience has been that people either love or hate sticky toffee pudding, but you usually don’t find much indifference!

Rose and Crown Sticky Toffee Pudding

Marrakesh: Baklava
Baklava is a sweet pastry made with layers of phyllo dough, flavored with chopped nuts, and sweetened with syrup or honey. It can be found throughout Greece, Turkey, and the Middle East, and is thought to have been a product of the Ottoman Empire. Where you find it, however, will determine what flavorings and ingredients are used. It’s a wonderful dish that reflects the ingredients native to the country in which it’s being served.

With Kouzzina just around the corner, Marrakesh is now fighting for the top spot in the Baklava wars, but they’re certainly holding their own. I tried this Baklava sampler on a recent trip to Epcot’s Morocco and was extremely impressed. These two versions are flavored with almonds and pistachios and are absolutely heavenly. This is one dessert that quite simply needs to be bigger. My husband and I were guarding our portions from each other, to be sure!

Marrakesh Baklava

I’d love to hear your reviews in the comments section below. Also, please speak up if you’ve tried another “traditional dessert” in the World Showcase that deserves a mention! Inquiring minds want to know!