SC - vegetable sotelties

[Mark Harris]

Earlier today, Friday, June 6, Aoife commented:

>>>>>
Now: a FOOD question:

I once read an MS that gave instuctions to "carve a radish in manner of a
rose" or some wording remarkably similar. I can't find it now, but seem to
remember it was French. Anyone remember this? Anyone else come across
directions to  carve vegetables to look like other things? I'm wondering how
old the garnishing art is. I'm not talking about sweets and sotelties here,
just veggies and fruits.
<<<<<

I'm afraid I can't answer your exact question, but perhaps you or others
might find these ideas for vegetable sotelities useful.

These ideas are from Honour Horne-Jaruk, KSA:Alizaunde, 
Demoiselle de Bregeuf and can be found in this file in the FOOD section
of my SCA Rialto Files:
sotelties-msg     (72K)  5/21/97    Sotelties and Warners - decorated food.

Stefan li Rous
markh at risc.sps.mot.com

         Vegetables:
     23:Eagle's nest sallet: shred greens so they look like  hay, 
pile  on  your  GBT in the characteristic  volcano  shape  of  an 
eagle's nest, fill with peeled boiled eggs and drizzle  liberally 
with mustard & cream dressing- Yup, the sticky yellowish dressing 
looks like just what you thought it would...heh heh heh 
     You  can  add  peeled carrots as  'branches',  or  even  use 
licorice-root if some madman in your group likes the stuff,  they 
know who they are... 

     24:For  a crusader feast in Aug.-Oct., use zucchini to  make 
'ships'-dhows,  pilgrim  transports, whatever. This is  the  only 
time I don't serve part of a Warner; nobody wants to eat Zucchini 
up  here,  and we get them free anyway. If you paint  the  inside 
with  egg  white JUST before serving you can fill them  with  hot 
soup-  use a gooseneck funnel so as not to disturb  the  rigging- 
without  getting  an unwanted zucchini taste. You could  use  any 
other Old World `gourd '- check your origins carefully- but other 
types  you'd  have to pay for and should therefore plan  to  use. 
(Throwing the zucchini isn't wasting food, I never thought it was 
edible anyway and it goes to my liege's compost heap.) 

     25:Raddichio,  redtop  broccoli, regular  broccoli  and  the 
other  heading-floret  things make good forests, get  your  local 
crazy to make the base (of nails through a foodsafe plank) and go 
to town. (You may want to make the base so the nails come out for 
storage; why take chances?) 

     26:Sort  of  an extension of above to  non-broccoli  season- 
beet  tops, celery leaves, any other EDIBLE greens. (Not  rhubarb 
or potato leaves) Combines well with chicken-leg soldiers for  an 
attack on Dunsinane... heh heh heh 

     27:If  you  can get old-variety parsnips, the big  ones  are 
hollow centered. Make an aqueduct. Could be done by pithing large 
'burpless'  (Turkish  originally  but  now  called  English,  you 
figure) cukes if you can't. 

     28:Take  the  middle out of a cabbage and fill  with  almost 
anything except more cabbage. The books usually say `tie top 
leaves together before steaming ' but I recommend cheesecloth. 

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