SC - Gold Leaf

[L Herr-Gelatt and J R Gelatt]

Hello all from Anne-Marie
Last year for our blowout Baronial Banquet we did Elizabethan food (totally
documented, down to the way it was served, thank you very much). We served
whole salmon, stuffed with herbs and served with an orange sauce. We also
served "gilded jello", aka A White Leach on the banquetting table.

Salmon is definately period. I have no documentaion for the gilding of
fishies in period, per se, and wonder aobut the cost (the real food-grade
gold leaf is not cheap). If I might make a suggestion? Guld the one for the
high table. We gilded our desserts, and it was awfully pretty.

I don't recommed using non-food grade gold leaf as it is often cut with tin
or even other wierder stuff. We got our gold leaf from a baker supply
catelog "Maid of Scandanavia", and it was $45 for a book that we only used
about 1/3 of to gild three pans of leach. 

Gold is inert and wont hurt you. There are lots of delightful indian
pastries that use gold and silver leaf. Oh, and try and find a calligrapher
or someone whos' used it before, its a bit tricky.

- --AM

- ----------
> From: Decker, Terry D. <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>
> To: 'sca-cooks at Ansteorra.ORG'
> Subject: RE: SC - (P?) Fish dishes and gold-leafing
> Date: Tuesday, January 20, 1998 6:41 PM
> 
> >Ok, I'm gonna show my newbie-ness and lack of knowledge here...
> >
> >>	Could I get away with cooking whole fish (let's say salmon, for
> >argument's sake; it's >my favorite fish anyway) and gold-leafing it? 
Would
> >that be even remotely period?  And if >it were, anyone have any
suggestions
> >as to what recipe/sauce to use?
> >
> >Is food with gold leaf on it edible?  I would have thought it would be
> >poisonous...
> >
> >Karla
> 
> Gold is essentially a non-reactive metal.  It should pass through the
> digestive tract intact.  I wouldn't recommend eating large quantities of
> it or let the revolting peasants melt it before serving it to you.
> 
> In this particular case, I think the gold is for pretty and would be
> removed with the skin before eating.
> 
> Bear
> >
>
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