[Sca-cooks] Kashrut and illusion food

[Stefan li Rous]

Devra commented:
> Many years ago, I went to a small but wonderful event called 'Feast for a
> winter's afternoon.'  Among the other great dishes they had at least 3 kewl
> illusion items: sugar-frosted grapes mixed on the tray with marzipan grapes,
> rolls which were cut open and stuffed with baby-rabbit stew, then recovered,
> and a dynamite 'cake'.  The cake was served as part of the first course, and
> looking at it, you thought it was a frosted darkish spice cake. Actually, the
> 'cake' was a chicken loaf (think meatloaf or pate), the base frosting was
> whipped egg white slathered on and then hardened/cooked in the oven, and the
> decoration (yellow dots all over the white 'frosting') was egg yolk piped on
> in little spots and then cooked in oven.

Thank you for these illusion food examples. I'm always looking for more good
examples. I can probably make some of these illusion foods. My problem is
coming up with the particular ideas for them.

But would the rolls stuffed with rabbit stew really be considered an illusion food? It still looks like what it is, a roll. And stuffed rolls don't seem to be that uncommon a period dish.

I guess there is a surprize factor, but that would be done as soon as the roll
is picked up. Opinions?

But the other two I would say are definitely illusion foods, although I doubt the spice cake the last one is meant to resemble is period.
But unless your audience is familar with the period food you are trying to imitate, I suspect the illusion is lost.

Stefan
--
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris            Austin, Texas         StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
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