[Sca-cooks] Illusion feast was Portuguese Cookbook

[Robert Downie]

Olwen the Odd wrote:

> *Very* cute!  Thank you so much for sharing!  I really look forward to
> seeing the results.  I hope you are taking pictures of the "works in
> progress".  Are you going to use the escargo shells on your snails?  Are the
> "spanish flies" made from raisins and cloves?  What did you make the walnut
> shell mold from?  I do not think I am familiar with the fish shaped fritters
> from Platina.  I have made (and will be making several more of for an
> upcoming - Feb 14th! - feast we are doing) the fried squash fish from the
> Andelusian booksite which are very cute so I am anxious to see yours.  How
> fun.  I love the presentation ideas you have!
> Olwen
> oh!  I can't wait to see how well your little apple eggs turn out!  They are
> so fun!

Thank you, it will be fun (in a panicky sort of way).  I got the idea for the
snails from yours, but I make little jumbol shells to set on top with half a
toothpick holding them together.  The spanish flies will be raisins with almond
slices for wings.  I was going to make the moulds for the walnuts out of
earthenware (just push in a couple of walnut halves to get the negative), but
I'm running out of time for firing them at our local shop and I happened to find
ready made metal molds - along with cast iron fish molds - at of all places an
old fashioned hardware store!

here's the recipe from Platina:
Fritters in the Form of Fish

Pound together well-cleaned almonds, raisins and sugar.  When they are pounded,
mix in more raisins, sugar, parsley, a bit of well cut up marjoram, and a little
saffron.  You will have meal prepared and worked until thin and divided in
pieces into which you put the filling in the form of a fish.  Some do this in
wood whixch is hollowed out in the form of a fish.  Tis mixture can be cooked in
oil or otherwise in a pan.

We've made the apple eggs before and they were a big hit!  We had more snails
than shells so some of them ended up being "slugs" and we made holes in some of
the "apples" so it looked like they were eating their way through.  My only
dissapointment is that I brought out my whole food coloring kit, and as I was
explaining the process to our volunteer egg painters, I got wisked away to
process in for court, and returned to find blue eggs and purple eggs along with
the more normal colors!  Well, they had fun - and those eggs still looked darned
cute.

Faerisa