[Sca-cooks] A small feast (long)

[Lonnie D. Harvel]

Greetings,

David Friedman (actually Elizabeth) wrote:

> Feasts aren't very common out here....


How fascinating! Small dinners (in reference to courses) are not common 
here in Meridies, from my experience, but I have only recently resumed 
attending events regularly. I did a Damascus feast many years ago for 
about 60 folks, but even that had a larger number of dishes. (The lamb 
with leek cakes was the big hit.) I think it would be wonderful to 
prepare a meal like the one described in the note by Elizabeth; being 
able to focus on several dishes instead of dozens. That was one reason 
for doing the Traveler's Fare at our upcoming event, but the budgets for 
these meals is always low.  An idea to explore... (We do have "pot luck" 
dinners where everyone brings a dish. This is common at one day events 
or evening events.)

Given the large number of dishes normally served at a Meridian feast, 
there is always too much food. A goodly number of folks come prepared 
with their own containers to take the leftovers away the following day.

As for the torta with excess grease, it could indeed have been the 
cheese quality. I have also found that if I slow down the cooking of any 
tart with cheese (or significant butter) in it, that some grease will 
rise. I am not a biochemist, but I believe it has to do with the 
separation that occurs with the longer cooking time. Since putting more 
tarts into an oven can increase the cooking time (at the same 
temperature), it is something to look out for. I have had some success 
in starting my oven about 50 degrees above the cooking temperature, and 
cutting it back to the correct temperature after loading. This seems to 
keep the cooking time the same as a single tart. (Of course, I have also 
burnt a few tart shells this way, when dealing with an uneven oven.)

Aoghann