[Sca-cooks] My "Roman Meal" display at A and S

[Kathleen A Roberts]

Well, I had a pretty good day Saturday.  It was Baronial 
Arts and Sciences Champion competition.   There were 
categories for 'champion' 'individual area' and 'display'. 
 I had intended to go for champion, but the computer 
wouldn't release two of my documentations, so i just went 
for domestic sciences, then entry I had already printed.

So, it was "A Roman Meal", and it included:

Canteloupe with a dressing of pennyroyal, wine, vinegar, 
oil, honey and fish sauce
Pork with figs, bay leaves and honey
Lentils with cardamon
Flatbread.
Fresh cheese with honey and pomegranite seeds
Dates stuffed with ground pine nuts, honey and pepper
Dried apricots stuffed with honey, ground almonds and 
pepper.

I also put out a plate of oil cured olives and marinated 
calamata olives to play against the sweetness of the 
canteloupe and lentils.  Those were purchased from Whole 
Foods, and had the saving grace of not looking like they 
came out of a can.

It went over very well, with boo-koo compliments.  The 
food was deemed very approachable and very tasty.  The 
display was complimented on as well.

I must admit, I was using the competition as a testing 
ground for the food, as my husband and I were thinking 
about submitting a bid for our Midwinter 2010.  If people 
liked the food at the A and S display, then perhaps it 
would not be considered too odd.  We had submitted the 
proposal to the previous B and B, and thought we might try 
it again with the current B and B.  They were impressed 
with the food, and we will be submitting that bid again.

The pork was delicious and well worth the trouble.  I did 
the adaptation of fish sauce from Sally Grainger's 
"Cooking Apicius".   The combination of reduced white 
grape juice and fish sauce was interesting but not my cup 
of tea.  I used it very lightly.
   
The cheese was my first attempt at cheese making and 
turned out very well.  Of course, I spent a fair amount of 
time Friday peering into the pot of milk and buttermilk 
like a little pussycat, waiting and wondering what I was 
supposed to see happen when the 'curds and whey seperate', 
but fortunately, it was quite recognizable.   The addition 
of the scattered pomegranite seeds really made the cheese 
pop.

So all in all, a good day.  Now on to tweeking that old 
proposal.

Cailte
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"Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy which 
sustained him through temporary periods of joy."
W. B. Yeats
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Kathleen Roberts
Coordinator, Student Admissions
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM
505-277-8900
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