gilded-foods-msg - 4/13/08
Gilded foods. How to apply gold and silver leaf to food. Gold leaf sources.
NOTE: See also the files: sotelties-msg, Warners-art, illusion-fds-msg, sugar-paste-msg, ill-fd-feast-art, gingerbread-msg, desserts-msg.
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NOTICE -
This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.
This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org
I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter.
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Stefan at florilegium.org
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From: dwbutler at mtu.edu (Daniel W. Butler-Ehle)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Rosewater
Date: 24 Mar 1997 19:22:39 -0500
Organization: Michigan Technological University
RMorrisson (rmorrisson at aol.com) wrote:
: I now get it from a upscale grocery/deli sort of place near where I now
: live ($2.69 for 3 oz) but thanks to whoever mentioned Indian/Pakistani
: groceries -- there are two down in the center of town and that gives me
: yet ANOTHER reason to stick my nose in them sometime (the first being
: looking for edible gold leaf).
I have never heard of "edible gold leaf". For food decoration, such
as gilding a ham or a soup or whatever, I just use the same sheets of
of leaf as I do for illumination and furniture. I would, however,
advise against using imitation leaf in something you plan to ingest.
Let me know if you find such an item, and please share any information
on its use, sounds interesting.
Ulfin
Principality of Northshield, MK
From: david.razler at worldnet.att.net (David M. Razler)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: edible gold leaf, was Re: Rosewater
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 1997 18:33:44 GMT
rmorrisson at aol.com (RMorrisson) wrote:
| I now get it from a upscale grocery/deli sort of place near where I now
| live ($2.69 for 3 oz) but thanks to whoever mentioned Indian/Pakistani
| groceries -- there are two down in the center of town and that gives me
| yet ANOTHER reason to stick my nose in them sometime (the first being
| looking for edible gold leaf).
| Lady Myfanwy ferch Rhiannon
All 100% 24 ct. real gold leaf prepared properly in the traditional manner
*should* be edible, as it is simply a lump of gold bashed thin between sheets
of waxed paper with a wooden mallet.
The *should* is there only because of the risk of 1) a modern process being
used in which petroleum byproducts could theoretically be used to grease the
wheels of an automated press and 2) an unscrupulous dealer/maker might
adulterate said leaf with lead, though this should show up in the appearance.
What you are doing when you add gold leaf to a clear cordial or onto some food
is adding a tiny amount of 100% pure gold, which, for lack of aqua regia
within the human digestive system passes through and ends up as minute traces
of gold in one's feces. Oh, a few atoms here or there might get stuck
somewhere in the system, but given the weight of the leaf and the frequency
with which most of us eat it, I wouldn't worry about heavy metal toxicity in
*this* case.
david/Aleksandr
David M. Razler
david.razler at worldnet.att.net
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Date: Tue, 08 Jul 1997 12:16:28 -0400
Subject: Re: Re(2): SC - Intro-Unsub-Cooking?
Sue Wensel wrote:
> Now, to create another topic -- Has anyone tried using gold (or silver) leaf
> to decorate foods? Beyond potential toxicity and cost, what other factors
> have lead to the lack of experimentation? I want to try this, but first
> decided to see if anyone else has tested the waters.
>
> Derdriu
I've done it a few times, and it generates oohs and ahhs. If you're not
extremely careful, silver leaf, when applied sloppily, tends to resemble
the shiny side of aluminum foil, so the effect may be anticlamactic.
I consider myself more of a utility cook, generally more concerned with
the flavor, texture, and temperature of the food than with the
garnishes, which I generally delegate to those who find it really
interesting. So, I may not have the steadiest hands for this kind of
work.
I think the reasons for the relative dearth of experimentation with this
type of garnish are as you describe: toxicity and cost, or rather,
PERCEIVED toxicity and cost. In actual fact silver vark, obtainable at
good Indian groceries, is kept carefully wrapped to prevent tarnishing
(which is more likely to be toxic than the silver itself). Gold vark is,
like all pure gold, more or less chemically inert and therefore
non-toxic. In either case, if I may be forgiven the crudeness, you just
end up flushing the stuff.
As for the cost, I should point out that a little goes a LONG way. The
sheets generally come about 4" by 6", and there are quite a few
extremely thin sheets to an ounce, which, in the case of silver vark,
costs, I believe, about $20-$30 per ounce. This may be inaccurate at the
moment, since the prices of silver and gold fluctuate from year to year.
Anyway, an ounce of silver vark isn't hugely expensive as long as your
waste due to tears and wrinkling aren't that much. You need to be
extremely careful when applying the stuff to avoid this: remove only one
of the sheets of tissue paper covering each sheet of vark and apply to
the food, vark-side down. After you have it mostly in position, then
remove the second sheet of tissue with extreme care.
You could easily put a couple of sheets on top of each pie for an event
without seriously busting your budget.
Hoping this helps,
Adamantius
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 1997 11:16:58 -0400 (EDT)
From: VEARLEY at aol.com
Subject: Re: SC - Gold Leaf-A Use
I used gold leaf in a subtletie I made for a feast several years ago. The
subtletie was a "partridge in a pear tree" (yes, I know the song's out of
period). I used a variety of pear that grows only about 2-3" long.
According to the research I'd done, and talking to a pro chef who had used
leaf, I could get the leaf to stick to the pear by using beaten egg whites.
It didn't work for me, perhaps because the skin was smooth, so I ended up
using a very thin layer of melted chocolate (sorry Cariadoc) which did work.
The chocolate was not visible and I couldn't taste it when we ate the pears.
The leaf is very hard to work with because it is so thin. I had to hold my
breath when I was near it so it didn't blow away. It also tended to fold
over and stick to itself. I didn't have to actually touch the pear to the
leaf - it seemed to be attracted as I brought the pear near it. I used the
back of a spoon to burnish the gold.
FYI the rest of the subtletie consisted of a tree branch attached to a wooden
base and spray painted white, mint-flavored green "lollipop" candy leaves,
and a quail because the grange didn't have partridges. The quail was
terrified, and couldn't actually sit in the 'tree'. ( I took it back to it's
cage right away and we donated it to a local children's museum the next day).
At a modern wedding of some SCA people that I attended, the main decorations
at the end of the hall where the ceremony was done were potted trees hung
with gold fruit. The fruit was molded chocolate covered with gold dust. It
looked wonderful, but the people who ate the fruit ended up with gold dust
all over themselves! I strongly recommend against using dust!
I have been at a feast where the cook put a sheet of gold leaf in the center
of the meat pies. I didn't think this was a good use of it - the gold
didn't stand out and it looked skimpy with it just in the center instead of
all over.
I buy gold leaf at art supply stores. They seem to commonly stock it and
they're easier to find in some places than exotic food stores. I expect that
you could also find it through professional culinary suppliers.
Verena
vealey at aol.com
Date: Fri, 11 Jul 1997 00:59:11 -0700 (PDT)
From: rousseau at scn.org (Anne-Marie Rousseau)
Subject: Re: SC - Gold leaf
re: availability of edible gold leaf.
We got our for our banquet from Maid of Scandanavia, a cake decoratiing
company (neat catelog...like five kinds of wafer irons, and even cast
iron abelskivver pans. Wow! Three sizes of dragees! Gum Tragacanth! All
kinds of things).
It was about $35 for a book of 25 3 3/8x 3 3/8 inch leaves. This is 23
karat gold, adulterated only with pure silver. No copper. It is made in
Italy, especially for food use.
Contact info:
Sweet Celebrations (formally Maide of Scandanavia)
PO Box 39426
Edina, Minnesota, 55439-0426
1-800-328-6722
Veeeeeerrrrrrry dangerous catelog...
Oh, and I found 24 karat gold leaf at art supplies too, but don't know as
it has been handled properly for food use. In fact, the people behind the
counter looked at me like I was crazy...
It was a PAIN to use, but definatly worth the effort. And yes, you can
use this same stuff for manuscript illumination, gilding furnture, etc.
- --Anne-Marie
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Anne-Marie Rousseau
rousseau at scn.org
Seattle, Washington
Date: Sun, 14 Sep 1997 20:40:56 -0700 (PDT)
From: rousseau at scn.org (Anne-Marie Rousseau)
Subject: RE: SC - gum arabic
We are asked:>
>Where would one find gum tragacanth? (I've just come across it in a =
>materials list for an enameling project, so having it come up here is =
>quite a coincidence.) I've seen gum arabic in art supply stores, but =
>since I now hear you say they are different things...
You can find gum tragacanth (food grade) as well as food grade edible
gold, about six different wafer irons, cake pans of every shape and size,
frosting pens, etc etc etc from Maid of Scandanavia. I posted the address
for their catalog on this list a few months back.
Great catelog!!
- --Anne-Marie
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Anne-Marie Rousseau
rousseau at scn.org
Seattle, Washington
Date: Wed, 24 Sep 1997 14:48:00 -0400 (EDT)
From: Mark Schuldenfrei <schuldy at abel.MATH.HARVARD.EDU>
Subject: Re: SC - Sticking It (Gold Leaf)
Can someone please post a procedure for making gold-leaf stick to marzipan?
I don't have a lot of leaf, and I need it for this coming weekend for my
friend's wedding soteltie. Will it stick on it's own, or should I brush the
areas with egg-white? Does anyone know the answer here? It's my first
time<<blush>> using gold leaf.
When I was taught to do it, we used small cookies and marzipan coins, and
made an egg white wash. I suspect that, in a pinch, even a water wash would
do. But I'd stick with what I know.
Tibor
Date: Wed, 24 Sep 1997 23:37:09 -0400 (EDT)
From: Uduido at aol.com
Subject: Re: SC - Sticking It (Gold Leaf)
<< Can someone please post a procedure for making gold-leaf stick to marzipan?
I don't have a lot of leaf, and I need it for this coming weekend for my
friend's wedding soteltie. Will it stick on it's own, or should I brush the
areas with egg-white? >>
When I have used gold leaf for food decorating I have used both egg white and
a very heavy sugar syrup. I find that the sugar syrup works the best if
brushed on the item and allowed to dry until sticky then putting the
gold-leaf on. However, egg-white is satisfactory. It takes more skill and
time to get it right tho'.
I don't know which one is period. As a side-line, to attache gold-leaf to
illumination use garlic juice. It is period and works great! :-)
Lord Ras
Date: Wed, 21 Jan 1998 06:57:17 -0600
From: L Herr-Gelatt and J R Gelatt <liontamr at ptd.net>
Subject: SC - Gold Leaf
>Hello all from Anne-Marie
<<snip>>
>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.
Master John the Artificer from the Barony-Marche of the Debatable Lands in
Aethelmearc sells food grade Gold Leaf (and silver) in small quantities and
quite cheaply (relatively speaking). At Pennsic look for the Stave Church in
the Merchant Area, or look him up on the BMDL online domesday. A couple of
sheets cost me about 15.00 a while ago.
Aoife
Date: Wed, 21 Jan 1998 15:30:34 -0600 (CST)
From: alysk at ix.netcom.com (Elise Fleming)
Subject: SC - Gold, Silver, Etc.
Celestria wrote:
>I was under the impression that in period silver leaf was the only
>precious metal used for food decoration that was also eaten? Also is
>the silver and gold leaf available at the local craft store fit for
>human consumption?
Gold, silver and painted tin leaf were all used to cover or decorate
foods (see The Viandier of Taillevent). Others have probably posted
about using gold and silver leaf that is NOT mixed with other metals.
I don't know about the desirability of eating tin leaf. Possibly it
was pulled off the foodstuff before consumption. Or, maybe someone ate
it. People ate and used things (lead in cosmetics, for example) that
we modern folk wouldn't use.
Alys Katharine
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 10:25:50 -0400
From: "Knott, Deanna" <Deanna.Knott at GSC.GTE.Com>
Subject: SC - Gold leaf supplier and traffic comment
You could also try www.easyleaf.com They have edible gold and silver leaf
at reasonable prices. They have become my favorite supplier for gold leaf
(and silver too.). If you do not have net access, let me know privately and
I will send you information you can use.
Avelina, Lady Keyes
Barony of the Bridge
East Kingdom
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1998 12:37:19 +0000
From: Robyn Probert <robyn.probert at lawpoint.com.au>
Subject: Re: SC - Sotelty book with Phyllo
>> (sweet shortcrust would work too), then partially baked them and
>> gilded the edges using an eggwhite glair.
>
>What is eggwhite glair? I would love to do this.
Glair is one of the period ways of applying gold to vellum. It is made by
beating an eggwhite well past the rocky stage until is starts to break down
- - this effectively denatures the protein. Put the mass on a plate and tilt
it up to drain off the thin, straw-coloured liquid. This is glair - it can
be thinned further with water if needs be. Apply it with a paint brush, wait
till it feels just tacky and apply your gold leaf.
Rowan (who in her 'spare time' is Provost of the College of Scribes)
Date: Thu, 3 Dec 1998 23:59:16 -0600
From: allilyn at juno.com (LYN M PARKINSON)
Subject: Re: SC - Feast Countdown
A quicky, if you are doing nuts in shells, is to spray paint them with
gold paint--craft stores, hardware stores. The paint does not go thru
the shells to endanger eating them.
Allison
allilyn at juno.com, Barony Marche of the Debatable Lands, Pittsburgh, PA
Kingdom of Aethelmearc
Date: Sat, 10 Apr 1999 22:48:56 EDT
From: Devra at aol.com
Subject: SC - Re: Gold
Dear Friends,
in addition to the references Lord Stefan has, and those Dame Alys cited in
her lamentably deceased periodical on confectionary, here are two more that
were given in a recent Bon Appetit. They did an article on devastating
chocolate desserts, highlighted with gold leaf!
Easy-Leaf
6001 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles CA 90038
(323) 469-0856
Gloria's Cake and Candy Supplies
3755 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles CA 90066
(310) 391-4557
(gold dust - Old Gold or Super Gold Luster Dust)
Let's go gild the lily!
Devra the Baker
From: Christina Nevin <cnevin at caci.co.uk>
To: "SCA-Cooks (E-mail)" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2001 13:56:03 +0100
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Silver leaf WAS Fat
> I've seen a lamprey before and the tops of them are a bluish silver and the
> bottom is a silver color. Silver leaf.....where could I get some of this?
> Misha
And yet another alternative if, like me, you seem to buy everything off the
web, is Master John the Artificer, who is selling silver leaf;
Standard issue hand beaten .999 temple leaf from India. You get sixteen
leaves, about 400 sq inches total. $10 per pack.
http://www.icubed.com/users/jrose/jartindx.html#pigments
Ciao
Lucrezia
Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2004 14:7:21 GMT
From: "rtanhil" <rtanhil at fast.net>
Subject: [Sca-cooks] edible gold leaf
Other websites you might check are
General art supplies--follow the sidebar link to "Gold leaf"
and then open the "German gold leaf" item. Edible gold leaf
is listed for $28.35/book.
http://www.misterart.com/store/view/003/group_id/8235/SEPP-Monarch-23-
Karat-Edible-Gold-Leaf.htm
Price for edible leaf is better--$21.6. My sister reports
that delivery time is slower (she said it took a WHOLE
WEEK).
Both of these places use Sepp leaf, labeled "Monarch", so
I'm willing to bet that buying it straight from Sepp is
likely to be comparable. Find the place that doesn't gouge
you on shipping and has a timetable you can work with.
Berelinde
Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2004 15:30:19 -0500
From: Dorothea Mordan <chandler at smart.net>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] edible gold leaf
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
I have learned that Sepp leaf does not sell edible products to anyone
but distributors.
Here is an online source for the GoldGourmet kits & supplies
http://beryls.safeshopper.com/141/cat141.htm?202
Their home page is www.beryls.com
Dorothea C. Mordan, Highland Foorde
Chandler Designs
800-529-8475
www.cdlimited.com
Date: Thu, 04 Jan 2007 16:30:48 -0500
From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius" <adamantius1 at verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Gilded gingerbread query
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
On Jan 3, 2007, at 9:12 PM, David Friedman wrote:
> A corespondent put this question to me and wanted me to post it to
> the list:
> ---
> I wanted to ask if you could perhaps shed any light on the origin of
> the phrase "to gild the gingerbread?" and whether, to your knowledge,
> gold leaf is still much used as food decoration?
Well, bearing in mind that gingerbread was sometimes, in the Middle
Ages, in that same grey area between food and medicine that sugar-
coated spices often occupied, and bearing in mind that for a long
time silver and gold leaf was used to roll pills (and is still used
for preparing betel nuts for consumption in India today, but they
call it gold or silver vark), _and_ the fact that some modern Persian
and Indian food (as well as some rather nouvelle-type desserts) are
still sometimes presented with decorations of edible gold and silver,
I suspect that there's probably quite a lot of circumstantial
evidence that at least some gingerbread was actually gilded
(sometimes with actual gold, and perhaps sometimes with sweetened,
saffron-enhanced egg wash)
I wish I had better hard evidence to offer, but I'd have to dig it up
specifically for this discussion.
Pure gold and silver are edible, you can buy them in Indian groceries
today, and I've also seen them in various forms in high-end cake
decorating supply houses -- those lovely but weird little edible gold
and silver jimmies you can buy, were once made with real gold or
silver, plus you can get leaf/foil (which I haven't the patience or
manual dexterity to work with), and powdered gold or silver which can
be mixed with sugar syrup, egg whites, or a gum solution to create
edible gold or silver paint that actually does appear metallic --
because it is ;-).
Adamantius
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2007 16:34:45 -0500
From: Daniel Myers <edoard at medievalcookery.com>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Gilded gingerbread query
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
On Jan 3, 2007, at 9:12 PM, David Friedman wrote:
> A corespondent put this question to me and wanted me to post it to
> the list:
> ---
> I wanted to ask if you could perhaps shed any light on the origin of
> the phrase "to gild the gingerbread?" and whether, to your knowledge,
> gold leaf is still much used as food decoration?
This is the first time I've heard the expression.
Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable mentions gilding in its entry
on gingerbread:
"Gingerbread. A cake mixed with treacle and flavoured with ginger
made up into toy shapes such as gingerbread men, etc., and with
gilded decorations of Dutch gold or gold leaf, it was commonly sold
at fairs up to the middle of the 19th century. Hence tawdry wares,
showy but worthless."
- Doc
Date: Thu, 04 Jan 2007 17:02:31 -0500
From: Johnna Holloway <johnna at sitka.engin.umich.edu>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Gilded gingerbread query
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Seems to date from the 18th/19th centuries
OED says under gingerbread*
*
(1766) *Smollett* /Trav./ Let. xxx. II. 104 "Yet the rooms are too
small, and too much decorated with carving and gilding, which is a
kind of gingerbread work. "
(1840) *R. H. Dana* /Bef. Mast/ xxii. 66 "There was no foolish
gilding and gingerbread work to take the eye of landsmen and
passengers. "
(1844) *Tupper* /Heart/ xiii. 135 "His distant relative's good
feeling..served indeed to gild the future, but did not avail to
gingerbread the present. "
Another quote is found under ship-shape
(1840) *R. H. Dana* /Bef. Mast/ xxii, "There was no foolish gilding
and gingerbread work,..but everything was `ship-shape'. "
You might suggest to your correspondent to check out House on the Hill
for gingerbread molds. They sell powdered dusts and paints for coloring
the finished cookies.http://www.houseonthehill.net/
Johnnae
Date: Thu, 04 Jan 2007 17:50:45 -0500
From: Johnna Holloway <johnna at sitka.engin.umich.edu>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Gilded gingerbread query
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
What I did was search in quotations for quotations that included
gild and gingerbread. Nothing showed up for decorating the cookies, just
those ones that I quoted. So perhaps the phrase really relates to something along those lines and not gold on edible cookies.
Speaking of which time to go bake or burn the tirggel cakes. The molds from House on the Hill worked well with this dough. No sticking and they released well with good distinct printing. No need to spray them with oil or flour or powder sugar.
Johnnae
Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius wrote:
> But I'm struck, in the post above, that the citations appear more to
> equate gingerbread with embellishment and gilding (as in, a house
> with gingerbread trim), than to indicate that gingerbread was
> embellished.
> Adamantius
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2007 18:31:07 -0500
From: Jadwiga Zajaczkowa / Jenne Heise <jenne at fiedlerfamily.net>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Gilded gingerbread query
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
> On Jan 3, 2007, at 9:12 PM, David Friedman wrote:
>> A corespondent put this question to me and wanted me to post it to
>> the list:
>> ---
>> I wanted to ask if you could perhaps shed any light on the origin of
>> the phrase "to gild the gingerbread?" and whether, to your knowledge,
>> gold leaf is still much used as food decoration?
The city of Torin was famous for its decorated gingerbread (See
Dembinska and Weaver, _Food and Drink in Medieval Poland_). Also, the
children's book lovers will recall the silver and gold stars that were
stuck to gingerbread in Mary Poppins.
--
-- Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, Knowledge Pika jenne at fiedlerfamily.net
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2007 18:55:06 -0500
From: "Elise Fleming" <alysk at ix.netcom.com>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Gilded gingerbread query
To: "sca-cooks at ansteorra.org" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
David/Cariadoc wrote:
> I wanted to ask if you could perhaps shed any light on the origin of
> the phrase "to gild the gingerbread?" and whether, to your knowledge,
> gold leaf is still much used as food decoration?
Well, gilding of gingerbread goes back at least to Plat and May and
probably before them since both say to gild the gingerbread. Seems to me
there still is a bit of gold leaf used in the fancy high-end bakery and
confectionary business. I have a 1993 Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium
on Food and Cookery which has an article by Carole Bloom on "Decorating
Pastries and Confections with Gold".
Alys Katharine
Date: Fri, 05 Jan 2007 14:34:00 -0800
From: Susan Fox <selene at earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Gilded gingerbread query
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
The company is called FRM. Our new acquaintance married into this family
which was already using this time-honoured manufacturing method and
persuaded them to market it to upscale stores in the USA, which has
apparently been working very well for them.
Their recipe website: www.frm.it/food
Selene
On 1/5/07 2:20 PM, "silverr0se at aol.com" <silverr0se at aol.com> wrote:
> Selene and I were fortunate enough to attend a lecture about edible metals.
> The lecturer had married into a family of Italian jewelers (I think) and seems
> to have persuaded them to made ebible gold and sliver leaf. She seems to have
> single handedly encouraged a revival of gilding food - she showed slides of
> some gorgeous stuff and even gave samples!
>
> Renata
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ddfr at daviddfriedman.com
> A corespondent put this question to me and wanted me to post it to
> the list:
> ---
> I wanted to ask if you could perhaps shed any light on the origin of
> the phrase "to gild the gingerbread?" and whether, to your knowledge,
> gold leaf is still much used as food decoration?
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2007 12:04:25 -0800
From: Marion Waldegrave <marionofwintersgate at twistedsistah.com>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] OOP Gold for Food Techniue Questions
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
You can get the wooden or bone folders, which is what us scrapbookers
call them, at any scrap or stamp place. This is what i use and they
are perfect. Smooth, polished stone or the polished bamboo. They
have a soft point at one edge, almost look like a flattened
contractors pencil, if they can get any flatter. LOL Anyway they are
for making good folds for your home made cards and envelopes and when
i saw a demo on tv, and i just happened to have some of the gold leaf
that i had been TRYING to do for a birthday cake... i tried using
this because i had it and BOOM! I went and got my own for my kitchen!
So try that one!
Marion
On Mar 16, 2007, at 8:57 AM, Susan Fox wrote:
> Gwen Cat . wrote:
>> What are (or where can I learn) the tricks for keeping
>> the leaf smooth when I aply it? How can I cut it into shapes?
>> If I want to apply it to a cookie I understand how to
>> do that (shape the cookie, put edible adhesive on it,
>> then apply cookie to leaf and the stuff sticks on,
>> trim the excess.) What if I want to put gold on a
>> cracker to float in a soup, or on a salad? How about
>> covering the entire cake (it wont be too big, only 6-8
>> guests) in gold leaf, then adding decorations in dark
>> chocolate? how do I get it smooth? (or do I?)
>>
>> I have seen gold leaf in champagne/sparkling wine,
>> years ago I was gifted with a bottle, that we drank
>> about 3 years back... do you think I can find another
>> bottle??? not even on a bet it seems, and yes, I have
>> called all the major liqour stores in the Denver area,
>> emailed the 2 online leads I had and come up totally
>> empty! Anyhow, is there some trick to getting gold
>> leaf into small slivers to be placed in the champagne
>> flute before the wine (sparkling) is poured in, so
>> that the gold floats and sparkles in the liquid?
>> I would like to do this in advance, rather than tie up
>> the service while I sliver gold bits in the hallway as
>> the wait staff 'wait' impatiently.
>
> I would appreciate any ideas, suggestions and tips!
> I'm afraid that the big thing you need to do is PRACTICE, which is
> a bit on the pricey side.
>
> Renata and I attended a presentation by Lynn Neuberg, the USA rep for
> Oro Fino brand of edible gold and silver last year.
> <www.easyleafproducts.com> I bet she would answer your e-mail with
> answers to your questions or at least some direction toward where you
> can learn: <http://www.easyleafproducts.com/Contacts/Contacts.htm>;
>
> The slide show suggested that one hold the gold leaf with extremely
> smooth wooden "tweezers" of bamboo or mahogany [I think, what was that?
> Some opulant wood] and gently smooth it onto the surface of your food
> with a wide fan brush.
>
> Selene
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