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. ************************************************************************ 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. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ 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 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 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<> 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 Subject: SC - Gold Leaf >Hello all from Anne-Marie <> >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" 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 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 To: "SCA-Cooks (E-mail)" 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" Subject: [Sca-cooks] edible gold leaf Other websites you might check are http://www.pearlpaint.com/ 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 Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] edible gold leaf To: Cooks within the SCA 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" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Gilded gingerbread query To: Cooks within the SCA 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 Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Gilded gingerbread query To: Cooks within the SCA 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 Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Gilded gingerbread query To: Cooks within the SCA 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 Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Gilded gingerbread query To: Cooks within the SCA 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 Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Gilded gingerbread query To: Cooks within the SCA > 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" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Gilded gingerbread query To: "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 Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Gilded gingerbread query To: Cooks within the SCA 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" 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 Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] OOP Gold for Food Techniue Questions To: Cooks within the SCA 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. > I bet she would answer your e-mail with > answers to your questions or at least some direction toward where you > can learn: > > 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 Edited by Mark S. 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