The Supreme eG Baking and Pastry Challenge (#2)

[ludja]

A co-worker had a suggestion, which follows many of yours, and honors my desire to have a local/regional flare - mincemeat tamales.  We're we're having some language difficulties in communicating with my local carniceria...but I think I'll have some fresh suet be the end of tomorrow.

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Interesting...tamales are more specific to New Mexico but empandas might be another possibility.

I wonder if there is any way to fit green or red chile in there...may not be easy.

The other meat flavored profile that I thought about is red mole. Perhaps one could tweak the balance of flavorings to make a sweeter but still pleasing take on the mole flavorings in a dessert. One could play up the dried fruit, toasted nut and chocolate flavors.

[gfron1]

Thanks Ludja - you always have great ideas. I was playing with the idea of a green chile chuntey...I need to get the primary dish figured out. Ling, why do I have the feeling I won't know what I'm going to make until it hits the stove

[Lori in PA]

I know it's sort of off-topic, though it is food-related -- PULEEZ post a pic of the Velveeta sculpture, ok?

[jay b]

how about smoking the buffalo . like they make salmon smoked indian candy

[Pam R]

Welcome to eGullet jay b!

gfron - Ling doesn't exactly hand out easy assignments, does she?? I can't wait to see what you come up with.

[gfron1]

I know it's sort of off-topic, though it is food-related -- PULEEZ post a pic of the Velveeta sculpture, ok?

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It will happen in the cheese thread - the funniest part is that I asked his wife for pictures of him so I could carve the cheese, and since its a secret, she took them while he was asleep. He's turning 85, and the pictures look like they came straight from the mortuary (he's one of the alivest people I know), so we'll be sure to post the picture with the sculpture

[Ling]

gfron - Ling doesn't exactly hand out easy assignments, does she??  I can't wait to see what you come up with.

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That's right--I don't! I think this is shaping up nicely. Lots of good ideas already...I especially think the tamales, the idea to do some sort of chili chutney, and the mole ideas are interesting and feasible. Mincemeat is a great idea too, but might be too easy if you just made a mincemeat pie. Putting it in another form, like Swisskaese suggested (mincemeat ice-cream) is a better idea. I also love the lardo idea! It is mild enough to lend itself to many forms, and would behave differently from plain lard in a dessert.

[Nishla]

Bison in a dessert would certainly be interesting...

you might also be able to use curry as a bridge between sweet and savory. I'm thinking of the beef curry buns I get in chinatown that are SO good...mild yellow curry beef with sweet-ish bread. The beef could be exchanged for bison, and the form could be a pie or tart instead of a bun. Fruit chutney could be worked in somehow...and a crunchy sheet of carmelized meat for garnish? I'm not sure which side of the tasty/disgusting line I'm on here

[gfron1]

OK, here is brainstorming gone awry. While I keep pulling away from the bison, I am drawn to it like an auto wreck on the side of the road. So tonight my spouse and I played more with the idea and could I actually pull off a sweet buffalo sheet. The idea that ended the conversation went something like this...

"I really think pig is the way to go."

"What part?"

"How about snout?"

"Snout!?"

"Yeah, you could fry it, and hide something sweet inside, then ask the guest to suck on the snout to get the sweet out."

On that note...good night!

edited to add: In all seriousness my greatest dilemma is whether to go gimmicky or make something that any other human being might be intersested in making. If I do the snout, I'm inviting Ling for the first taste/suck

Edited October 4, 2006 by gfron1 (log)

[Ling]

If I do the snout, I'm inviting Ling for the first taste/suck 

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!!

[Kerry Beal]

OK, here is brainstorming gone awry.  While I keep pulling away from the bison, I am drawn to it like an auto wreck on the side of the road.  So tonight my spouse and I played more with the idea and could I actually pull off a sweet buffalo sheet.  The idea that ended the conversation went something like this...

"I really think pig is the way to go."

"What part?"

"How about snout?"

"Snout!?"

"Yeah, you could fry it, and hide something sweet inside, then ask the guest to suck on the snout to get the sweet out."

On that note...good night!

edited to add: In all seriousness my greatest dilemma is whether to go gimmicky or make something that any other human being might be intersested in making.  If I do the snout, I'm inviting Ling for the first taste/suck 

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Takes me back to my high school days. Picture dissection of fetal pigs, snouts and drinking fountains.

[K8memphis]

... I'm not sure which side of the tasty/disgusting line I'm on here 

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OK, here is brainstorming gone awry...  "...then ask the guest to suck on the snout to get the sweet out."

On that note...good night!

edited to add: In all seriousness my greatest dilemma is whether to go gimmicky or make something that any other human being might be intersested in making.  If I do the snout, I'm inviting Ling for the first taste/suck 

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I want to have an open mind about all this, I know I can learn something. But I tell yah what, the hard part is gonna be to have an open mouth for anything in this round 2.

I've been dangerously grossed out for a while. I was just gonna stay quiet and read as long as I could. It's the drama I can neither abide nor ignore. But y'all are even taking note of the unsavory sweets you're proposing so I just thought I'd agree real quick before somebody suggested another type of insect. Y'all are way over the line, not even close, probably can't see the line from where you're at.

The grossometer is off the chart.

Edited October 4, 2006 by K8memphis (log)

[s_sevilla]

Mincemeat-sweetcorn tamale, with a candied bison sheet as a garnish, and a smoked chili chutney?

[s_sevilla]

I'm going through my culinary artistry book and this one caught my eye:

Rabbit and chocolate.

[prasantrin]

I wonder if you could do some kind of sweet-ish stuffed animal stomach, a la haggis....

But it might be interesting!

[FistFullaRoux]

I wonder if you could do some kind of sweet-ish stuffed animal stomach, a la haggis....

But it might be interesting!

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Or dessert sausage. Maybe with mushrooms? Served with rice pudding? Shaved white chocolate on top to look like Parm

Or try thinking about shrimp. They are fairly sweet to begin with, and are used with sweet and sour sauce all the time.

[chiantiglace]

I wonder if you could do some kind of sweet-ish stuffed animal stomach, a la haggis....

Or dessert sausage. Maybe with mushrooms? Served with rice pudding? Shaved white chocolate on top to look like Parm

]]Puke[[

oh man that hurt. Though I do like the breakfast sausage idea, maybe not like that though.

[FistFullaRoux]

I wonder if you could do some kind of sweet-ish stuffed animal stomach, a la haggis....

Or dessert sausage. Maybe with mushrooms? Served with rice pudding? Shaved white chocolate on top to look like Parm

]]Puke[[

oh man that hurt. Though I do like the breakfast sausage idea, maybe not like that though.

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Hey, I'm just throwing them out there. Maybe one will stick.

What about the eskimo treat of seal fat mixed with berries? Can you get to a couple of seals where you are?

Edited October 4, 2006 by FistFullaRoux (log)

[petite tête de chou]

Perhaps you could make crisp, sweetened cups of thin chicken skin and fill them with something? A pudding or custard with booze soaked, dried sour cherries?

[s_sevilla]

how about a "cup" made out of candied bison sheets (kind of like those tuile cups) filled with mincemeat ice-cream and topped with a candied, smoked chili?

[chiantiglace]

What about the eskimo treat of seal fat mixed with berries?

Very interesting. I wonder what seal tastes like.

[Ling]

Great idea about the crispy chicken skin! They can taste just like chips, but better. That would be interesting to use in a dessert.

I wonder if you could do some kind of sweet-ish stuffed animal stomach, a la haggis....

Or dessert sausage. Maybe with mushrooms? Served with rice pudding? Shaved white chocolate on top to look like Parm

]]Puke[[

oh man that hurt. Though I do like the breakfast sausage idea, maybe not like that though.

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This makes me think of the chocolate salami Italians eat. Basically just chocolate melted and reformed into a salami shape, studded with lots of biscotti pieces and flavourings mixed in. You could try incorporating that idea as well!

[LittleIsland]

Sweet meats bring to mind:

- Chinese barbequed pork (char siu)

- Pork jerky - known in Singapore and Malaysia as bak kwa or rou gan - it is seasoned in a sweet glaze and then barbecued over charcoal. In our part of the world, it used to be only available just before Chinese New Year, when it would be given as gifts, but is now available year-round. Perhaps in your Chinatown?

- Pork floss (which could be used as a garnish)

- Chinese sausage

I luuuurve all the above

[Chufi]

gfron1, I have no suggestions whatsoever for this challenge (allthough I was going to mention the Turkish chicken dessert, but M.Lucia beat me to it) but i can't wait to see what you'll come up with.

has this been mentioned before.. wuold cheese count as an animal product?

[prasantrin]

I wonder if you could do some kind of sweet-ish stuffed animal stomach, a la haggis....

Or dessert sausage. Maybe with mushrooms? Served with rice pudding? Shaved white chocolate on top to look like Parm

]]Puke[[

oh man that hurt. Though I do like the breakfast sausage idea, maybe not like that though.

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Sorry 'bout that! I've been thinking a lot about a can of haggis (who knew haggis came in cans!?) a friend gave me, and I wanted to share the joy.

But seriously, doesn't haggis have a bit of oatmeal in it? Someone could do a sheep stomach stuffed with oatmeal cookie dough, with some chocolate chunks to mimic the internal organs usually used (kidneys and liver??). Don't know what to do for the lungs, though...

Some pics I've seen for haggis actually look very chocolate-y to me.