Bust by Snoots
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Mistral Jamboree Snack Bar challenge -- day 1

Calantha arrives before Bloodstone with a steaming trencher...

Setting it down she uncovers the dish to reveal crisp golden brown miniature tarts!

"Each one contains a deboned whole Micro Deer braised in the juice of nice tart Miniature Potash Peaches I squeezed myself" she says in her quiet raspy voice "and as you can see each is garnished with buttery roasted Bean Beetles."

"I also used certain herbs to season them" she adds gesturing to the overflowing herb pouch at her hip "see if you can identify them by their flavors. I hope you enjoy the tarts!" Stepping back she folds her claws nervously but seems otherwise calm.

~~~~~



Bloodstone smirked with pride as she took the Wildclaw's words as a challenge to her palate. Picking up one of the tarts, she took slow and careful bites, savoring each bit as she analized it's components.

"Pepper, but no salt; that's a surprise," she started, "some wild mustard and cindermint...interesting combo there and..." She considers hard on what she's certain the last one is. "Ah! Some dried leechroot mushroom! That was a rather inspired choice on your part."

~~~~~

Mistral Jamboree Snack Bar challenge -- day 2

Calantha arrives with another large tray full of treats to be judged.

"I boiled the buttery heads of the Cattails until they were al dente {{I have actually cooked cattail heads this way and they're yummy!!!}} then dipped each one in Blood Acorn nectar spiced with a selection of herbs and rolled them in crushed Berry and Nut Trail Bars. Then I simply sliced the cattail heads into bite-sized portions. One herb I used was Cliff Lion but you seemed to enjoy guessing the others yesterday so I'll let the rest be a surprise!"

~~~~~

"I'm not sure boiling cattails is the best way to prepare them," Bloodstone frowned as she poked the pieces around on her plate. "Even with the additions they just seem rather soggy and make me reluctant to put them in my mouth. They're much more appealing when soft from steaming or crispy from grilling."

Compromising she licks the outside of them. "The coating however is nicely done. Is that clover and juneflower I detect? Both go well with cliff lion when used together."

~~~~~

Mistral Jamboree Snack Bar challenge -- day 3

Calantha arrives before Bloodstone with an enormous turtle shell from which delicious-scented steam emanates...

A closer look reveals a rich, thick, golden-creamy chowder filling the huge shell nearly to the brim!

"I began by finding the largest Snapping Turtle I could" she says in her quiet raspy voice "and after a challenging battle" she gestures to the welted bite-marks on her arms and legs "I dispatched and butchered it setting aside only the tenderest cuts of meat for use in this dish."

"Next I carefully skinned a few Arroyo Toads and set aside the meat from them as well."

"I considered using White Lipped Snail meat to provide sustenance for insectivorous dragons but decided that was too much of a challenge. Instead I suppressed my arachnophobia and poached a couple dozen Diving Aranea in their carapaces so that their meat would hold its shape, then deftly shelled them and added them to the other meats."

"It took a round dozen Spotted Seabeaks to yield enough flesh to balance the other meats. Now that I had the meats cut or shelled, I placed them all in the turtle's upper shell and filled it with a generous amount of Brown River Flight milk along with the tender hearts of some Thistle flowers and some other herbs. I simmered it until the toxins from the Seabeaks were definitely neutralized."

"Next I added a carefully-measured amount of Wild Onion along with plenty of chunks of Cattail root that I hadn't used when I prepared just the heads for yesterday's dish. A little more simmering to cook the plants and the Danger Chowder was ready!"

"I again didn't list all of the herbs I used" she adds gesturing to the overflowing herb pouch at her hip "but please tell me if you aren't enjoying the game of identifying them by their flavors. I hope you enjoy the chowder!" Stepping back she folds her arms and waits expectantly for the judge's evaluation...

~~~~~

Even if she wasn't fond of every choice the wildclaw had made thus far, Bloodstone couldn't deny the other dragon's creativity. Deciding to do a chowder based on the milk needed to neutralize the spotted seabeaks' toxin was a very clever move.

But there was something about the dish that was worrying her a little bit. "I'm afraid I am going to have to sit out on our herb guessing game today," she said, trying to sound stern rather than disappointed (she wouldn't dare admit out loud how much she was actually enjoying it). She holds up a spoon where a bit of the Arroyo Toad meat sat, still looking a bit lumpier than it should. "It's tricky business skinning these fellows properly, and with even a little bit of the skin left on here, I'm afraid I can't take the risk."

She pulled out some packed lunches. "But you'll be able to take these as a replacement."

~~~~~

Mistral Jamboree Snack Bar challenge -- day 4

Calantha arrives today carrying a large tray in the center of which is a cauldron filled with a mellowly-flaming fire!

The cauldron is surrounded by dishes of different foods and long-handled forks and tongs.

"Inside this cauldron are medallions of Coiled Burnserpent and Molten Goby along with whole Black Witches and sprigs of Flameweed. Keeping the fire burning is a generous coating of Potash Peach vodka and just a little Fish Oil!"

"As you can see" she says gesturing to the dishes surrounding the cauldron "there are fresh Fireflies and strips of Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Golden Pepper and Searing Bunny waiting to be roasted over the hot pot using the forks and tongs. They are already seasoned with salt and Maidens Blush... and a couple of other herbs which I'll let you guess."

~~~~~

"Blackberry leaves and..." Bloodstone mulls it over as she dips a few more bits and pieces into the cauldron to cook. "A milkweed medley." She grins. "I see you tried to trip me up there by using a blend of two types of the same plant. However I feel you could have really made this dish pop by seasoning each type of meat in it's own blend, rather than using the same seasonings for all of them."

~~~~~

Mistral Jamboree Snack Bar challenge -- day 5

Calantha arrives with three large covered platters...

Uncovering them she reveals what at first seem to be 3 unaltered Incorporeal Dinners steaming faintly and perhaps illusorily.

"Esteemed judges" she says in her quiet raspy voice "it is my great pleasure to introduce to you -- the TurHumpOne! This dish appropriate for any holiday consists of a grain and vegetable pilaf featuring Living Stones... stuffed inside a de-boned Humpback Anglerfish... stuffed inside an entire Incorporeal Dinner!"

"I began by parboiling the Living Stones with a blend of brown and wild rice and a selection of herbs including Stonewatch Scrub." With a wink for Bloodstone she adds "I'll leave the identity of the others as an exercise for your palates."

"While the stuffing was cooking I carefully deboned the Humpback Anglerfish. I rubbed the outside of the fish with the same herbs I used to season the stuffing and I rubbed the inside with as much ectoplasm as I could get from the Incorporeal Dinners."

"Finally I filled each Anglerfish's cavity with pilaf and carefully inserted each one into one of the Incorporeal Dinners then roasted the three meals until the meat would have been falling off the bones had there been any!"

~~~~~

Even though she's come to trust most of Calantha's culinary ideas, she stares at the "TurHumOnes" very dubiously until the Wildclaw cuts into one to serve it.

"I shouldn't encourage it and perhaps I've been working around Syrah too long, but I find myself wondering just how far you could take this dish," she says as she eats. "What if you stuffed the turkey into something even larger? Say a wartoad tadpole...and then a dwarf fawn?"

Feeling a couple questioning glances shot her way, Bloodstone quickly cuts herself off. "In any case, it's a well cooked dish, if a bit impractical."

~~~~~

Mistral Jamboree Snack Bar challenge -- day 6




Calantha arrives and begins to approach Bloodstone, but something attracts her gaze and she abruptly changes direction, heading towards Syrah as if mesmerized, unable to look away from the judge's eyes...

"Today I have prepared gumbo" Calantha says her raspy voice slightly breathless "with the assigned ingredients of Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Craigside Mussels and Tiger Shrimp. It also contains Barkback Boar sausage and of course okra. It incorporates mirepoix as well. As is traditional I used file as both a seasoning and a thickener for the gumbo but I added some other herbs as well which I hope you will enjoy trying to identify!"

Producing some bowls Calantha fills one halfway with fragrant white rice and spoons a generous helping of gumbo over it. She holds out the bowl to Syrah saying "I hope you enjoy eating it as much as I enjoyed preparing it!" Once the judge accepts her offering she stands back calm and collected yet still somewhat dazed.

~~~~~

"Gumbo!" Between her complaining by the end of their respective days with chowders and spicy food, Syrah seemed to have had a reboot on her opinions of booth food types by now.

"Hands down, best dish I've had this week so far!" Syrah exclaims by the time she finishes downing the entire bowl. "But lets see...umm..." She pondered the dish. Bloodstone was so much better at analyzing flavors than she was (excluding wine tasting...but that was a different thing entirely), so the Imperial did have to wonder why Calantha didn't go to her as usual.

"Diluted scorpion venom?" She guesses, knowing it's a rare but still used ingredient amongst some clans. "Or...no wait that's not an herb is it?"

~~~~~

Mistral Jamboree Snack Bar challenge -- day 7

Calantha arrives for the final day of the challenge with a huge curved tray on which arcs of brightly-colored foods are arranged.

"For today's entry I took my inspiration from Cobb salad" Calantha says as she gestures to the rows of different-colored ingredients. "But the components of this Celebratory Salad form a rainbow as you can see. Each one is flavored with a different herb and as usual I will only name some of the herbs I used to give you a chance to identify the others yourself."

"In order the sections of the salad are:
red Heartred croaker legs with Wild Catsup;
orange Fire Flowers;
Yellowfrilled eel with Golden Milkweed;
green Zephyr Sparrows;
blue Vibrant Flutterers with minty Lume Daffodil blooms;
indigo Nudibranch morsels;
and purple Blackberries with Lucky Star leaves."

"The salad is also garnished with Rainbow Mussels and True Rainbow Trout but the garnishes are edible as well" Calantha concludes. "I hope you enjoy the salad as much as I have enjoyed participating in this competition!"

~~~~~

Bloodstone is delighted to rate one of her favorite contestants for the last day.

"The arrangement is a beautiful way to celebrate the Jamboree, though I hear there is some debate as to whether rainbows fall under property of the Windsinger or Lightweaver. Unfortunately, not quite all your seasonings came through for you at the end. The blackberries and lucky star leaves has to be my favorite mix, but I'm not sure how well milkweed goes with eel."

She taps a claw against her chin. "As for the missing ones...the zephyr sparrow is obviously paired with fogflower. The nudibranch has speckled petunia, a fun combination since the colors also pair well. The fireflower..." she furrows her brow. "I think you've stumped me finaly but I'm going to venture a guess and say carnaval tulip pollen."

~~~~~
~~~~~


See also Calantha's appearance with her clanmate Estos at the Scholar's Pursuit gathering.


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Calantha doodle by Desnik




April Fool's "HD" portrait by Akiri



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Mistral Jamboree Mistral Meals challenge 2019 -- day 1



Calantha arrives to the judging station with a pristine white rectangular platter on which are arranged three smallish mounds of food. The colors of the foods create a gradient from Spring green to a medium blue (or perhaps the other way around). She glances around briefly as if looking for someone then with the slightest of shrugs she squares her shoulders and faces Tonraq and Verismo.

"Hello judges and thank you for providing me the opportunity to cook for you today" she says in her characteristic soft raspy voice. "Please allow me to offer you my Ombre Cold Tapas Tray."

"My presentation today begins with Frosted Violets -- chilled of course -- paired with chilled poached fillets of Black Diamond Stingray which are mild enough not to overpower the delicate violets."

Frosted Violets

Plant

Served best when chilled. No one likes a warm violet salad!

17

2

Black Diamond Stingray

Seafood

Mind the pointy bits.

25

3

"Next I chilled Fragrant Orchids to mask their stench and paired them with a mix of Honeycomb Fragments and Blue Honeycomb to offset their disagreeable aroma and enhance their mint-green color."

Fragrant Orchid

Plant

The most pungent blossom of the Sandswept Delta unfortunately smells of rotting meat. (Special thanks HailSmoothie.)

25

2

Honeycomb Fragment

Plant

A delicious treat.

18

2

Blue Honeycomb

Plant

Coral Carpenter honey solidifies extremely quickly when exposed to warm air. Many crafty dragons will pour the honey into molds as a way of quickly and easily making hard candies.

18

2

"Finally I prepared Greenpod Blooms by slow-roasting them both to make their petal-like layers 'bloom' and to gild their natural warm-green hue and then chilled them; they are paired with buttery golden-green chilled grilled Jungle Mantises."

Greenpod Bloom

Plant

Harvested as a hard-shelled pod, these plants appear to bloom when slow-cooked over a fire.

42

4

Jungle Mantis

Insect

Reports that this bug causes jungle fever are wildly exaggerated. It's harmless and quite tasty.

500

15

"In addition to the disparate ingredients I just mentioned I also used one additional herb to season all three plates for a unified theme. See if you can guess my secret ingredient! I'll give you one hint: it's green."

With a bow Calantha sets down her tray and steps back to await Tonraq's assessment...

~~~~~

This was it. It wasn't perfect but this was the best meal Tonraq had had all day and he wasn't sure if anything else was even going to come close as the day started to wind down to a close.

"Even though you didn't actually blend the challenge ingredients together you still managed to make them harmonious!" the nocturne exclaimed delightedly, helping himself to more bites between sentences. "You really must tell me how you managed the chilled grilled mantis as well! I've never had them prepared that way and that particular option absolutely my favorite."

He was so excited he barely registered Calantha's challenge, but Verismo did and ducked his head low so he could speak to her one on one.

"I think my mate told me about you once before. She mentioned playing an herb guessing game with a contestant some time before I joined the clan. Now...if I had to wager a guess I'd say..." he mulled it over a bit, "It's very mellow but perhaps mint?"


~~~~~

Mistral Jamboree Mistral Meals challenge 2019 -- day 2

Calantha again arrives at the judging station relatively late in the day. This time she is pushing a small cart laden with steaming food. She stops in front of Verismo and moves to stand beside the cart so she can begin serving her entry.

"Thank you for playing the herb-guessing game with me yesterday and I hope you will enjoy playing it again today. Mint was a good guess... however I'm afraid yesterday's secret ingredient was actually Sweet Grass."

Sweet Grass

Plant

Some dragons prefer to chew on Sweet Grass for hours rather than devour it quickly.

15

2

"I was very excited to learn what today's ingredients are because Acorn is one of my clan's favorite foods and I have actually incorporated Acorn into all three of the courses I prepared today."

She places a large covered platter before Verismo and uncovers it with a flourish. Underneath is what at first glance appears to be a Turkey Dinner -- it has a rich golden hue -- but on closer examination is actually the visibly-insubstantial Incorporeal Dinner with some sort of stuffing able to be seen through its phantasmagorical flesh.

"Now as I'm sure you know Acorns can be quite bitter if prepared incorrectly. That's why I took care to pre-roast the whole shelled acorns I used to stuff the Incorporeal Dinner before stuffing and roasting the bird. The acorns should give this course just enough substance to be enjoyable. In addition to the Acorns the stuffing also contains Wisp Fruit, Silverfish Spectres and Hallowed Ivy."

Incorporeal Dinner

Meat

The only thing filling your stomach is guilt.

39

4

Wisp Fruit

Plant

This fruit is light, airy, and tasteless.

22

2

Silverfish Spectre

Insect

If you're not an insectivore, you do not want these in your lair. If you are an insectivore, you still don't want these in your lair.

17

2

Hallowed Ivy

Plant

Consuming this lifts a dragon's spirits.

35

4

From the middle shelf of the cart Calantha brings out a platter even bigger than the first though not as tall. She uncovers it to reveal several fish each covered in some sort of golden-brown coating.

"For my second course I selected an assortment of six different dressed whole fish from the Bountiful Fishnet -- since I didn't know which types of fish you would find most palatable I wanted to give you options -- and breaded and pan-fried them. I used a mixture of beaten egg and Sour Strawberry juice to dip each fish in and then rolled each one in toasted Acorn flour before baking them. Acorn flour needs to be leached in running water for at least a week to remove its bitter alkaloids but fortunately I had some ready to hand."

Bountiful Fishnet

Seafood

A wriggling net full of an assortment of fresh-caught fish.

25

3

Sour Strawberry

Plant

You probably should have waited a few more days before harvesting this.

70

8

Once Verismo has had his fill of fish Calantha at last takes the final and smallest platter from the bottom shelf of her cart and places it before the judge. Uncovered it turns out to contain a mound of steaming hot irregularly-shaped golden fritters.

"Finally to round out the meal and showcase the Acorns I used more Acorn flour to make sweet Turnip fritters. These are seasoned with Cinnamon to bring out the sweet autumnal flavors of both the Acorns and the Turnips."

Acorn

Plant

Acorns are perfect for storing during long winter months, if you can get them before the squirrels...

55

5

Turnip

Plant

Turnips do not keep very long and must be consumed immediately, lest they spoil and stink up the whole lair.

55

6

Cinnamon

Plant

The practice of attempting to hold a mawful of cinnamon sticks for extended periods of time became strangely popular among juvenile dragons.

58

5

"As usual I have also included a secret ingredient and I have used the same one in all three courses today. Your hint is that the secret ingredient is what I used to give the Incorporeal Dinner its meat-like hue."

With that Calantha folds her foreclaws together to await Verismo's judgment...

~~~~~

Verismo tsked, but it was chiding himself for getting the answer wrong rather than any sort of annoyance at Calantha. "I must have assumed the sweeter taste came from sugar in your dish rather than an herb. I'm going to have to brush up more on the ones I don't use much in my own cooking.

After the plesant chat with the Wildclaw, Verismo felt particularly bad when it appeared it was following the same mediocre trend all the other dishes had been that day. "The way you handled the Incorporeal Dinner is my favorite method so far. It's almost like the faux food trend but...not quite? It's a fake real turkey but still a turkey. But overall the flavorings lack the skilled balanced notes you hit yesterday. Except for the turnip fritters. Those worked quite nicely with simple cinnamon seasoning."

He scratched his chin. "Unfortunately that makes it harder for me to pick out a particular theme through them all. Erm..." He saw Ursus running an errand in the background and took a stab with "Honey?" That seemed wrong though. Surely even under-seasoned honey would have been obvious, and even though Calantha had simply said "secret ingredient," Bloodstone had implied that herbs were specifically her things last time.


~~~~~

Mistral Jamboree Mistral Meals challenge 2019 -- day 3

Even though she has arrived at the judging pavillion later than she had planned to Calantha does not make her way immediately to the judging station; instead she seeks out Verismo first. Finding him she says "I apologize for keeping you waiting to see whether you had guessed correctly yesterday... I'm afraid you did not. The herb I used as my secret ingredient in yesterday's dishes was Golden Milkweed -- it was the best choice for tinting the Incorporeal Dinner. Now if you'll excuse me I have today's entry to present!"

Golden Milkweed

Plant

When not used as a snack, this milkweed can also be ground up for pigment. Art you can eat!

46

4

Making her way at last to where Meringue is speaking to another contestant Calantha politely waits for the other dragon to leave before setting down the large item she has been carrying: a pie with a towering white fluffy topping flecked with tiny flakes of pink, yellow and green and with puffs of dandelion fluff ringing its outer edge. There are also six perfect sets of Fragile Moth Wings arranged around the center of the pie -- two pink, two yellow and two green.

"Good evening" Calantha says in her quiet raspy voice "My name is Calantha and my entry today is a meringue pie with a twist. I apologize for arriving so late in the day but as you will see baking this pie was a nearly all-day process."

"I wanted to use the Wisp Fruit in a way that played up its light and airy texture and the best way to do that seemed to be folding Wisp Fruit puree into the beaten whites of dozens of tiny but naturally-sweet Ruby-Throated Hummingbird eggs."

Wisp Fruit

Plant

This fruit is light, airy, and tasteless.

22

2

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

Meat

Given the high sugar content of its diet, eating too many of this hummingbird can make small dragons hyper.

25

3

"Of course the traditional filling for a meringue pie is fruit but while fruits ripen in the summer and fall and even a few in winter there are none that ripen in spring... or at least none this early in the spring. Just a few weeks ago I could still have used Winter's Delight berries but they are now well past their prime. And I considered making a flower the star of the filling but since you said you had deliberately chosen a non-floral theme I decided against that."

"Instead I chose to take a chance with an unusual substitute for fruit: Nebula Floaters! After carefully removing and discarding the stinging tentacles I cut up the fleshy parts of these jellyfish and simmered them until I achieved a stewed-fruit texture."

Nebula Floaters

Seafood

Unlike their crystalline cousins, Nebula Floaters are oddly sweet. They may also cause fang decay.

35

4

"But I'm getting ahead of myself. The foundation of any pie is its crust and for this crust I separated the fluff from the Dandelion Seeds -- you will have seen the reserved fluff decorating the pie -- and ground them into meal instead of using another kind of flour to make the crust with. This should impart a certain nuttiness to the crust to balance out the pie's light flavorings."

Dandelion Seeds

Plant

These medicinal seeds have been put to use in many herbal teas.

41

4

Cutting into the pie Calantha deftly separates out a slice decorated with an entire pair of pink moth wings. When she lifts the slice clear of the rest of the pie to the surprise of everyone watching the filling is not the neon pink of Nebula Floaters but instead a crocus-like purple hue. She presents the slice to Meringue and quietly concludes her description of the dish.

"The 'confetti' you see sprinkled over the meringue is actually more Fragile Moth Wings cut into tiny pieces and dyed the spring colors of pink, yellow and green using only natural food-safe dyes. And speaking of dyes... You may have heard that I like to keep the identity of one ingredient a secret from the judge so they can try their claw at guessing it? Today's secret ingredient is what I used to change the filling from pink to purple. Your hint is that it will dye your tongue blue too. I hope you enjoy the game and also the pie!"

Fragile Moth Wings

Insect

It takes a delicate touch to keep these wings from tearing.

17

2

With a smile Calantha finishes her speech and watches eagerly to see how Meringue will like her meringue...

~~~~~

Meringue is initialy perplexed by the idea of a jellyfish meringue pie, but also being a coatl and therefore biased towards seafood, her expressions shifts to eagerness as Calantha prepares a slice for her.

She loves it.

Though the pie itself wasn't without some minor technical faults, and Meringue indicated the soft, still somewhat gooey center of her edible namesake. "Meringue add-ins...fidgity. Can alter structure. I think...wisp juice...would work better...not puree."

She does smile at the herb challenge though and seems more confident of a guesser then Verismo. "Blue...hmmm....tulip?" She can't remember the Draconian word for parrot though and hopes thats enough. Pointing at Kakigori might be taken as offensive.


~~~~~

Mistral Jamboree Mistral Meals challenge 2019 -- day 4

Calantha again seeks out the previous day's judge before approaching the judging area with her latest entry but despite searching the immediate environs she can't seem to find Meringue. As the sun has long since slipped past the horizon Calantha sighs and shrugs and goes to present her day's cookery. Magic will keep her food warm but it can't stop the clock.

"It is a pleasure to meet you" Calantha says in her quiet raspy voice as she brings her catering cart to a stop near Kakigori. "My name is Calantha and I have to begin by thanking you for presenting such an inspiring challenge today."

She uncovers the first of her three trays to reveal rounds of what looks like toast topped with a rich brown spread. "As anyone could see there was 'still plenty of meat' on the Picked-Over Bones so I used those scraps and shreds to make a basic gravy then cracked the bones themselves to get at the marrow which I combined with the gravy to make a savory spread for these Amaranth-Quinoa crostini."

Picked-Over Bones

Meat

Whoa, whoa, whoa. There's still plenty of meat on that bone. Now you take this home, throw it in a pot, add some broth, a potato. You've got a stew going!

41

4

Amaranth

Plant

The seeds of Amaranth can be ground into a nutritious grain.

50

6

Quinoa

Plant

Recently, Tundras have started claiming quinoa is full of vitamins, cures disease, and attracts mates. Mirrors are skeptical. (Special thanks to TCA!)

65

8

Once Kakigori has sampled the appetizer Calantha brings the next tray out from the middle shelf of her cart. Underneath the cover are kebabs on skewers striped with grill marks. "Of course foods preserved for the winter were often traditionally used just as they were but just as often they would be cooked with in much the same ways as their fresh versions. {{There's a great YouTube series about historical food preservation here if you're interested.}} That's why I chose to reconstitute the Dried Jerky so that I could prepare it in a more interesting way. Like many dragons I itch to bring the grill out of storage as soon as all the snow has melted -- or earlier -- and this was an excellent excuse to do my first grilling of the year. I also grill as long into the autumn as the weather allows for so I consider this a three-season dish."

"Along with the now plump and juicy jerky chunks each skewer is spaced out with Dwarf Shelf Fungus and a single Wild Onion sliced thickly. I was careful not to use too much of the Wild Onion but please take care yourself not to eat more than one skewer's worth."

Dried Jerky

Meat

This bag of jerky is weeks old, but still keeps a great taste and texture.

20

2

Dwarf Shelf Fungus

Plant

This musty fungus is an acquired taste.

35

4

Wild Onion

Plant

Be careful with wild onions: one can be delicious, but two can be almost deadly.

55

6

"You gave us another preserved food to work with" Calantha continues after Kakigori finishes her entree offering "and for today's dessert I again chose to make a dish similar to how fresh nuts and berries might be prepared." Sliding the final tray out from the bottom shelf of her cart Calantha takes off the lid revealing steaming bowls of some mauve substance redolent of concentrated fruit. "I began by simmering the Berry and Nut Trail Bars in 'milk' made from High-Voltage Almonds then once the fruit had plumped up I added the contents of a Centaur Ration Pouch to make an energizing porridge dessert. The oats were already sweetened just enough to offset the tartness of the berries so I didn't add any additional sweeteners to avoid a cloying result." Calantha serves a bowl of porridge to Kakigori with a flourish and retreats behind her denuded cart to await the judge's assessment.

Berry and Nut Trail Bar

Plant

A preserved stick of pressed berries and nuts.

39

4

High-Voltage Almonds

Plant

It just seems like a really bad idea to try and eat these, but don't let common sense stop you.

43

5

Centaur Ration Pouch

Plant

This leather pouch is filled with harvested oats that have been tossed in sugar and honey. Makes for a hearty, balanced breakfast.

20

2

Suddenly the Wildclaw claps one foreclaw to the Helpful Woodmask covering her forehead and adds "I nearly forgot... I used one more ingredient -- one that is a generic flavor enhancer and thus was suitable for both my savory and sweet dishes -- and if you like you may try to guess what it was. I'll give you this hint: It is also used in alchemy." She shifts awkwardly and offers Kakigori a weak smile.

~~~~~

Calantha's specialty seemed to focus primarily on finger foods as those were the style of dishes that seemed to be winning over the most judges. Kakigori was no exception.

"These are phenomenal," she praised the Wildclaw, "If I had something to critique it's that the porridge is a bit runny, but the taste of everything is on point. Especially these crostini."

The skydancer does seem less enthused about the ingredient guessing game, but considering how Calantha had just given her quite a delicious meal she reluctantly obliged. "Well, salt is the most basic flavor enhancer but I also know Malachite has me purchase her bundles of cinnamon and spearment for her experiments. But...no. Those are nowhere as versatile or common as salt."


~~~~~

Mistral Jamboree Mistral Meals challenge 2019 -- day 5

Today Calantha arrives a bit earlier determined to find Kakigori and end the suspense as to whether the self-described gourmet merchant had correctly guessed the previous day's secret ingredient. But after searching high low and in between and for much longer than she expected to need Calantha still can't find the Skydancer judge.

Just as she's about to give up and proceed to the judging area Calantha all but literally runs into Meringue -- the Coatl judge from the third day of the competition. "Oh! Meringue!" she exclaims in her raspy way. "I have wonderful news: you guessed my secret ingredient correctly. It was indeed Blue Parrot Tulips!" Technically Meringue had called them Blue Tulips but as there was only one variety of tulips that were blue Calantha judged that close enough. "But if you'll excuse me I really need to go present my entry for today..."

With that Calantha flies off only to return with a truly enormous platter she clearly strains to heft. On it is a fanciful arrangement of flowers and other foods. The animal foods are arranged as if frolicking through the foliage elements on the tray. She sets her creation down with a sigh of relief and faces the day's judge.

"Hello Ursus" Calantha begins slightly out of breath from hefting the massive platter. "It is pleasant meeting you under these circumstances. I appreciate your decision to provide pre-dressed Owlets for the more squeamish contestants... However rather than hide from the adorable appearance of the ingredients you selected I decided to aim for maximum cuteness with my entry to celebrate the season of new life."

"The Wildwood Owlets I plucked and roasted whole then painstakingly covered with replacement feathers made of Broadleaf Plantain to restore their fluffy appearance."

Wildwood Owlet

Meat

This owlet evolved large, adorable eyes to deter hungry predators with its cuteness. Are you going to fall for that? (Special thanks Petrichora.)

20

2

Broadleaf Plantain

Plant

Able to be grown nearly anywhere, this plant can be consumed as a treat or a treatment.

61

6

"The Eel Larvae -- and the one Leucistic Axolotl which is of course the most adorable of the axolotl species -- I carefully poached to retain their shapes and coloring and preserve the illusion of life."

Eel Larvae

Seafood

This poor unfortunate eel is dinner now.

42

4

Leucistic Axolotl

Meat

Leucistic axolotls develop their lack of pigmentation from living deep in underwater caves.

55

7

"The Golden Coa Moths I lightly toasted to enhance their golden coloring."

Golden Coa Moth

Insect

Only a heartless dragon would eat this amazingly delicious adorable creature.

35

3

"The Green Shoots I steamed just enough to brighten their green hue and make them resemble new grass."

Green Shoots

Plant

These hollow shoots can make for a chewy meal or a durable paper.

58

5

"Each of these items -- even the tiny moths and the hollow shoots -- has furthermore been stuffed with Blue Jelly to concentrate their flavors and adorability and seasoned with a particular spring herb renowned for the softness of its petals... see if you can guess which one!"

Blue Jelly

Plant

This block of jelly takes on the taste and characteristics of whatever it is cooked in.

33

3

"As you can see I also used sprays of the tiny white blooms of Chickweed as a garnish and also included Alstroemeria in the arrangement for a fitting and fun-colored end to the meal. I hope you enjoy my entry."

Chickweed

Plant

This weed is used in herbal remedies to soothe itchy scales.

60

6

Alstroemeria

Plant

Cultivated for decoration and dessert.

25

3

{{ Attribution links: Chickweed and Alstroemeria }}

~~~~~

Ursus is so stunned by the jaw dropping artisinal meal placed in front of him that he feels pained to have to rate it low in terms of taste. "I can't say the Broadleaf Plantain was a good choice; it tastes a bit medicinal when prepared raw. And while the blue jelly does work as an effective flavor enhancer, it does also give many of the ingredients an off putting chewy consistency."

Though to be honest, even if her score was low, the other judges would have told Calantha she deserved a medal for making Ursus speechless, a task not easily accomplished.

Before he moves on, Ursus does give the meal a few quick sniffs, trying to see if he can pick out the secret ingredient without having to eat anymore. There was an undertone of something that was reminding him of the early days of the Jamboree for some reason....violets? Ah! "Satin violets perhaps?"


~~~~~

Mistral Jamboree Mistral Meals challenge 2019 -- day 6

For once Calantha eschews hunting down the previous days' judges and proceeds directly to the judging area figuring she might have better luck finding Kakigori and Ursus after she has presented her sixth entry of the week to Syrah. Under one arm she is carrying what at first glance appears to be an intact Watermelon. However on closer examination the lower half of the melon has a noticeably more golden-brown hue than usual and there is also a slight puckering around it at its widest point as if it has been sliced and the bottom half baked!

Calantha carefully sets the melon down -- it seems she has trimmed the underside of it slightly to allow it to rest on a surface without rolling -- and lifts away the hollow 'lid' of the melon to reveal a lightly-browned orange filling inside the melon's lower half. It is now also obvious that the melon was cut in a wavy pattern rather than being sliced straight across yielding a scalloped appearance reminiscent of a pie crust... an illusion enhanced by the Maillard reaction that has tinted the previously-white rind of the melon a toasty hue.

"Greetings Syrah and thank you for another interesting set of ingredients to cook with even if they weren't quite what you had intended. I find that sometimes discovering at the last minute that I'm missing an ingredient I had thought essential to a dish can be the catalyst for exciting creativity and I believe that is what has happened today."

"While I considered using actual pumpkin in my entry -- my clan dries pumpkin flesh every autumn so as to have it available all year -- I decided it would be more appropriate not to go that route since this is after all meant to be a challenge."

"Instead I replaced the pumpkin with an ingredient that is similarly well-enhanced by 'pumpkin spice' blends: Mire Chestnuts are the star of my Mock Pumpkin Pie. Rather than a traditional crust as you can see I baked the pie in a hollowed-out half-Watermelon; I also juiced some Watermelon and reduced the juice to a syrupy consistency to use in sweetening the pie."

Mire Chestnut

Plant

The nuts, leaves, and flowers of this tree are all edible, though many hatchlings are choosy about which pieces they will consume.

64

7

Watermelon

Plant

Though it has a land-growing cousin, this melon is cultivated exclusively in the Sea of a Thousand Currents.

42

4

"Every other set of challenge ingredients so far this week has included at least one animal ingredient. Since that was not the case today I thought it would be fun -- and thoughtful -- to make an entirely vegetarian entry. This presented an issue with regard to the texture of the pie however... usually pumpkin pies as well as sweet potato pies and other pies seasoned with 'pumpkin' spices use eggs to impart a dense but cohesive custardy texture. To approximate the effect of the missing eggs I mixed the steamed Mire Chestnut puree with a judicious amount of Amber Algae. I also added Marigold petals to help tweak the color of the pie filling to a more vibrant orange hue."

Amber Algae

Plant

Vegetable pudding!

33

3

Marigold

Plant

Marigolds are popular in decorative food dishes, their bright florets adding an interesting pop of color.

29

3

"To flavor the pie I of course used both Cinnamon and Cindermint as required. I also included a secret ingredient to give the pie the fruity notes the missing pumpkin would have imparted; unusually it is affected by tectonic activity so hopefully that will be enough of a hint to help you guess..."

Cinnamon

Plant

The practice of attempting to hold a mawful of cinnamon sticks for extended periods of time became strangely popular among juvenile dragons.

58

5

Cindermint

Plant

A crunchy plant with a little fiery kick. Often dried and crumbled up to help accent desserts or teas.

63

7

With an encouraging wink Calantha turns to the melon-rind-cradled pie and skillfully carves out a slice for Syrah. Presenting it to the judge she says "I hope you find this to be an adequate substitute for a real pumpkin pie."

~~~~~

Syrah's very intrigued by Calantha's entry, though her nose starts tingling a bit when the wildclaw sets the dish infront of her. She does her best to ignore it as she patiently listens to the descriptions. It's by the time Calantha gets to the guessing part of her entry that Syrah realizes the problem. "It's not...it's not....potash peach is it?" she says in halting breaths.

But it's not enough to stop her from starting to sneeze furiously, and a Shadow dragon's sneezes are not pretty.

"........Can we just...pretend that this didn't happen?" the Imperial asks quietly as she looks down at the ruined mock pie.


~~~~~

Mistral Jamboree Mistral Meals challenge 2019 -- day 7

Calantha arrives even earlier for the last day of judging -- right as dusk is falling. She is pushing a large catering cart upon which is balanced an even larger platter. The platter has a deep lip which is just containing a tableau of on one side a fanciful sun in a lovely blue sky dotted with fluffy-looking white clouds and on the other side a night sky complete with a moon and stars. Between the two halves of the display is a smooth gradient from sky-blue to a deep almost black color; this narrow liminal strip is adorned with a single star shape.

"Well met Bloodstone" the Wildclaw begins in her soft raspy voice "Please allow me to present to you my final entry in this competition. I call it Day Into Night: A Diptych."

"I consider this both a cohesive meal and two separate entrees as is only appropriate since day and night are in actuality the same thing -- it being daytime on one side of Sornieth anytime it is nighttime on the opposite side. The day side of the meal is a pilaf while the night side is a cold salad; I am using a chafing tray under one side of the platter and an ice bath under the other in order to keep each entree at the correct temperature."

"I began constructing the day side with White Quinoa which as you can see I have tinted a light blue. The ingredient I used to impart the azure hue is actually a dark blue so I had to be careful to use it sparingly. Can you guess what it is? I will give you one hint: The outside of it is red and many dragons are thus surprised at the color of the edible part. Now White Quinoa is notoriously bland so I have flavored the pilaf with the spicy sauce from inside an Ashfall Prickler."

White Quinoa

Plant

As tasty as it is colorful! (Special thanks to EldritchCrowe!)

65

8

Ashfall Prickler

Plant

Instead of being filled with water, Ashfall Pricklers contain a spicy sauce that goes well with anything. Weird.

25

3

"To create the illusion of soft-looking white clouds I mounded the fuzzy poached thoraxes of dozens of tiny White Lace Honeybees."

White Lace Honeybee

Insect

The White Lace Honeybee rarely stings. Some say it's too ladylike for that.

15

2

"But the star of the day side of course -- literally! -- is the Sun. I began by roasting and salting Pumpkinseed Sunfish as is traditional but then ground them into a paste. This I combined with ground Luminous Almonds to give the center of the sunburst an actual glow; I also used more Ashfall Prickler sauce to harmonize with the pilaf."

Pumpkinseed Sunfish

Seafood

A tasty and addictive snack when roasted and salted.

50

5

Luminous Almonds

Plant

Almost too pretty to eat. Almost.

42

4

"To create the stylized sun-rays around the circular center of my representation of the sun I alternated steamed Sunbeam Rotala leaves with lightly-roasted halved Sunbeam Figs. I basted both the rotala and the figs with more of the same sauce as well.

Sunbeam Rotala

Plant

These hearty plants may regrow from a stray clipping.

42

4

Sunbeam Fig

Plant

Sunbeam fig trees will only produce fruit when exposed to long periods of direct sunlight.

64

8

"As you can see I placed one star in the transition between the day and night sides of my entry. Appropriately enough I used a Morning Star -- the seafood not the weapon -- seared on the underside in a covered pan so that the upper side would also cook sufficiently without browning."

Morning Star

Seafood

Most active in the early hours of the day, the Morning Star just lays there the rest of the time.

500

15

"Now let me begin your introduction to the night half of my dish by talking about Stubby Squid. These tiny cephalopods are known for their deliciousness but I have chosen to use their ink as well; more specifically combined with the poached & pureed flesh of a half-bushel of the squid I have used the ink to tint cooked Quinoa and produce a velvety dark nearly-black 'canvas' on which I arranged the other foods representing nighttime."

Stubby Squid

Seafood

Diminutive in stature, mighty in flavor.

58

5

Quinoa

Plant

Recently, Tundras have started claiming quinoa is full of vitamins, cures disease, and attracts mates. Mirrors are skeptical. (Special thanks to TCA!)

65

8

"Duskrats are quite dark with their fur on; however skinned and prepared properly their flesh is almost luminous -- perfect for representing Sornieth's Moon as I have done here." She indicates the crescent shape on the night side of the platter which on closer examination is a mosaic of small filets of Duskrat meat.

Duskrat

Meat

The days are much too bright for the Duskrat, thus they only come out at night.

20

2

"The large stars you see arrayed around the moon shape I crafted from Fallen Stars -- the seafood not the meteorites -- stuffed with pureed Twilight Jewel Moths and Stubby Squid and then roasted before being chilled. Since the Fallen Stars are relatively dark in color I used the raw wings of the moths to cover the star shapes with lighter colors evocative of bright stars in the night sky.

Fallen Star

Seafood

Legend says the Fallen Star is exactly that, a star that fell from the heavens and landed in the ocean.

500

15

Twilight Jewel Moth

Insect

Traditionally served chilled. The wings can make a decorative garnish.

35

3

"And now I have been talking long enough that the sprigs of Star Moss I scattered across the night side of my presentation have begun their evening sparkle -- simulating more distant stars."

Star Moss

Plant

A dull gray by day, Star Moss sparkles vibrantly at night. Some say it even tastes better then.

25

3

"Thank you for providing us all with the opportunity to participate in this always-challenging but always-enjoyable event. I look forward to your evaluation of my entry." With a careful flourish over the platter and a respectful bow Calantha steps back to await Bloodstone's judgment.

~~~~~

What might have been interpreted as awe might have flickered through Bloodstone's eyes as Calantha approached. "I see you've really stepped it up with your already impressive presentation skills since I last judged one of your meals."

"I'm not normally one to turn my nose up at seafood, but I think the usage of the sunfish might be the weakest point of your meal. I understand the usage in the overall presentation, but the paste texture is just not pleasing. This is definitely a disappointment considering how nicely you cooked the other non-challenge seafood components."

Helping herself to a few more of the stuffed fallen stars, she muses over the pilaf's color, but eventually has to concede defeat on it. "Meringue, Ursus, and-....well, there are other dragons who work under me who are more knowledgeable on natural dyes that are foodsafe. I'm afraid this one's escaping me."


~~~~~

Mistral Jamboree Mistral Meals challenge 2019 -- day 7 -- continued!

Calantha smiles at Bloodstone once the Coatl finishes speaking -- unable to resist spilling the beans now that her entry has been judged. "Food-safe dyes are a cookery subject many dragons ignore but I feel they are important given how much of our enjoyment of food depends on how it looks. The dark-blue fruit with the inedible exterior which I used today was Red Banana."

Red Banana

Plant

Only the skin of red banana is truly red. The fruit inside is a dark blue color.

55

7

"I knew the sunfish surimi was a risk but I'm glad you at least enjoyed the rest of the seafood elements..." Calantha trails off as out of the corner of her eye she suddenly spots Syrah -- the judge from the penultimate day of the competition. "If you'll excuse me please Bloodstone" Calantha begins in her quiet raspy voice but it seems Bloodstone didn't hear her and has already moved on to judging another contestant's entry. Well she probably does have many still to judge considering how much earlier I was ready for judging today than usual the Wildclaw muses as she heads over towards where Syrah is standing facing away from her.

As she gets closer she realizes both that Syrah is in conversation with someone else and that that someone is Ursus who was the judge from day five. What luck! she thinks. Two harpies with one blow! Syrah seems to be trying to get a word in edgewise but failing as Ursus holds forth. Then the talkative Tundra notices Calantha standing off to the side and pauses long enough for Syrah to get out "I do see what you mean but--" before she too registers Calantha's presence and her mouth falls open silently.

Calantha takes advantage of the brief break in the two judges' conversation to say "Syrah I'm so sorry for not getting this to you sooner but here" -- the contestant draws a bundle of something from the herb pouch at her hip -- "I made you this nosegay to wear anytime you think you might encounter (ahem) allergens. It should protect you from their effects though not against contagious illnesses -- that's an old mate's tale. Also you did correctly guess that the fruity element in my Mock Pumpkin Pie was Potash Peach so congratulations!"

Potash Peach

Plant

It's said that these peaches are sweetest when volcanoes are at their most active.

500

15

She then turns to Ursus. "And I'm pleased to say you correctly identified the secret ingredient in my paean to cuteness as well -- it was in fact Satin Violets!"

Satin Violets

Plant

The petals of this flower are super soft!

17

2

"Now if you two will excuse me I have one more judge to try to track down!" Calantha exclaims. She doesn't really have high hopes for finding Kakigori at this point four days after she passed judgment on Calantha's "finger foods" of crostini, kabobs and porridge; she's started to wonder whether the Skydancer has gone back to her work as a spice merchant and has been absent from the fairgrounds for that reason. Still she searches the area from one side to the other but without turning up any sign of Kakigori. She's about to try to find one of Kakigori's clanmate judges to ask if they might have any ideas when one occurs to her -- Kakigori might be at her clan's lair!

A short flight takes her to Wayfarer's Rest where she is confronted by an enormous and somewhat brusque Guardian who demands to know who she is and what her business is there. "Er -- I --" the always soft-voiced but usually less-tongue-tied Calantha stammers. "I was looking for Kakigori? The spice merchant?" she adds hoping that will mollify the forbidding dragon. She notices that the other female is wearing a Green Birdskull Necklace but does not know its significance within Kakigori's clan.

"Well in that case you would be welcome to stop by her quarters but I happen to know she is sleeping. If you want to leave a note I can give it to her later." The Guardian still does not introduce herself but waits with what seems limited patience while Calantha scrawls out a note:

"Thank you" Calantha says simply as she hands over the note to the Guardian who seems ever more eager for Calantha to be on her way. She thinks better of trying any further conversational sallies...


~~~~~
~~~~~