Grape juice for red wine?
Mystery meat that tastes like -- chicken?
Mock your taste buds this April Fool's Day with dishes that say one thing -- yet taste like something else. Like mashed cauliflower standing in for traditional potatoes. And Ritz crackers, of all things, stealing apple pie's thunder.
Kitchens are a perfect place to play practical jokes in. It's our chance to fool our taste-buds with dishes that say one thing -- and taste like something else. Mock foods, in particular, (foods that are named for ingredients not in the recipes) have a long history. In North America, mock meals had a more serious flavour, when substitutions took place for ingredients not readily available, especially during the Great Depression and World War II. Surprisingly, during this time, poultry was scarce and high-priced, so veal was pressed into service as a cheap and easily available substitute -- and with the magic blend of seasoning could easily "mock" the flavour of the pricier poultry.
Hence the term, tastes like chicken!
One of the finest examples of culinary illusion is the famous Ritz Crackers Mock Apple Pie in which the crackers were substituted for hard-to-find apples. The results were incredible -- not only did the "apple pie" look like the real deal, but it bears an uncanny taste as well.
And then, of course, you have all the meat alternatives, like soy and tofu, which give consumers an array of choices in their diets
So -- go ahead and have a laugh today ... there will be no fooling your taste buds when you try your hand at the following recipes!
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Just who set out to make April 1 a day to celebrate foolishness? There are several stories, including this one, from allrecipes.com, that states April Fools' Day began when the Christian world adopted the new Gregorian calendar. According to the old calendar, the New Year was celebrated in the spring for eight days (the final day of celebration being April 1), but because the new calendar was so different, the date of the New Year was changed to January 1. Many of the people who lived in the countryside didn't know of the change for years, and continued celebrating the New Year during the spring. Those "in the know" thought this was hilarious and started to call the April celebrators "fools." From then on, these people began to go on their way during this particular season to make friends believe something that was false.
MEATLOAF CUPCAKES
Colourful cupcakes have a real wow factor -- especially when you bite into them. Adapted from a classic recipe on jas.familyfun.go.com.
1 lb. (500g) ground chicken
1/2 cup (125ml) panko bread crumbs
3/4 cup (375g) grated Monterey Jack cheese
3 Tbsp. (45ml) ketchup
1 egg
1/2 tsp.(2ml) celery salt
Pinch pepper
POTATO FROSTING
3 cups mashed potatoes
Food colouring
Snipped chives or grated carrot, snipped into tiny pieces
Heat the oven to 375F (190C). Line 12 muffin tin cups with foil bake cups. In a large bowl, mix together all of meat loaf ingredients until well combined. Divide mixture evenly among lined cups (liners should be about three quarters full).
Place filled muffin tins on cookie sheets and bake cupcakes for about 15 minutes or until cooked through.
Divide mashed potatoes among three small bowls and stir a few drops of food colouring into each batch to create blue, yellow, and pink pastel frostings. Spread a generous dollop on each cupcake. Sprinkle with snipped chives.
Makes 12 cupcakes.
MOCK GARLIC MASHED POTATOES
This delightful recipe has the same qualities of mash, but the cauliflower will fool you into thinking it's the real deal. From foodnetwork.com/food/recipes.
1 medium head cauliflower
1 Tbsp. (15ml) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (50ml) grated Parmesan
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 tsp. (1/2 ml) straight chicken base or bullion (may substitute 1/2 tsp/2ml salt)
1/8 tsp. (1/2 ml) freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. (2ml) chopped fresh or dry chives, for garnish
3 Tbsp. (45ml) unsalted butter
Set a stockpot of water to boil over high heat.
Clean and cut cauliflower into small pieces. Cook in boiling water for about 6 minutes, or until well done. Drain well; do not let cool and pat cooked cauliflower very dry between several layers of paper towels.
In a bowl with an immersion blender, or in a food processor, puree the hot cauliflower with the cream cheese, Parmesan, garlic, chicken base, and pepper until almost smooth. Garnish with chives; serve hot with pats of butter.
RITZ MOCK APPLE PIE
This pie looks like the real deal -- except the interior is made up of Ritz crackers. Recipe courtesy of Back of the Box Recipes, backofthebox.com.
Pastry for a two-crust, 9-inch (25cm) pie
36 RITZ Crackers, coarsely broken (about 13/4 cups/325ml) crumbs)
13/4 cups (325ml) water
2 cups (500ml) sugar
2 tsp. (10ml) cream of tartar
2 Tbsp. (30ml) lemon juice
Grated peel of one lemon
2 Tbsp. (30ml) butter
1/2 tsp. (2ml) ground cinnamon
Roll out half of pastry and line a pie plate. Place cracker crumbs in prepared crust; set aside.
Heat water, sugar and cream of tartar to a boil in saucepan over high heat; simmer for 15 minutes. Add lemon juice and peel; cool.
Pour syrup over cracker crumbs. Dot with butter, sprinkle with cinnamon. Roll out remaining pastry; place over pie. Trim, seal and flute edges. Slit top crust to allow steam to escape.
Bake at 425F for 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is crisp and golden. Cool completely.
Serves 10.
