TEXT: Tabletop Adventures presents 
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  Into the Desserts 
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  1 
   
  Bits of the Banquet 
   
   
  Into the Desserts 
   
  Introduction 
  Welcome to “Bits of the Banquet™: Into the 
  Desserts.” Have you ever wanted to see your PCs 
  get their Just Desserts? A sumptuous banquet 
  often awaits those heroes who successfully 
  navigate a quest for a king. Perhaps you lack the 
  gourmet food gene and have no idea of what 
  succulent sweet stuff is suitable for such a table. 
  On the other hand, evil Game Master that you 
  are, you may simply long to place something 
  decadent before the party only to tell them these 
  lovely desserts cannot be had. In each case, 
  Tabletop Adventures’ has what you need. 
  “Into the Desserts” includes 20 short descriptions 
  of desserts suitable for the finest nobleman’s 
  table. These are authentic desserts from the 14th 
  – 18th centuries in Europe. However, many of 
  them might be had—for a hefty price—from a 
  local merchant on the adventurers’ next visit to 
  town. 
   
  This product provides the GM with a way to 
  stimulate the characters’ senses and the players’ 
  imaginations. The descriptions can give players a 
  “feel” for a situation, a better image of what is 
  happening 
  or 
  what 
  their 
  characters 
  are 
  experiencing. The text shown in bold type is 
  designed to be read aloud and shared with all. 
  The information included in a normal typeface is 
  reserved for the use of the Game Master. 
  If you find medieval feasting is to your party’s 
  liking, or if you wish to replicate some of the 
  dishes described here, you can find many recipes 
  for these dishes online in the cookbook:  
  http://www.godecookery.com/ 
  Now providing Help for the Hungry Game 
  Master!  
  Enjoy, have fun, and create fun for others! 
  The good people at Tabletop Adventures, 
  and the Overlord. 
  
   
  2 
  Desserts 
  Tidbits 
  01. A small cream-filled cup is in front of you. 
  The scent of almonds and roses fills your 
  nostrils as you lean closer. A few crystallized 
  violet petals are sprinkled across the top of 
  the milky white substance. It is not nearly as 
  thick as a true pudding, but rather a delicate, 
  sweet, sticky affair. 
  02. Dyed yellow and brown eggshells with small 
  holes in them rest in a nest of sweet smelling 
  hay in a basket. As they are offered, the rich 
  scents of saffron and cinnamon waft through 
  the air. They are lighter than standard hen’s 
  eggs and there is a small hole in each 
  end. As they are cracked open, a sweet 
  white almond paste spills forth, with a 
  saffron yellow yolk of a the same paste. 
  [These are Eyroun in Lentyn, a Lenten dish 
  in 15th century England.] 
  03. Row upon row of light delicate cakes 
  glisten on the platter before you. A sweet 
  heather honey glaze makes them sticky 
  to the touch. In the center of each, a 
  sugar-coated almond is pressed. When 
  you take a bite, the moist cake fills your 
  mouth with a refreshing lemony-orange 
  taste. It is still warm from the oven, 
  which makes it even more delicious. 
  04. A pink pudding-like mixture is placed in 
  front of you. The cream used in the 
  pudding coats your lips as you spoon it 
  into your mouth. The tartness of it cuts 
  through the inherent sweetness of the 
  dessert, making your mouth water. How 
  wonderful it is to eat a fool! [A fool is a 
  mixture of sugar, heavy cream, butter and 
  a syrup made from currants, rhubarb or 
  sometimes gooseberries.] 
  05. Glistening orange and green cubes of 
  melon and dewy purple grapes are 
  mixed together with dark green mint 
  leaves. The colors are rich and sparkling 
  due to a slight coating of water and 
  honey. The sweet-tart wetness refreshes 
   your palate. The dish seems to have just 
  come from a cooling cellar, and the chill of 
  the fruit makes it even more delectable. 
  06. Stacks of breads and pastries covered with 
  icings and glazes of various colors are 
  arranged neatly in the basket propped against 
  one of the delivery girl’s wide hips. She waits 
  impatiently for the shopkeeper to clear a spot 
  so she can leave her delivery and return to 
  her labor-filled day. It would be oh, so nice to 
  sink your teeth into one of those warm, sweet-
  smelling yeast breads! 
  
   
  10. Small white rounds of buttery cakes have 
  been flavored with rosewater and nutmegs 
  just to tempt the palette. Each has a slight 
  dusting of flour to heighten its pale color. 
  Small light brown specks of the ground 
  nutmeg are barely visible as you hold one 
  close to inhale the scent. 
  11. A sculpted and glistening substance is 
  unmolded before your eyes. It is about the 
  consistency of soft cheese and has the color of 
  the spices and berry juice use to prepare it. 
  Some call this a trifle, but it seems a wonder – 
  retaining the shape of the mold from which it 
  came. With the heat, the sweet delicacy 
  gradually softens, losing its form. 
  07. Four red-brown pears are glazed with a wine 
  reduction sauce and soaked dried fruits. The 
  exotic scents of cinnamon, cloves and 
  sandalwood almost overpower the sweet scent 
  arising from the warm pears. The reddish 
  brown syrup darkens the skin of the pears 
  and pools in the bottom of the dish. The sweet 
  syrup has captured a small ant in one corner 
  of the dish. 
  08. A mixture of raisins, nuts and other dried 
  fruits make a scattered mosaic across the top 
  of a starkly white porridge of rice and 
  sweetened milk. Whenever a spoon of the 
  porridge is lifted out and away, the remaining 
  porridge flows smoothly into the gap left 
  behind.  
  09. A light coating of ground sugar dusts the 
  latticework top of the tarts before you. The 
  pale sugar offsets the light brown latticework 
  of the pastry and the much darker brown of 
  the treacle tart filling. [The gooey filling is 
  similar to a molasses and breadcrumb mixture, 
  only thicker.] 
  12. The top of a deep red compote of cherries is 
  strewn with miniature flower petals of 
  almond paste. The mashed cherries float in a 
  thickened, buttery wine sauce which has the 
  scent of cloves upon it and is thicker than 
  plain fruit soup or fruit syrup. [This dish is a 
  chireseye.] 
  13. Miniature sugarcoated fruits of almond-
  scented sugar paste bristle in an intricate 
  arrangement atop this rather large raised 
  cake. Arranged around the base of the cake is 
  another series of similar fruits placed upon a 
  bed of bay leaves.  
  14. Layer upon layer of thin light pastry is 
  interspersed with a filling of black walnuts 
  and honey. Were it not for the heavy coating 
  of honey and spices, the thin layers of pastry 
  dough would peel away in paper-thin flakes. 
   
  3 
  
   
  4 
  15. A savory pudding of meat 
  broth, breadcrumbs, and eggs 
  has been prepared and placed 
  in a decorative dish. The deep 
  spicy smell contrasts sharply 
  with the sweet and sweet-sour 
  smells of the delicacies that 
  surround this dish. All in all, 
  the variety of aromas makes 
  your mouth water. 
  16. Several varieties of a sweet 
  honeyed confection lie arrayed 
  before your eyes. One is a light 
  red and it smells strongly of sandalwood. 
  Another is darker brown in color and a sniff 
  reveals the scent of cloves, while a third is 
  lighter in color and smells of cinnamon. Hints 
  of saffron and pepper seem to pervade the 
  whole lot of confectionary goodness. 
  17. This jewel of a confection would barely fill the 
  center of your palm. Coated with ground and 
  sifted sugar, this sweet bit is a mildly spiced 
  blend of ground dates and nuts held together 
  with a little oil or butter. [These travel well and 
  last for extended periods of time.] 
  18. A heady mix of cinnamon, 
  cloves and nutmeg loft from the 
  many 
  tiny 
  sweetmeat 
  pies 
  before you. The loaves of 
  sweetmeats are molded tightly 
  into oblong rectangular shapes. 
  A drink of ale, honey and spices 
  is served alongside. [These are 
  mince pies, and Wassail.] 
  19. Small 
  warm 
  parchment 
  packets 
  are 
  proffered 
  with 
  wine. The packets open to 
  reveal roasted chestnuts mixed 
  with several deep red rose petals. The soft 
  creamy nut meats are all the more pungent 
  for being steamed among the petals, and the 
  scent tickles your nose. 
  20. Delicate slices of fruit are arrayed in a fan 
  pattern in the dish before you. A pastry shell 
  which rises around the sides of the dish is 
  pleated in neat, even folds. The edges of the 
  fruit and pastry are toasted brown and dusted 
  with sugar. Here and there a brown streak 
  shows where a little juice leaked out during 
  the baking process. 
   
  Credits:
  Writer: Marcella Ganow 
  Editor: Vicki Potter 
  Layout: Marcella Ganow 
  Cover Image: 
   
  Jesus and Javier Carmona 
  www.CarmonaArt.com 
  Border: Daniel Brakhage 
  Some Clipart ©2006 Jupiterimages Corporation 
  Published by:  
  Tabletop Adventures™, LLC 
  Copyright 2007 
  www.tabletopadventures.com 
   
  Have one on us - 
  In honor of April 1, 2007! 
   
   
  
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  Shards of the Heart – 20+ character 
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  Table      Treasure Value        Quantity 
  Table I 
  Less than 10 gp 
  100  
  Table II  
  50 gp 
  100  
  Table III       100 gp 
  100  
  Table IV  
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  100  
  Table V  
  1,000 gp 
  100  
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  100  
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    10  
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  03/07 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Tables & Charts/Curious Details/TAB0301 - Bits of the Banquet - Into the Desserts.pdf