Thursday Recipe - Fairy Offerings and Guava Candy

Please welcome Frances Pauli to the Far Edge of Normal. She's got a three book dark fantasy fairy series out. A Moth in Darkness, The Fly in Paradise, and Spiders from Memory. And since she's on a blog tour, she's got prizes and other goodies listed here.


Today, we discuss fairy foods. Good stuff. One lucky commenter on this post will win a package of fairy offerings from me. Frances has her own giveaways, too, so be sure to check out her main blog hop post here: www.francespauli.blogspot.com

You have an interesting mix of fairies including the sparkling little things we usually associate with Tinkerbell. What kinds of foods do they eat? Flower nectar? Fruit? Nibbles of beef from the grill of the elves?

You know, I don't see the little ones needing to eat really. They may nibble on some nectar when no one is looking, but in the books they really feed off of human emotion. The Dancers that they create provide them with a steady stream of memories and passion that seems to be their primary nutrition. Of course, you never really know with fairies. One in particular develops a serious doughnut addiction. Food, like anything for the little ones is just another game or pleasure.

My elves, on the other hand, are incredibly picky eaters. They dine on sweet fruit and succulent meats, and drink a steady supply of sticky-sweet Cuarry juice. In book three, in fact, a small group of refugees are stranded on the mundane side of the borders, and their constant whining about the food at the Embassy proves problematic.

The tiny little fairy with the doughnut obsession who ate a dozen doughnuts by itself gave me a giggle. What does a fat fairy look like? Makes you wonder a bit.

Fat fairies are my favorite. I used to do a bit of fairy graffiti in my younger, art-school years. I left scribbled fairies just about everywhere I went—don’t tell the dean. My favorites to draw were heavy, rounded fairies with tiny little wings. Not from the doughnuts though…fairies don’t get fat from sugar. I think they get fat just to try it out.

Tell me about the fairy offering - peach colored bits of pure heaven, if I remember it right. What's the inspiration for that?

Flower Kiss candy. I developed quite an addiction to it when I lived in the Seattle area. It's made in Japan, and I found a bag of it by chance during a shopping trip to Uwajimaya. The wrappers are so cute. Pastel blue, pink and yellow with various botanical images. So lovely, and inside, a hard, pale pink piece of bumpy goodness. They are really good. I mean, unbelievably good. The flavor is very delicate, and I love the name and look of the stuff almost as much as the taste. Can you tell I'm addicted? I believe that they are plum flavored. To me they just taste like the name says, like little flower kisses.

For those who want to learn more or get addicted to fairy offerings, here are a couple of links: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Flower-Kiss-Candy/354468518306?sk=wall
http://www.amazon.com/Kasugai-Flowers-Kiss-Candy-5-1oz/dp/B000B7S2QG
Or you can comment on this post for a chance to win some fairy offerings!

Ever tried guava candy, another Asian treat? Excellent stuff.

No, I haven't, but it sounds right up my alley. I learned all about guava juice in Hawaii. They start you off with it on the plane going in, almost like a prelude to paradise. "Here's some juice, now you'll understand that everything is better on the islands." It is, too.

I absolutely *love* guava nectar from Kern's. So sweet and thick and just plain delicious. If you have never had guava nectar, go find some! It's that good. The frozen guava-raspberry juice from Hawaii's Own is tasty, too, but not nearly as good as the canned nectar.

POG is worth getting too, if you’ve never tried it. Pineapple, orange, and guava all together. Mmmmm.

Since this is a recipe post, can you share a great fairy recipe with us?

I imagine sugared fruit would be a big hit among the Fey. I once read a recipe where you used orange and lemon rind and a sugary syrup to make a dainty sort of sweet snack. I've never had the patience to make them though. I can share the recipe for Sed's Substitute Cuarry Juice. He saves the day with it in Spiders from Memory, but it's ghastly sweet stuff. I'd never drink it, but to an elf with a sweet tooth, this is the closest you can get to a taste of home.

Sed's Substitute Cuarry Juice

2 c. Pomegranate Juice
2 c. Cranberry Juice
Splash of Pineapple juice (Not too much, the acidity hurts the elves' dainty mouths)
Grotesque amounts of Grenadine. (Here is where the syrupy tastes come into play. For human consumption it might be better to say "Grenadine to taste."

Mix everything together. Serve well chilled and over ice.

Sounds delicious in very small quantities. This recipe makes 4-6 servings, if I'm judging it right. 1 serving if you're an elf.

I'll have to find a recipe for candied fruit that isn't nasty and post that sometime. For now, thanks for stopping by, Frances. Good luck with the books. I can't wait to get my hands on book 3, Spiders from Memory!

For the rest of you, don't forget to leave a comment with your name and email address so I can do a random drawing for some delicious fairy offerings and guava candy! You also get entered in Frances' drawing for her books and other goodies.
Thanks so much for having a spot on the tour! I’ll be selecting one commenter here for a pdf copy of any book from my backlist, and for each tour stop you comment on you’ll get an entry into a drawing for the entire trilogy in print. So comment, and come along on the tour for more chances to win.