Entremets & Special Dishes

Decorative, surprising, symbolic, theatrical, or unusual dishes served to delight the eye as well as the appetite. Entremets could appear between services, mark a transition in the meal, display the skill of the cook, or transform food into entertainment, instruction, spectacle, or conversation.

What Were Entremets?

In medieval and early modern dining, an entremet was not simply a side dish. The term could describe foods served between courses, but it also came to include elaborate, decorative, symbolic, or playful dishes that gave shape and drama to a feast. Some were edible works of art. Others were molded, colored, gilded, jellied, disguised, or arranged to surprise the guests.

Entremets might be sweet or savory, simple or extravagant. They could include subtleties, decorated pies, molded jellies, marzipan work, gilded foods, illusion dishes, feast showpieces, or special preparations that do not fit neatly into modern categories. Their purpose was often as much about wonder, status, and storytelling as nourishment.

About this collection: This catalog gathers recipes and research connected to entremets, subtleties, special feast dishes, edible decoration, jellies, illusion foods, marzipan, sugar work, gilding, banquet display, and other unusual or theatrical preparations.

Catalog note: This is a living collection and part of an ongoing archive renovation project. Historical recipes on Give It Forth span many years of research, and older posts were sometimes labeled according to earlier systems or broader categories. As labels are reviewed and standardized, recipes that do not best fit this catalog may be moved to a more appropriate collection, while dishes that belong here may be added.

Recipe Catalog

Gathering recipes from the archive...