Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie

Trompe L'Oeil: The Art of Culinary Deception (2x9)

Air date: Mar 01, 2008

Can a great meal be based on deception? Trompe L’Oeil means “fooling the eye,” and some chefs and experts are doing just that. In this episode, we’ll meet a chef who’s been figuring out ways to fool diners for 45 years, feeding them whimsical creations like “scrambled eggs” made out of scallops. Then we’ll travel to New York City to visit a cake-making “studio” where edible foods replace tubes of paint. Back in the Gourmet kitchen, we’ll show you how to create a slice of “watermelon” that looks exactly like the real thing—with seeds made out of chocolate.