Plum Wine

“The queen took a flagon of sweet plum wine from a passing serving girl and filled Sansa’s cup. ‘Drink,’ she commanded coldly. ‘Perhaps it will give you the courage to deal with truth for a change.'” –A Clash of Kings

Plum Wine

Thoughts:

Usually I wait with brewing recipes, but it’s just the tail end of plum season, so I wanted to give you all the chance to brew some yourselves. The next post will be back to food, I promise. :)

This is an unusual fruit wine, to say the least. It starts with a raisin wine base, to which the plum juice is added. But really, THAT COLOR! The purple from the plum skins did a lot for the color, but the addition of hibiscus is what really tipped it over the edge into that gorgeous, almost grapefruity hue.

In terms of process, there are some things I might do differently. First off, juice the plums. I’m not sure if that would lose some of the purple from the skins, but it would certainly uncomplicate things a bit. I’d probably put the hibiscus in earlier, along with the plums, to get maximum flavor and color. All in all though, a fun historical romp.

Get the recipe and updates on the brew blog, Game of Brews.

A fictional Halloween

Since we’re about a month out from Halloween, I thought I’d make it a little easier to incorporate some wonderful fictional dishes into your holiday fare. Additional suggestions are more than welcome!

Snacks

Meatrolls – Pumpkin Pasties – Mushroom Straws

Desserts

Snow White’s Apples – Coraline Button Cookies

Marzipan Dragonflies – Spice Cake – Apple Custard Pie

Yam Candies – Concord Grape Crumble

Drinks

Pumpkin Juice – Butter Beer

Fictional Beverages

I’ve got a list going of various fictional beverages. Most of these are drinks I’ll definitely try out sooner or later; I’m trying to focus mostly on books (sorry, no Romulan Ale!), and would love your suggestions, if I’ve left out any awesome drinks!

The List:

Blue Milk, from Star Wars

Islington’s Wine & Serpentine’s Restorative, from Gaiman’s Neverwhere

Wonka’s Buttercup Tea

Dickens’ Christmas Punch

Other Mother’s Hot Chocolate, from Coraline

Anne of Green Gables: Currant Wine, Raspberry Cordial

Chocolatl, from the Golden Compass

Fleegix, from Alan Mendolsohn, Boy from Mars

Harry Potter: Pumpkin Juice, Nettle Wine, Firewhiskey, Gillywater

Ent-draught, from LotR

Alice’s Potions for Growing and Shrinking

Pan Galactic Gargleblaster

Austershalin Brandy, from Gentlemen Bastards series

Klah, from the Dragonrider series

Ambrosia, from Battlestar Galactica

Grog, from Monkey Island

Blackbriar Mead from Skyrim

Pumpkin Pasties – Harry Potter

“Anything from the cart, dearies?”

–Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, by JK Rowling

Thoughts:

I had a pretty clear idea of what my version of Pumpkin Pasties should be. And now that it’s autumn, there was simply no resisting the tug of pumpkin-based recipes. More on those to come…

These pasties are delicious. Portable, yet moist, they can be easily enjoyed on a train, late summer picnic, lunchbox, or my favorite: slightly toasted for breakfast. With the cinnamon icing, it’s like a giant pumpkiny pop-tart, and I mean that in the very best way (like your 12 year old brain remembers them). It’s also a more straightforward recipe than some, which require double baking the filling.

Pair them with some cider, hot or cold, and they’re a must not only for your HP viewing parties, but also for all your autumnal gatherings.

Pumpkin Pasties Recipe

Prep: 15 minutes Baking: 10-15 minutes Cooling/icing: 30 minutes

Makes about 10-12 Pasties

Cook’s Notes: Although I wrote these directions for the pie mold I own, it’s easily adapted to suit what you have. See the notes at the very bottom of the post for details.

Ingredients for Crust:

3 cups flour
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1 tsp. salt
1 egg yolk (save the white!)
1/4 cup sugar

Filling:

2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 1 lb. can pumpkin
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup dried currants

Icing:

1 egg white
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
water, if needed

Preheat your oven to 350F, and line a baking sheet with parchment.

Make your pastry dough: Mix together the dry ingredients. Rub in your butter, then add the egg yolk and enough cold water to bring the dough together. Set aside.

Mix the filling: Combine all ingredients until they are thoroughly mixed. Set aside.

Divide the pastry dough in half. Roll one half out to a thickness of about 1/4″. Use your cutter to cut out the desired shape. Fill with just enough filling that it won’t eek out the seams. Wet the edges with egg white, and cover with the top piece of pastry. Crimp the edges shut, and transfer the pit to the prepared baking sheet.

Brush the tops of the pasties with a bit of egg white, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the edges of the pasties are golden. Remove from baking sheet and allow to cool completely!

Make the icing: Beat what is left of your egg white until it’s frothy. Add the cinnamon and the confectioner’s sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, until the consistency is thick but drizzleable. If it becomes too thick, thin with a splash of water. Drizzle the icing over the cooled pasties, and serve!

Note: I used a pumpkin shaped hand pie mold from William-Sonoma. I looked and looked online, but for the life of me couldn’t find them for sale anywhere anymore. Instead, I’d suggest this half circle style press from Amazon, which I also have. If you’d like to just fake it, you can use large circles of dough, and crimp the edges with the tines of a fork.

Are these still sold anywhere?

A Westerosi All Hallows

Because our lives are have been centered around Westerosi cuisine for over a year, it seems only natural that we infuse a bit of that flavor onto our holidays. And now, with the autumn harvest coming in, leaves turning to fire on the hillsides, and Halloween approaching, how could we resist a few suggestions for your own festive gatherings?

Just wait for our Thanksgiving and Christmas posts! ;)

Mundane

Spiced Squash – Pumpkin Soup*

Grape Pie – 17th C. Pumpkin Pie – Baked Apples*

Spooky

Tea Eggs (deviled) – Blood Pies – Tears of Lys

Chilling

Sugar Skulls – Fondant Hearts – Weirwood Cake

Spiced Locusts – Mock Dormice – Rats on a Stick

To Drink

Wassail – Mulled Wine

NB: The * indicates recipes that are in the cookbook. I’ve included them on the list so those of you with the book can consider making those dishes, too! The dishes in italics are forthcoming.

Shortbread Gears

Violatium

“I’d give you some violets, but they withered all when my father died.” -Ophelia, Hamlet

Violatium

Thoughts:

So get this: The Ancient Romans actually made this beverage where they immersed violet blossoms in wine. Naturally, I had to try it.

The finished product is quirky. As the mixture ages, the color leaches out of the violets, leaving them looking sort of like wispy ghost-flowers.

The flavor, when all is said and done, is… quirky. It was described by our tasters as a combination of vegetal, green, and like a cheap rose with floral overtones. A smidge of wildflower honey compliments the hint of violets quite nicely. Really, though, the big appeal is in the appearance and uniqueness.

Were I to try it again (which I probably will), I’d pick off the green parts, and mix in the honey from the beginning.

Why it should be in the Next Book:

Doesn’t it just sound like something from a GRRM book? I mean, come on.

Violatium.

It’s got all the inherent threat of sinister syllables, and the exotic flair of being made with flowers. It’s a recipe from Ancient Rome, a culture fabulously known for their decadent fare. I imagine it being served across the Narrow Sea, where they have other exotic fare such as persimmon wine and honeyed locusts.

Get the recipe on the brew blog, Game of Brews.

A Flight of Sorrows

For those of you biding your time until the next season of Game of Thrones, I’ve got a great snack to help keep your appetite whetted. It’s a collection of essays revolving around A Song of Ice and Fire, and the topics range from adultery, to prophecy, to power, and many things in between.

And I’m honored to have been asked to write the afterword!

Since Tower of the Hand: A Flight of Sorrows is coming out a month from today, I can let you in on a little secret: the book’s complete lineup, which includes many friendly faces from the Ice and Fire community.

A Flight of Sorrows

Foreword – Phil Bicking, editor-in-chief of WinterIsComing.net

Introduction – Marc N. Kleinhenz, editor
All along the Watchtower

“Under the Bleeding Star” – Stefan Sasse, essayist at Tower of the Hand and co-host of the Boiled Leather Audio Hour
On the role of prophecy in songs of ice and fire

“Daggers in the Dark” – Miles Schneiderman, essayist at Tower of the Hand
The ultimate fates of protagonists, from A Game of Thrones to A Dance with Dragons

“The Prince That Illyrio Promised” – Alexander Smith, co-founder of Tower of the Hand
Exploring the identity of – and the aim of the conspiracy around – Aegon Targaryen

“A Game of Beds” – Amin Javadi, co-host of A Podcast of Ice and Fire
Marital infidelity, adultery, and fandom theories in A Song of Ice and Fire

“Every Case Is Different, Every Case Is Alike” – John Jasmin, co-founder of Tower of the Hand
Investigating murder investigations in Westeros

“You Win or You Sit the Bench” – Douglas Cohen, author and former editor of Realms of Fantasy magazine
Power ranking – NFL style – the top contenders in the game of thrones

“The Narratives of Winter” – Marc N. Kleinhenz, editor
Discerning the structure of Martin’s saga and teasing out its final act

“The Telltale Knight” – Mimi Hoshut, co-host of A Podcast of Ice and Fire
The narrative parallels and foreshadowing of the Tales of Dunk and Egg

Afterword – Chelsea Monroe-Cassel, co-author of InnattheCrossroads.com and A Feast of Ice and Fire
Just Desserts

Appendix I: What’s a Game of Thrones without the Tower of the Hand?
Appendix II: The Creaking Door of House Manwoody

As you can see, it’s a packed house, and we’re excited to squeeze you into the nerdfest, as well.

(Note: the two appendices are previously published material – one at Corona’s Coming Attractions, the other at Tower of the Hand itself – that interviews the respective braintrusts behind TOTH and A Podcast of Ice and Fire. It’s collected here to heighten the reader’s enjoyment of these two wacky-but-popular ASOIAF staples.)

A Flight of Sorrows goes on sale on October 13th, exclusively at Amazon, for $5.99.

Apricot Wine

“Before you came Meereen was dying. Our rulers … sat atop their pyramids sipping apricot wine and talking of the glories of the Old Empire whilst the centuries slipped by and the very bricks of the city crumbled all around them. Custom and caution had an iron grip upon us till you awakened us with fire and blood. A new time has come, and new things are possible.” -A Dance with Dragons

Thoughts:

It’s good!

For this recipe, I started with the oldest and simplest recipe I could find, from the 1690 Lucayos Cookbook. This recipe seems to rely on natural fermentation, so I was inclined to try it, and if it didn’t start on its own, to pitch yeast. I prepped the fruit, added everything else, and put it all in the primary fermenter. And then unexpectedly had to leave for the weekend.

When I got back a few days later, it was happily bubbling away, nature having run its course. I decided to let it go, and see what happened. When it was done working, I bottled it and let mine sit for two months. , and tried it at the end of that period. The wine is light and distinctly apricot flavored, with a bit of tartness provided by the lemongrass.

Keep in mind that natural fermentation can go all sorts of ways, since there’s no way to predict what sort of yeast you’ll get. The ABV is somewhere just under 3%, so it’s probably best kept for a few months, as the original recipe states. I’ve got a couple of smaller bottles, which I’ll periodically test out and report back on. I plan to make another batch, perhaps using dried apricots to increase the time of year in which it can be made.

The wine is best served chilled, and although it’s not especially dry, you may wish to add a bit of honey to sweeten it up.

Get this recipe, and the future version, on the brew blog, Game of Brews.

Fictional Brewing!

Brew-mania!

In honor of a successful move to a new apartment, and the unpacking of the kitchen, I’m set to brew again!

In addition to brewing something from Game of Thrones, I’d love to explore more boozy goodness from other fictional worlds. I’m giving this poll a full month, at the end of which I’ll make the top two reader picks, then post the recipes. Have a favorite fictional alcohol that’s not on the list? Add it!