The Inn at the Crossroads
  • Home
  • About
    • FAQ
    • From Readers
    • About the Author
    • Interviews and Articles
  • Latest Posts
  • Game of Thrones
    • Game of Thrones Recipes, by region
    • Game of Thrones Recipes, by meal
    • The Official Game of Thrones Cookbook
  • Cookbooks!
    • The Official Game of Thrones Cookbook
    • World of Warcraft Cookbook
    • Hearthstone Cookbook
    • Elder Scrolls Cookbook
    • Firefly Cookbook
    • Overwatch Cookbook
    • Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Cookbook
    • Errata
  • Other Recipes
    • Other Fictional Foods
    • Other Historical Foods
  • Contact
    • Sign Up for News!

Basil-wrapped Goat Cheese – The Hunger Games

“On the table, under a wooden bowl to protect it from hungry rats and cats alike, sits a perfect little goat cheese wrapped in basil leaves. Prim’s gift to me on reaping day. I put the cheese carefully in my pocket as I slip outside… [Later,] Gale spreads the bread slices with the soft goat cheese, carefully placing a basil leaf on each while I strip the bushes of their berries.” – The Hunger Games

Thoughts:

Historically, the very freshest cheeses, those too young to have rinds, were frequently wrapped in leaves of various sorts. The leaves themselves served to protect the interior paste from hazards of the environment (such as bugs and debris) as well as helped to retain moisture. Today, they are for the most part used for aesthetics and in some cases, such as this one, to impart subtle flavors.

There were a few challenges when making this goat cheese. First, I had pasteurized milk from the store, not the rich and creamy raw milk straight from the farm, as Prim would have used. The second issue was the addition of an acid to make the cheese curdle. I used lemon juice the first time, and although I experimented with several other options, none tasted as good to me as that lemon version. So, while vinegar or buttermilk also work, the lemon makes for the best taste. Of the three, I think Prim would have used buttermilk, since it could also come from the goat, and wouldn’t require trading for other ingredients. And while rennet is often added to even simple goat cheeses, the Everdeens are a very poor family in a very poor district. Because of that, I’ve opted for this very basic recipe that uses a minimum of ingredients.

It results in a very soft, flavorful cheese that is easy to spread, and delicious. The basil flavors, if you choose to go that route, seep into the cheese, giving it a subtle herb flavor. I enjoyed it as in the book: on fresh bread, with the basil leaves, but it’s also great with apples, on salad, and any other way you can think.

Recipe for Simple Goat Cheese

Ingredients:

  • 1 quart goat’s milk (pasteurized is fine, but don’t use ultra-pasteurized)
  • 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
  • salt to taste
  • several bunches of large-leafed basil

Preparation:

You’ll also need:

  • a sauce pot, preferably stainless steel
  • Thermometer
  • Cheesecloth
  • Strainer or colander
  • string or rubberband
  • round cookie or biscuit cutter

Pour the goats milk into the sauce pot. Turn on the heat, and put the thermometer into the milk. When it’s reached about 180F, turn off the heat, and pour in the lemon juice/vinegar and salt. Stir gently to combine, then let sit and cool for around 15 minutes.

While the milk is sitting, stretch the cheesecloth over the strainer, and set over another deep bowl or pot. When it’s ready, pour the milk mixture into the prepared cheesecloth, letting the liquid drain into the container below. Gather the ends of the cheesecloth together, and secure with string. Hang this bundled cheese over a bowl for at least 2 hours or overnight, until all the liquid has drained out.

At this point, your cheese is done, and you can form it into a ball or log. To wrap it in basil leaves, follow these steps:

Pick the largest basil leaves off the bunch. Arrange these inside the round cookie cutter, with their stem ends together; they should overlap somewhat. Spoon in scoops of cheese, pressing them into the round shape. Wrap the ends of the basil leaves up over the cheese, securing them with a small blob of extra cheese, if necessary.

Enjoy!

basil-wrapped goat cheese

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

« Medieval Dornish Cream Cakes
Hand Washing Waters »

5 Responses

  1. Ashley Bee says
    April 4, 2013 at 11:27 am

    Now I need a good goat milk source. I want to make fresh goat cheese!

    Reply
    • admin says
      April 4, 2013 at 11:28 am

      Whole Foods and Trader Joes often carry it, nowadays! :)

      Reply
  2. Bekador says
    April 4, 2013 at 12:07 pm

    Ingredients dont list vinegar, recipe does? “pour in the vinegar and salt”

    Reply
    • Grace Ireson says
      September 6, 2017 at 3:11 pm

      He\she means if you’re using vinegar instead of lemon juice.

      Reply
  3. PapaChef says
    April 23, 2013 at 9:38 am

    I could have sworn I posted the comment I just typed up. If I did and it’s just waiting to be moderated just delete this one…

    I love how accurate this recipe is! It’s amazing and spectacularly well done how you put yourself in the Everdeen house so you could use minimal ingredients. The Hunger Games is one of those series where all it takes is a brief mention for me to get all worked up and wanting to read all the books again.

    Thanks for the post and for giving this part of the story a whole other dimension!

    Reply

Leave a Reply to PapaChef

Leave a Reply to PapaChef Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Made something?`

If you’ve made a recipe from the blog, be sure to tag your tasty creations with #GameofFood!

The Official GoT Cookbook!

Browse Old Posts by month

Want to help out? Check out our Amazon Wishlist!

Pages

  • Cookbooks!
    • Elder Scrolls Cookbook
    • Errata
    • Firefly Cookbook
    • Hearthstone Cookbook
    • Overwatch Cookbook
    • World of Warcraft Cookbook
    • The Official Game of Thrones Cookbook
  • Home
    • Game of Thrones Recipes
      • Game of Thrones Recipes, by meal
        • Beverages
        • Bread
        • Breakfast
        • Desserts
        • Main Courses
        • Menus
        • Pies & Savory Tarts
        • Pies & Savory Tarts
        • Sides
        • Soups/Stews
        • Vegetarian
      • Game of Thrones, foods by region
        • The North
        • Kings Landing
        • The South
        • Dorne
        • Across the Narrow Sea
    • Latest Posts
    • Other Recipes
      • Elder Scrolls
      • Other Fictional Foods
      • Other Historical Foods
      • Star Wars
    • Sign Up for News!
    • Contact
  • Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Cookbook
  • About
    • About the Author
    • FAQ
    • From Readers
    • Interviews and Articles

Archives

  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • November 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • December 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011

Categories

  • Awesome Stuff (7)
  • Beverages (29)
  • Breads (27)
  • Breakfasts (33)
  • Candy (6)
  • Character Meals (13)
  • Condiments (5)
  • Cons and Signings (2)
  • Cookbook (8)
  • Dessert (71)
  • Drink (18)
  • Fictional (97)
  • Gardening (2)
  • Historical (50)
  • Kitchen Ephemera (4)
  • Main Courses (21)
  • Pies (7)
  • Sides (65)
  • Soup (20)
  • Uncategorized (132)
  • Vegetarian (7)

WordPress

  • Log in
  • WordPress

CyberChimps WordPress Themes

All content copyright 2016