Honeyed Chicken Handpies

These mini pies are a great way to enjoy one of the staple dishes from Winterfell. I came up with the recipe for them back in February for HBO’s Take the Black event in NYC. Recently, reader Rachel asked if I could post the recipe. Naturally, that meant I had to make another batch of them. What a shame… ;)

The pies are transportable, and savory with just a hint of sweetness from the raisins and honey. If you happen to have leftover honeyed chicken (I know, it’s unlikely!), you can use it to make this pie. They are conveniently made in a muffin pan, either regular or jumbo-sized, and will quickly disappear. After you have thoroughly picked over the chicken for all the good meat, use what’s left to make some awesome chicken stock!

Mini Honeyed Chicken Pies

–makes around 6 jumbo muffin size pies, or around 12 smaller pies

Cook’s Notes: If you have already made honeyed chicken, you can skip several of the steps here. Just add the sauce to the roux, followed by the broth, and continue as below.

Ingredients for pastry dough:

3 cups flour
1 egg yolk (save the white for glazing)
½ cup water
Pinch of salt
1/2 stick butter
1 egg white beaten with a bit of milk, for glazing

Ingredients for Filling:

~1 ½ lb. cooked and shredded chicken meat
2 Tbs. butter
Pinch of salt
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup honey
½ cup dried currants, or chopped golden raisins
1 ½ cup chicken broth
Hefty pinch of salt
Pepper to taste

Roux:

2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs flour

Rub the stick of butter into the flour and salt, then add the egg yolk and enough cold water to bring the whole mixture together. Chill in the fridge while you prepare the filling. Combine all ingredients except the chicken and the roux in a saucepot, and cook for around 10 minutes. In a smaller separate pan, make the roux by melting the 2 Tbs. butter, then add the 2 Tbs. flour. Stir to combine, then add a ladle of the broth from the other pot. Do this a couple of times, while stirring, then add the butter/flour mixture back into the main pot. Add the chicken and cook for a few more minutes, stirring to make sure the meat absorbs the juices. Turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Take the dough out of the fridge and roll out to 1/4″ thick. Cut circles large enough to fit into the muffin pan you intend to use, as well as smaller discs to serve as the tops of the pies. Press the larger discs of dough into the muffin cups. Spoon the filling into each dough-cup, then wet the top of the dough with water. Place the smaller discs on top of the filled pies, and gently fold down the outer dough so it covers the tops. Poke a couple of vent holes in the top of each mini pie, brush with glaze, and bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on size, until the tops are nice and golden.

Folding over the edges

May Brewing Update

I flagged a little this month, mostly due to other, secret projects that I’m very excited about. More on that later… :)

I cracked open a colonial American Apple Beer, which was a curious experiment. For those familiar with brewing, the water that goes into the wort is replaced by apple cider, which ups the sweetness and gives it a subtle fruity flavor. I also incorporated the yeasty sediment into a wonderful bread, and the spent grain into an apple barley pudding that was amazing with some whiskey whipped cream.

Other projects:

I started a batch of Dandelion wine on St. George’s day, as is traditional. I quickly swore that I would never make this again until I had a fleet of small children to separate the yellow petals from the bitter green parts, but I recently tasted a two year old bottle of a friend’s dandelion wine that was just amazing. I’d love to try his recipe, as well as a version where I see if there are enough good natural yeasts on the dandelion blossoms to ferment the batch. For science!

I also managed to squeeze a new batch of Violatium into the calendar. When I made it before, I had left on the green stems, which threw the flavor of the whole thing off. This time, it turned into a delicate, violet-hued wine that is just sweetened to taste, and oddly enticing. I hope that it will last until my next informal brewing competition in late July.

I’ll be giving my Gose (salted beer) another try this week, and possibly adding in some seaweed for a proper Iron Islands brew.

New Brews:

Colonial Apple Beer

New Food Recipes:

Venison Stew

“‘You can stand by the fire as long as you like. You’ll have food and drink, too. Hot mulled wine and a bowl of venison stewed with onions, and Hobb’s bread right out of the oven, so hot it will burn your fingers.’ Sam peeled off a glove to wriggle his own fingers near the flames…” -A Storm of Swords

After episode 3.6, where Sam longingly describes this stew, I decided to finally get the venison and have a go at it. Fortunately, it coincided with a bit of a cooler spell here in Boston, which suited the heartiness of this stew perfectly.

While this particular description of the stew is fairly limited, there are others throughout the books that contain other tidbits. In other passages, descriptions of Hobb’s venison stew includes carrots and barley, and in the south, it’s stewed with beer. So, everything went into the pot, along with a few more additions of my own.

I used spent grain from brewing (see link below) for the barley component, because I can’t imagine the Night’s Watch letting anything go to waste. It gave the stew a unique texture, and was the source of some of those black flecks you see in the photo. The bacon, I’ll admit, was also my addition, but I don’t think anyone who has read the books can fault me for that. Everything tastes better with bacon. :)

The resulting stew is thick, hearty, and filling- just the thing for a cool night in the North. It’s wonderful with a hunk of rustic bread and a sharp cheese, and a flagon of the same beer that went into the recipe.

Venison Stew Recipe

Ingredients:

3 strips bacon
1 lb. venison (I used ground, but use any small cut you like)
2 Tbs. butter, divided
2 cloves garlic, diced
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 cup peas
3 cups broth
1 bottle dark beer (12 oz/335 ml)
1 cup spent grain, or other barley of your choice, cooked according to its own directions
1 cup small boiler onions, peeled
1/2 tsp. smoked salt
1/2 tsp. savory, or thyme
1 Tbs. flour

Cook the bacon in a medium frying pan. Take out the cooked bacon, reserving the grease, and chop the bacon into small pieces. Brown the venison meat in the bacon grease, then pour it all into a medium pot, along with the bacon bits. In the same frying pan, melt 1 Tbs. butter. Add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes, until it’s not quite browned. Add the carrots and peas, stir to coat with butter, then pour in 1 cup of broth. Cover, and simmer for a few minutes, until the carrots are tender. Add this mixture, along with the rest of the broth, the beer, barley, onions, and seasoning.

If you’d like the stew to be a little thicker, make a roux: melt the remaining 1 Tbs. butter and add to it the 1 Tbs. flour. Stir to combine over medium heat. When the butter-flour looks bubbly and golden (under a minute), begin to add ladlesful of broth, whisking to combine. This should create a thick mixture that can be poured back into your stew. Cook the stew for at least 1 1/2 hours on medium-low heat. Enjoy with some sharp cheese and rustic bread. If you’re using spent grains in the stew, consider also using them in the bread!

Steak and Kidney Pie

“Winterfell…When last I was inside those walls, your cook served us a steak and kidney pie. Made with ale, I think, best I ever tasted. What was his name, that cook?”
“Gage,” Jeyne said at once. “He was a good cook. He would make lemoncakes for Sansa whenever we had lemons.” -The Winds of Winter

Steak and Kidney Pie, from the Winds of Winter

Thoughts:

Huzzah, and rejoice! Another recipe from the Winds of Winter, pulled from a previous excerpt chapter on GRRM’s site.

I admit that I was a tad nervous to make this pie. I’ve had steak and kidney pie before, and loved it, but I’ve also heard reports of kidneys being far too gamey to be enjoyable. However, I was determined to power through, so I found some really nice lamb kidneys at the ever-awesome Savenor’s, and set to work.

I couldn’t be happier with the finished pie. I had a slice for each meal of the day (it makes an amazing breakfast), and was delighted each time. Because the meats are stewed in ale, as per the quote, it’s tender, juicy, and tumbled in a rich gravy. I’ve seen versions with veggies and such mixed in, but I liked the no-nonsense mixture in this pie, which is pretty much just meat.

Recipe for Steak and Kidney Pie

Ingredients:

3/4 lb. quality lamb kidney (about 4 kidneys)
2 lb stew beef, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup flour
3 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 bottle ale
1 1/2 cup beef stock
1 medium onion, diced

Pastry ingredients:

3 cups flour
1 tsp. coarse salt
1 stick butter
~1/2 cup cold water
1/4 cup milk for glaze, or 1 egg, beaten

Cut the kidneys into small pieces, around 1″, avoiding the hard white parts around the middle. In medium heat oil, sear the kidney for a couple of seconds, then add everything else. Cover and simmer for an hour and a half, or until the gravy has thickened. Allow to cool while you roll out the pastry.

Combine the flour and salt, then rub or cut in the butter until it resembles a coarse breadcrumb mixture. Gradually add enough water to pull the whole together. Place in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.

Divide the pastry dough in two, and roll out to two rounds, about 1/8″ thick. Place one layer of dough in a pie pan, then fill with the cooled meat mixture. Wet the edges, then place the second layer of dough over top. Trim excess dough off the sides, then fold under and seal. Brush with egg or milk, and bake at 400F for around 40 minutes, or until the top is a golden brown. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

April Brewing Update

Another fun month of brews! The house is starting to warm up, which means that the yeasts are more self sufficient, and need less coddling from me to keep them active and happy. Phew! I had a surprise from my Imitation Port recipe mid-month. I went to check on the brews, and found that the cap was missing from that jug. I couldn’t make sense of it, until I realized that it was naturally fermenting, and had worked enough pressure up to pop the cork out. That hadn’t even occurred to me, since it’s got sherry and brandy in there, but I put an airlock on it, and we’ll see what it does next! The counterfeit malvoisie that I started last month is chugging away, and smells/tastes wonderful. That’s one of the best things about historical recipes- I would never have thought to combine juniper, cinnamon, and coriander, but they are amazing together! That’s a recipe from 1604, and will probably stand in for a spiced wine from Essos.

Near the end of the month, I attended an SCA brewing event, which was a blast. I got some great feedback on the bottles I brought, and got to chat with some really knowledgeable brewers about esoteric brewing. My housemates are thrilled that I talked at someone else for a change! I was able to have two of my brews judged, and they did well enough that I’m now a novice in the guild. I probably won’t be able to submit more for judging until July, but I’m excited to be able to climb the ranks, and improve my research and documentation skills. It’s also got me eager to try zany new brews, like a Roman wine made with seawater, and finally track down a good historical braggot recipe. I also started up the FB page for Game of Brews, for those who’d like to keep better tabs on what I’m making, as well as join the discussion and brainstorming for future projects! New Posts:

Last Hearth Heather Ale – placed well at a recent brewing competition
Ginger Wine, c. 1690 – with some carbonation, next version will be great
Greywater Watch Gruit – a hopless ale with herbs

Started:

White Metheglin from Lothlorien (yep, jumping fictional boundaries)
Dandelion Wine
Violatium II
Spiced Cider

Strawberry Lemonsweet

Season three is proving to be much more ripe with food than any other season. Here’s another one from the HBO show:

See that pitcher on the bottom right? The one with what could only be lemonsweet with strawberries in it? That’s the special at the Inn this week.

Strawberry Lemonsweet

Now, I’ll admit that when I’m watching the show, I obsessively look at the dishware, glassware, and plates of food. When I saw this, I had to try it! I’ve used an adapted lemonsweet recipe from the cookbook for this, and the result is a perfect beverage to see you through spring and into the long days of summer. It’s sweet, with a citrus punch, but also with wonderful subtle flavors imparted by the herbs and strawberries. The longer it sits to infuse, the pinker and more flavorful it will get!

Strawberry Lemonsweet Recipe

Ingredients:

1 orange
4 lemons
2 cups powdered sugar
1-2 Tbs. bruised thyme, rosemary, or mint, to taste
4 cups water
1 pint strawberries, stemmed and sliced

Zest half an orange and half a lemon. Juice all the fruits, and add the juice, zest, sugar, herbs, and water. Whisk or pour into a bottle and shake to mix. Strain into a serving pitcher, add the strawberries. The berries will gradually add color and flavor to the rest of the beverage, making it even more delicious! Garnish each glass with an extra slice or two of strawberry, and a small sprig of herb.

About Dragons

“Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.”

-G.K. Chesterton

Dina’s Rugelah

Thoughts:

This recipe comes from a very dear family friend, Dina Jacobson. She makes it for her family, and even made large batches of it herself recently for her 90th birthday party. She learned it from her mother, which makes it profound, because Dina lost her entire family in the Holocaust. But this recipe is so filled with love and happiness that it’s sometimes amazing to think that it has any remote connection to such a horrible event.

The finished rugelah are simple, yet temptingly addictive. Soft dough that puffs slightly in the oven, not too sweet, but bursting with cinnamon. They are so small that you’ll find yourself thinking, “Oh, I’ll just have one or two more,” and swiping quite a few more than that.

In our family, they’re a favorite, and every time we eat them,

We will remember.

Dina’s Rugelah Recipe

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, soft
1 block cream cheese
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup sugar, divided
1 Tbs. cinnamon

Cream together the butter, cream cheese, and 1/4 sugar. Combine the baking powder and flour, and add to the first mixture. Blend thoroughly, using your hands. When the dough completely pulls together, roll out onto a slightly floured surface to a thinness of around 1/8″. Sprinkle with the cinnamon and remaining sugar, and spread out with your hands until the dough is covered evenly.

Cut the dough into small triangles, as below, roughly 1.5″x3″. Don’t worry about making the pieces perfect: they’ll all still be delicious! Roll each triangle like a croissant, curving the ends around slightly, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 350F for 15 minutes, until the ends of each rugelah are just golden.

Hot Pie’s Direwolf Scones

Again, Hot Pie brings us another tasty recipe from the HBO series!

In season three, he bakes and gives to Arya a small loaf of bread that looks like a direwolf:

Well, sort of.

But as soon as I saw this episode, I knew I would have to try my hand at making some of my own.

I first tried making this with ordinary bread dough (a variation on the cookbook oatbread), but it not only didn’t retain those nice crisp edges, but ended up looking like gross lumpy Jabba-wolves. So I opted instead for a scone recipe, which worked way better.

Recipe for Direwolf Scones

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1/4 cups sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup cream or milk, or more as needed
dried currants, for eyes

Combine all dry ingredients, and then gradually add in the milk while stirring. If you need a bit more milk, add it until you have one cohesive and soft dough. Press the dough out on your work surface to a thickness of around 3/4″ thick. Using a sharp paring knife, cut out a rough wolf shape. Don’t worry if it’s a little ugly: Hot Pie’s was rustic as well!

Cut extra strips for additional legs and press them onto the main wolf shape, or leave them with just two legs. Cut a criss-cross shape for teeth and press a currant into the dough for an eye. If you like, texture the tops with the tines of a fork.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 10-12 minutes, or until the tops are a nice golden brown.

In the head version, I snipped the edges of the head to make it look like tufts of fur, and used slivered almonds for the teeth. Rawr!

And for extra kicks, here I am making these wolves on MTV Geek’s “Cooking with Thrones” episode 3 recap!

Hand Washing Waters

Hand-washing Water

There is a curious medieval custom that evolved through the ages of having scented water on dining tables with which to wash one’s hands. I remember as a child being delighted that my grandmother had china finger-bowls, even though they were never used. Although this doesn’t make an obvious appearance in Song of Ice and Fire, I imagine that it would fit very well with the more well-heeled families. The Lannisters would use expensive ingredients such as ambergris, while the Tyrells might use rose petals, the Starks juniper and spruce tips, and so on.

The basic version is a fun, easy recipe to make, and adds a fun upscale element to a dinner party! It makes enough for two small bowls, and is a pale green-yellow color with the slightest of pleasant herbal and citrus elements.

Recipes for Hand Washing Waters

TO MAKE WATER TO WASH THE HANDS AT TABLE. Boil sage, then strain the water, and let cool until it is luke-warm. Or instead you can use camomile or marjoram, or rosemary : and cook with the peel of an orange. And also laurel leaves [bay leaves] are good for this. –Le Menagier de Paris, 1393

Ingredients:

2 cups water
1/2 cup fresh sage, chamomile, marjoram, rosemary, bay leaves, etc.
1 heaping Tbs. orange peel

Here’s another later recipe that calls for distilling the liquid, which is a different approach as it seems to make a kind of concentrate for scenting water; I particularly like the quirky pairing of lavender and cloves:

This is an excerpt from Delights for Ladies (England, 1609)

An excellent hand water or washing water very cheape. Take a gallon of faire water, one handfull of Lavender flowers, a few Cloves and some Orace powder, and foure ounces of Benjamin: distill the water in an ordinarie leaden Still. You may distill a second water by a new infusion of water upon the seces: a little of this will sweeten a bason of faire water for your table.

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