So, I have to confess that I ordinarily don’t much care for cauliflower. Or, well, most vegetables, if I’m perfectly honest. Don’t judge – It’s a genetic thing. But I am VERY pro cheese, so a recipe that masks veggies with a creamy cheese sauce, it turns out, was sorely needed in our household lineup. I even went back in for seconds. It’s so good, in fact, that it’s taken me three tries to get a photo of it before it’s been gobbled down.
In Stardew Valley, this recipe is a pretty early one received in the mail from Pam. It’s almost universally liked by everyone in town, excepting Krobus and Willy. I won’t hold that against them, though. Try it yourself and see what you think!
Recipe for Cheese Cauli
Prep: 5 minutes Cooking: 20 minutes Makes: ~4 side servings
Ingredients:
- 1 cauliflower, divided into bite-sized pieces
- 1 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 4 oz. cream cheese
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- paprika and chives to garnish
Start by preheating the oven to 400F. Toss the cauliflower florets with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then spread out evenly on a baking sheet. Cook in the heated oven for around 20 minutes, flipping about halfway through, until soft.
While the cauliflower bakes, make up the cheese sauce: Combine the cream cheese and heavy cream in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until it’s a smooth consistency. Stir in the shredded cheddar until it has melted, then remove from heat.
When the cauliflower is done roasting, move it to a medium bowl and toss with the cheese sauce. Top with some paprika and chives, and enjoy!
Mrs. Rorer’s Philadelphia Cookbook is a treasure that long sat hidden on a bookshelf in my grandmother’s basement. Relegated to its decorative, rather than functional, role, the book idled until I eventually inherited it many ago. Even then, I chose it mostly for its look. However, as I would discover in the following years, it holds much to be appreciated.
Sarah Tyson, later Rorer, was born in 1849 in Pennsylvania. This is the first of her many cookbooks, which in the introduction she proudly puts it forth as a much needed culinary contribution from Philadelphia.
The cookbook itself is at once sparse and surprisingly thorough, delving occasionally into the downright scientific. In the section on soups, for example, she explains how the stewing meat breaks down, dropping terms such as osmazone and nitrogenous. For the very best soup, she recommends soft water and a porcelain or granite(ware) soup kettle. Not exactly standard kitchen fare!
There are a smattering of handwritten recipes throughout the book, the most appetizing, perhaps, being the Apple Custard Pie. Nomsch! Somewhat more dubious is the Pistachio Ice Cream, for which the green color is added by way of clover (or lawn grass, should you find your yard lacking in clover patches)! You can bet I’ll be making it anyway.
Check out some of the pictures of the interior, and try some of the fascinating recipes as I add them to the list!
Recipes:
- Apple Snow
- Apple Custard Pie
- Eggs for Breakfast
- Pistachio Ice Cream
- Mushroom Catsup
- Waffles with Sour Milk
There’s nothing like mom’s old standby recipes, regardless of whether it’s a biological mom or a chosen one. Sometimes, the simplest food is the best one, especially during long winters. When I was 17 I did a gap year in Turkey that changed my life, not least of all because it instilled in me a deep love of delicious food. Seriously, that is some of the best cuisine in the whole world!
This recipe started as my Turkish mom’s recipe for rice pudding, which I haven’t made in ages. I’ve tweaked it a little to my own tastes, lowering the sugar count and adding just a dash of orange extract, which pairs brilliantly with the dusting of cinnamon on top. I couldn’t decide whether I liked it better as a dessert or for a breakfast treat, but I like to think that even my Turkish mom would like it with a nice cup of tea. :)
Seni seviyorum, anne!
Rice Pudding Recipe
Ingredients:
- 4 1/2 cups milk
- 1/2-3/4 cup sugar, to taste
- 1/2 cup uncooked rice
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 Tbs. corn starch
- Dash each vanilla and orange extract
- ground cinnamon to serve
Combine 4 cups of milk and the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Add the rice and cook for around 20 minutes or so, until the rice is soft. You may need to stir occasionally to make sure the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup milk, egg yolks, corn starch, vanilla, and orange extract. While whisking, pour a little of the hot milk from the pan into the bowl to temper the eggs. Pour the egg mixture back into the pot and cook for another couple of minutes, whisking or stirring to fully combine. The mixture should thicken considerably during this time. Pour everything into a heat-proof casserole dish (or smaller individual sized serving bowls). At this point, you can either serve warm or room temperature, or chill for later. You can also put the whole casserole into an oven preheated to 350F for around 20 minutes, until they are warmed through and the tops have browned.
So, I get to visit some pretty cool worlds in my line of work, but usually just from the comfort (and isolation) of my own home. But it’s been an awesome year of meeting so many of you at conventions all over the country, hearing about your favorite recipes and watching your excitement as your eyes light on a new cookbook. Not to mention all the great photos shared online of successful dishes- nothing brings satisfaction and happiness to an author like knowing their work is being enjoyed out in the wilds of the world.
But this year, to cap things off in truly epic style, I was invited down to Walt Disney World to do a signing of the new Galaxy’s Edge cookbook, and as luck would have it, the visit coincided with the opening of the new Rise of the Resistance attraction. I was excited for the trip just on account of that, but little did I know what an amazing time I was embarking on. Now, keep in mind that I hadn’t been to WDW since I was maybe five years old. I admit to being under the impression that it was primarily for kids and families. Never have I been so delighted to be wrong.
I was treated like an intergalactic princess, with a guide to show me around the parks (hi Homer!). It was an absolute whirlwind three day adventure of combined work and play. Coming from the frozen north, I took full advantage of the hotel pool on my first night, complete with waterslide, giant hottub, and poolside snacks. The following day started at 7am in Batuu with an interview segment, a cooking demo in one of the ridonkulously elaborate new Riviera villa kitchens, signing a stack of hundreds of cookbooks for media, and a presentation to the folks over in the Food Lab.
I fell in love with Pandora, especially at night (I’d love to crack the secret of making some of those bioluminescent plants for my own house), and the Rite of Passage ride was exceptional. Visiting again to do that is a must, but every one of the parks had a huge amount to recommend it. I watched the Imagineering story after I got home, which served to deepen my already massive respect for the Imagineering teams that bring the parks to life. I mean REALLY. From the line of sight in each section of each park that fully immerses you in wherever you happen to be, to the enticing layout of paths that lure you further into the unknown, down the the incredible sense of Place created with expert terrain building and weathering. Seriously, it’s so cool. I’m pretty sure that an Imagineer is another dream job I didn’t know existed when I was young.
Finally, back in Batuu, I finally got to pilot the Millennium Falcon alongside fellow authors George Mann and Ethan Sacks (naturally, we did quite well). I got some cunning holiday shopping in, and won Christmas morning when my husband unwrapped his own copy of Luke’s lightsaber, a dream of his since childhood. The markets in Galaxy’s Edge are reminiscent of an old world Bazaar, with really cool wares and goodies for sale throughout. We ogled various props, took some photos with characters, and generally reveled in just being there. We also ducked out of the park to do the Void VR Star Wars experience, which was an absolute delight, and you should seek out if there’s one anywhere near you.
The evening revved up with immersive storytelling in Batuu, complete with lightsaber and blaster fights from some talented actors, sample sized foods and drinks from Tugg’s Grub, and even a couple of x-wing drones rising up over the cliffs surrounding Galaxy’s Edge. Finally, at long last, the gates opened up to the Rise of the Resistance.
I fully expected the Rise of the Resistance to be impressive from everything I’d read, but I didn’t know it would leave me utterly gobsmacked and speechless. I didn’t even really take any photos from inside the ride, because the impact of experiencing it all for the first time in person can’t be beat. There were tears, incredulous laughter, and a whole lot of excited screaming. I won’t tell you any more than that, but however the queuing evolves for that ride, know that it’s absolutely worth it. I didn’t know I could still experience that level of disbelieving immersion as an adult, and it was fabulous.
Disney, if you’re listening, I had the time of my life. I’d love to write another cookbook for you. I longed for those macarons wandering around in Epcot France (Ratatouille, anyone?), devoured a caramel apple in Germany, and wolfed down other food and drink all through the parks. For, uh, research, of course… ;)
So, after some initial hesitation, I finally jumped onto the Stardew Valley bandwagon. I thought it was cute, and I played some. Then I played some more. And then more. And I thought, “Uh oh…”
This is one instance where I really wish Steam didn’t keep track of how many hours I’ve spent playing a game.
Of course, it’s easy to tell myself that any game with food in it is “research”, but at some point, that means I have to actually make those foods to justify the time! One dish from the game that has stuck with me was the Maple Bar. You’ll need a few more ingredients than the game’s maple syrup, sugar, and flour, but it’s pretty easy, nonetheless.
Although my icing didn’t come out as dark as in the in-game image (I had a pretty light maple syrup on hand, unlike the darker stuff we usually enjoy), the flavors were just great. Soft squishy dough, a rich and flavorful icing, perfect with a mug of tea or coffee. I ate two, just to be sure they were good enough to share! ;)
Stardew Valley Maple Bar Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 1⁄2 cups milk, warmed
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 2 Tbs. brown sugar
- 2 Tbs. white sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 2 tsp. yeast
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 4 1/2 cups flour
Icing:
- 2 Tbs. butter
- 1 Tbs. heavy cream
- 2 Tbs. dark brown sugar
- 2 Tbs. maple syrup
- 1 cup powdered sugar, or more as needed
Combine the warm milk, melted butter, sugars, salt, cinnamon, and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the eggs, then gradually work in the flour until you have a dough that isn’t too sticky. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for several minutes, until soft and bouncy. Place in a clean, lightly buttered bowl, cover, and set somewhere warm to rise for around an hour, or until doubled in size.
Once the dough has risen, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about 3/4″ thickness. Using a sharp knife (buttering the edge also helps), slice the dough into rectangles. Place these on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 400F, and let the bars rise for another 30 minutes or so. Bake for about 8 minutes, until just golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and let them start to cool while you make the icing.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, cream, brown sugar, and maple syrup. Stir occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and whisk in the powdered sugar a little bit at a time, until you have a thick icing with no lumps of sugar remaining.
Once the bars are mostly cool, but still just a tad warm, spread a dollop of the icing on top of each, spreading it over the dough. The residual heat of the buns and the icing should let some drizzle over the sides, but you want most of the icing to stay on top.
Lastly, enjoy! These delicious treats will undoubtedly give you a boost to your fishing, farming, and mining skills, so eat them wisely. ;)
So, these actually started out as an attempt to make the licorice wands from Honeydukes. I tried a few batches, all failures, either too hard or too soft or just too darn finicky. Then I remembered something that would prove crucial to the development of this recipe…
I don’t actually like licorice.
So the next time I set about trying to make it, I thought, what if I do chocolate flavored instead? And two dozen wands later, I’m noshing on what turns out to essentially be homemade tootsie rolls, and I couldn’t be more delighted. I ate one for research, another one to make sure I had a handle on the description, and one more because it went well with afternoon tea.
While the finished wands might not be up to Ollivander’s level of quality, they do share some similar features: They are of varying lengths, and range from fairly bendy to reasonably supple. They’re a nice dark color, say of black walnut or redwood.
All in all, I’d say this one was a delicious success, and pretty easy to make: Just swish, flick, and gobble!
Chocolate Candy Wands Recipe
Prep: 10 minutes Cooking: 20-30 minutes Cooling: 1 hour, or more Shaping: 15 minutes
Makes: 1-2 dozen wands
Ingredients:
- 5 Tbs. butter, plus more for pan
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 3 Tbs. cocoa powder
- pinch of cinnamon, or Chinese 5-spice for extra flavor
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Lightly butter a 9-inch square baking pan, then place a piece of lightly buttered parchment paper over the bottom with the sides sticking out to help you lift the candy out once it’s cooled.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, then add in the sugar, molasses, condensed milk, cocoa powder, and spices, if using. Bring up to a boil, and cook, stirring pretty frequently to keep the bottom from burning, until it reaches about 240F. Take off the heat and working quickly, stir in the flour, making sure you have no lumps, then pour into the prepared pan. Let cool for around an hour or so.
Once the mixture is cool to the touch, lift out of the pan and set on a cutting board. Using a large sharp knife, chop the candy into long skinny triangles. Starting on the wider end, begin twisting each triangle up towards the point. Don’t worry too much about twisting evenly because every wand is different! Set aside and continue until you’ve used up all the candy.
These are best enjoyed the same day, but can be stored in between layers of parchment paper in an airtight container for a few days or more.
There’s just something about this dish that has always appealed to me ever since I encountered it while roving around in the world of Witcher. Go on, say it out loud.
Flamiche.
It’s almost as much fun as talking about the Nilfgaardians… Only when I started researching a recipe for it did I realize that it’s already a real thing. With leeks! And cheese! I might have made it just for the name, but now we’re in business, which is a great thing, especially when all I’d otherwise have to go on is a tiny little image from the game:
As my flamiche was baking, the kitchen was filled with that mouthwatering aroma that comes from cooking onions or garlic. But mingled with it was the smell of good cheese, toasting slowly in the oven. Needless to say, it was all I could do to snap a few photos before eagerly taking my first bite. Aaaaand…
It’s fabulous. So simple, but richly flavored and completely binge-worthy. The crust has some crunch to it, balanced by the soft filling. There’s just a hint of the brown sugar sweetness, which melds wonderfully with the slightly tart goat cheese. In short, this one’s a keeper. I challenge you to have just one slice- I couldn’t!
Flamiche Recipe
Dough: chilled overnight Prep: Cooking: Baking: 30 minutes
Makes: 1 tart, ~8 servings
Crust Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup cold butter
- 1/4 cup ice water, as needed
Filling Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup butter
- 3 leeks, white and pale green parts cut into 1/4″ slices
- 2 Tbs. water
- 2 Tbs. brown sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 eggs, beaten
- pinch each of salt and ground pepper
- 4 oz. crumbled goat cheese
Start by making up the crust, which can be done a day in advance to allow it to chill. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl, then cut in the butter until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Gradually add in the ice water, mixing with a fork, until you have a dough that is still slightly crumbly, but mostly holds together. Form into a disc, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375F. Roll out your chilled dough pretty thin, then drape over a tart or pie pan. Press into the bottom and sides of the pan, prick the bottom of the dough all over to help prevent bubbling, and bake for about 15-20 minutes, until just starting to color.
While the crust is pre-baking, start the filling by melting the butter in a large frying pan. Add the leeks and a splash of water, then cover and simmer on medium-low for around 15 minutes, or until quite soft. Stir in the brown sugar, then cook for another 5 minutes. Set aside to cool somewhat. In a separate bowl, beat together the milk, cream, egg, and salt and pepper, and set that aside as well.
Sprinkle about 1/4 of the goat cheese in the bottom of the tart. Spread the leek mixture over top of that, then gently pour in the milk and cream mixture, stopping if you get too near the top of the crust. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over top, and bake for about 30 minutes, or until fragrant and the middle of the tart is starting to brown. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
Here’s a fun recipe that’s both fictional AND historical. You know I love when that happens. ;) This is from Deborah Harkness’s All Souls trilogy, just out as a television series (as A Discovery of Witches), and from what I’ve watched so far, it’s fantastic. Seriously, can we get more history professors writing awesome fiction, please?
This recipe comes from the second book in the trilogy, and is deceptively simple. Although the main Diana Bishop doesn’t quite nail the beverage in the books, it’s well worth a try in your own kitchen. Caudles were often served to the sick or infirm (and are thus related to the term “molly-coddling”), but I think they’re a nice little robust drink that deserves a little love of its own. Consider it a cousin of eggnog, and you’ll already be on the way to thinking well of it.
The resulting drink, made correctly, comes out somewhat thick and rich. The egg yolks give it a nice velvety smooth texture, and the sweetening softens the alcohol. I can’t vouch that it’ll cure what ails (ales!) you, but it can’t do much harm, and that’s saying something as far as historical recipes go. ;) So give it a try, and see what you think!
A Caudle for pains in the Head
For my proportions, I’m pulling from the historical collection very succinctly named “Two Fifteenth Century Cookery Books”, which you can peruse here, if so inclined (protip: try reading it aloud, if you’re struggling to understand the non-standardized spellings!). Neither these intrepid cooks nor Diana give measurements for the liquid amounts, so I’ve had to adapt it for our somewhat more specific cooking needs.
“Take faire tryed yolkes of eyren, and cast in a potte; and take good ale, or elles good wyn, a quantite, and sette it ouer ye fire. And whan hit is at boyling, take it fro the fire, and caste yere-to saffron, salt, Sugur; and ceson hit vppe, and serue hit forth hote.” -Two Fifteenth Century Cookery Books
Ingredients:
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 cups ale, white wine, or hard cider
- pinch of saffron (optional)
- pinch of salt
- sugar or honey to taste
- pinch of fresh nutmeg
Beat together two egg yolks in a small pot along with the ale, saffron, salt, and sweetener over medium-low heat, whisking gently all the while. After about 5 minutes, the mixture should have thickened noticeably(go slowly, or the mixture may split!). Remove from heat, strain into a clean heatproof glass, and top with a pinch of nutmeg.
Guys, I know it’s been a while since I polled you all online about what fictional worlds you’d most like to see new recipes from. Like, a really, really long time. I’ve been mobbed with work projects, and the blog took the hit.
BUT! Witcher was the winner of those polls, and I’m so excited to present you with this spice cake recipe today! The basic outline for the recipe comes from a recipe that you can find in-game, but the proportions of that are… interesting. I’d love to give it a try, as written, one of these days, because I suspect it might be pretty cool. For the meantime, I balanced the ingredients out a little to make a more recognizable cake and added a really tasty honey cream cheese drizzle over top, just because. It’s a really moist, somewhat dense cake with rich spice and honey flavors. Definitely a welcome addition to the breakfast or teatime lineups during this frigid winter week!
Recipe for Ra’mses Gor-Thon’s Honey Spice Cake
Note: The original recipe calls for buckwheat honey, which is super dark and heavily flavored, and not liked by everyone. To be on the safe side, a more common wildflower honey will do just fine.
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup honey
- 1/2 tsp. five spice
- 1 tsp. cardamom
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 whole eggs beaten lightly
- 2 1/2 cups spelt flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
Preheat oven to 350F and lightly butter an 8″ round cake pan.
Combine the milk and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat, and warm up until just combined. Remove from heat and stir in the spices and butter. Using a hand mixer, blend in the eggs, then the remaining ingredients, beating until you have a nice smooth mixture. Transfer this into the prepared cake pan, then bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Let the cake cool for about 20 minutes in the pan to let the sides pull away, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool the rest of the way. While the cake is cooling, make up the icing below.
- 2 Tbs. runny honey
- 4 Tbs. cream cheese
- ~1/2 cup powdered sugar
Using a hand mixer or an immersion blender, blend together the honey and cream cheese until completely smooth, then stir in just enough powdered sugar to get a thick consistency that can still be drizzled. Decorate the cooled cake with whatever pattern you like.
“Take sum parsneps and boyle them till thay bee very soft, then mash them very small and picke out the hard peces, then put to it sum grated breed or flouer, and a good many Corrants sum nuttmeggs and a Litell suger, and when you have mixed them together putt too an Indeferett quantaty the yeolks of 4 or 5 eggs: Wett it with Creme till it bee as thin as batter, and then fry them quick, if you will boyle it you must not make it so thin and boyle it in a Cloath spred with butter, when it is boyled melt sum butter with sack and shuger for the sam.”
-Penn Family Recipes, 1702
So, I made this recipe for the first time last Thanksgiving, and it met with surprise rave reviews. The trouble is, I didn’t really write down the measurements I used. So, enter 2018, and I want to make it again. But this time from scratch, since I didn’t write down what I did last time around. SHEESH. Come on, past self.
Parsnips are an unsung vegetable of bygone days. I’ll warn you now that you are going to have doubts about this recipe. It starts when you buy the funny looking anemic-carrot roots, and the cashier has to look up the price because he’s never seen one before. Or, at best, regales you with tales of how her Canadian grandmother used to cook with parsnips. Take heart that you are broadening their horizons, and get yourself back to the kitchen.
You’ll doubt again when those parsnips are a roiling boil, when you take one sniff and think, “I’m up for new things, but that’s NOT going to make a delicious side dish.”
Bear with me, gentle readers. Because by the time we’re done, I promise it will all be ok. The finished dish is certainly quirky, but in the best historical way. The pudding cooks up to a great consistency, so that you can easily cut slices of it but it’s still quite soft. The spice of the nutmeg complements the sweet earthiness of the parsnips, and it combines with the turkey-cranberry-squash-etc. spread of Thanksgiving like it was always meant to be there.
I didn’t try it with the sauce of butter/sugar/sherry (we drank all the sherry… whoops) but I bet it would pair beautifully with the flavors in the pudding. But since it’s now a holiday staple, there’s always next year!
Parsnip Pudding Recipe, circa 1702
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. parsnips, roughly chopped
- ~2 cups breadcrumbs
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2-1 cup dried currants
- 1 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/4 cup sugar
- heavy cream, enough (~1/2 cup)
- butter for cloth
- cheesecloth
- pudding mold or bowl
Boil the parsnips in a pot of water until they are very tender. Drain and add the parsnips to a bowl, then mash them to a nice even consistency. Add the breadcrumbs, egg yolks (the whites make a tasty meringue!), currants, nutmeg, and sugar. Then begin adding in just enough heavy cream to get a consistency that isn’t too soupy, but not to stiff either; aim for a batter that drops off the spoon, but isn’t runny.
Now’s the slightly tricky part: if you have a pudding mold, great! If not, a small mixing bowl should do just fine in a pinch. You’ll also need to fill a pot with just enough water to come almost up to the top of the mold; bring the water to a boil while you prepare the pudding. Spread out a piece of cheesecloth or linen (big enough to contain the pudding in the mold/bowl) on your counter and spread it generously with butter. Lay this cloth in the mold/bowl and transfer the pudding into it. Lightly fold over the ends of the cloth and place a small plate on top, pressing down to compact the pudding. Set the prepared pudding into the pot of boiling water, put the lid on, and boil for about 2 hours, checking every now and then to see if the water needs to be topped up.
When the pudding is done, remove from the pot and let cool for at least 15 minutes before unwrapping. Turn over onto a platter to serve either warm or cold.