Baked Venison

” Season might pass without a singer ever coming to play for us, and there’s not a goldsmith on the island. Even meals became a trial. My cook knew little beyond his roasts and stews, and Lynesse soon lost her taste for fish and venison.” (Clash of Kings)

Medieval Baked Venison

Modern Baked Venison

Our Thoughts

Venison is a very lean meat that should always be cooked with a fat to retain moisture. The medieval venison recipe is something from heaven. As we all know, everything is better with bacon, and this venison was no different. We had small venison steaks available for this recipe. and the bacon taste overwhelmed the venison a bit, but this can probably be countered by using a larger roast type cut. The modern recipe really showcases the taste and texture of the venison. The added fat from the butter prevents the meat from drying out in the oven, but does not create a greasiness to the venison. Both recipes are certainly worth making, and don’t forget to save your leftovers for venison pie- it’s wonderful!

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Brief Hiatus

Hello all!

Just wanted to let you know that we are going on a brief hiatus for the next week or so. We will be on a camping trip in western PA. In Slippery Rock. With 12,000 of our friends. Yes, you know what we mean. :)

Expect many more delicious posts, recipes, and photos after we get back, sometime around the 14th.

In the meantime, we’ll see some of you on the ‘ghetti!

Book-signing Tour Recap

On July 12th, George RR Martin began his half-month book signing tour for A Dance with Dragons. Being the foodies that we are, we couldn’t help but start planning how to get him some of the food that he has inspired us to create. And since Chelsea takes projects a little too seriously, our plan soon expanded to include all of the stops on the tour.

However, since we are human, and cannot be in multiple places at once, and do not have dragons to take us hither and yon, we sent out a call to our fans, challenging them to take up our cause. Several adventurous souls willingly volunteered, and soon we were off.

The signing tour kicked off in Burlington MA, practically in our backyard. We loaded up a basket with lemoncakes, pork pies, cheese and olives, mulling spices, oatcakes, faux Tears of Lys, and a bottle of a local cognac, all wrapped up in linen and hand woven cords.

New York saw the efforts of Agent Oshidori well rewarded, as she was invited to the panel to present GRRM with the basket. He was very appreciative, and took the opportunity of outing our recent cookbook deal. Here’s the video: NYC Signing. Basket featured mini Beef & Bacon Pies, Salad from Castle Black, and Peaches in Honey.

Agent Kristin stepped up to the plate in Indianapolis, bringing to the table a delicious collection of mini Cheese & Onion Pies, apple-goat cheese-pecan tarts, spiced pecans, and a local beer. GRRM accused her a being a part of our “conspiracy”. :) Here she is presenting her Lannister-themed basket:

In San Diego, Agents Jason and Meegan wowed us with their assortment of Dornish goodies. Their beautiful selection included Flatbread and homemade Hummus with ingredients from their garden, Arbor Grapes, Olives Feta and Stuffed Peppers, Cheese & Onion pies, Lemoncakes, and a bottle of Arrogant Bastard beer in honor of the Red Viper’s daughters. Check it out:

In Seattle, Agents Adrienne and Kia stepped up to the challenge, packing their basket with biscuits and local honey, homemade PB & honey granola, local cheese and crackers, homemade winter cake, and homemade chocolate & fruit trifle. GRRM thanked them for the grub, and expressed his admiration for the country-wide planning.

Agents Amanda and Mystral teamed up in Denver to deliver unto The Martin two versions of lemoncakes, some Honeyed-chicken-in-a-hand-pies, some local beer, oatcakes, and pease pudding. GRRM was most pleased:

And that concludes the book tour! We had an absolute blast keeping up with the signings through tweets and FB posts, reading about GRRM’s reactions to the baskets as he moved across the country. Also, our field agents are ace. We could not have asked for better schemers and collaborators. You all rock, and we look forward to meeting you in person some day.

Many, many thanks to those who put much love and work into their baskets. Thank you also to the folks with Random House for putting up with our conspiracy, and thanks most of all to GRRM, without whom none of this would have been possible.

Happy Eating! :D

Thwaites Market

We would like to tell you about an absolute dream of a little place that we love, just north of Boston.

Imagine, if you will, a little shop in a little New England town. Imagine that this shop has been owned and operated by the same family for the last 100 years. Now imagine that this shop makes the best sausages and meat pies you will ever find outside of England.

The meat pies come in a wide array of mouthwatering flavors, including apple-pork, lamb, Greek or Italian sausage, steak and kidney, and so many more. The filling is juicy, savory, and delicious, while the crust defies description. We are not too proud to admit that these pies blow ours out of the water. They’re the Platonic meat pie.

And yet there’s even more. Grab some of the tomato-garlic-cheese sausages for your next barbecue, or try their polony- an English breakfast sausage. The Scotch Eggs are a must.

So if you love us, and what we do, go and treat yourself. But don’t just take our word for it. Check out their website, or better yet, swing by for a visit. We know you won’t regret it.

(*Special thanks to Matt, who was absolutely right to talk us into the large box of pies, and double sausages. :) *)

Operation Keep George Fed!

“I am a very talented eater, though not much of a cook.” -George RR Martin

Alright folks. It is now July, and the official release date for Dance with Dragons is quickly approaching. On July 12th, George RR Martin begins his book signing tour, right outside Boston.

To show our appreciation for all George’s hard work, we are planning to pack a basket of Westerosi goodies for the first signing, in Burlington MA. We’re putting out a call for other fans to make up baskets of edibles for George as he tours the country, so that he can really get a great taste of the world he has shared with all of us.

So, if you want to be a star and support George, as well as your favorite Westeros food blog, let us know, so we can put you on the schedule!

**We recommend making small portioned dishes, such as mini pies, and foods that can be transported easily. Baskets or boxes should be smallish, with just a few foods. Please don’t try to bring a whole honeyed chicken or roasted aurochs to a book signing! We are also affixing labels to everything, as well, so George can tell what he’s eating. :) **

Get the tour details here: http://sf-fantasy.suvudu.com/2011/06/on-tour-george-r-r-martin.html?ref=twt_Suvudu_stream

Tuesday, July 12 – Burlington, MA
7:00pm – Barnes & Noble, 98 Middlesex Turnpike

Chelsea and Sariann– lemoncakes, pork pies, cheese and olives, mulling spices

Thursday, July 14 – New York, NY
7:00pm – Barnes & Noble Union Square, 33 East 17th Street

Oshidori- Beef-and-Bacon (mini)Pie, Salad in Castle Black, Tyroshi Honeyfingers and Plum Wine

Saturday, July 16 – Indianapolis, IN
2:00pm – Barnes & Noble, 14709 US Highway 31 North, Carmel

Kristin– mini modern cheese-and-onion pies, mini fruit tarts, local mead

Sunday, July 24 – San Diego, CA
4:00pm – Mysterious Galaxy, 7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd

Jason- assorted Dornish goodies

Tuesday, July 26 – Los Angeles, CA
7:00pm – Barnes & Noble, 189 The Grove Drive

Jack- assorted goodies

Wednesday, July 27 – Redwood City, CA
7:00pm – Fox Theatre, 2223 Broadway Street (event hosted by Kepler’s Books)

Friday, July 29 – Seattle, WA
7:30pm – Town Hall, 1119 8th Ave (event hosted by University Bookstore)

Philip- assorted goodies

Adrienne & Kia- Baked goods

Sunday, July 31 – Denver, CO

2:00pm – Tattered Cover LoDo, 1628 16th Street

Amanda– Honeyed-chicken-in-a-hand-pie-of-some-kind, some local beer, oatcakes, and pease pudding.

Mystral- Lemoncakes

Tuesday, August 2 – Lexington, KY
7:00pm – Joseph-Beth Booksellers, 161 Lexington Green Cir.

Peaches in Honey

“When a serving girl brought her supper, she almost kissed her. There was hot bread and fresh-churned butter, a thick beef soup, capon and carrots, and peaches in honey. ‘Even the food tastes sweeter,’ she thought.” -A Clash of Kings

Modern Peaches in Honey

Thoughts:

The Roman recipe is very curious. The tastes are both familiar and strange, as we aren’t used to cumin being used in desserts. The pepper lingers on the back of your palate, lengthening the slightly spicy sensation started by the cumin. We used a sweet wine, but the slight tartness of a vinegar would be lovely with the other flavor elements. The syrup is very sweet, such that a small portion goes a long way. In the end, we decided the flavor would work beautifully as a chutney, or a side dish to a meaty main course, rather than a dessert.

The modern recipe is pure decadence. Grilling the peaches brings them to their absolute sweetness, and they half cook, making them reminiscent of peach pie filling. The thyme infused honey takes the sweetness and complexity to the next level. You will want to savor every single bite, and including a dollop of creme fraiche or vanilla ice cream will only add to the dish.

So? The Roman recipe is what your favorite meat dishes didn’t know they were missing, while the modern version is a brilliant dessert. Both recipes are available in the Cookbook.

Salt Beef

“The rain might have stopped, but the compound was still a morass of shallow lakes and slippery mud. Black brothers were folding their tents, feeding their horses, and chewing on strips of salt beef.”

Salt Beef

Our Thoughts:

We won’t lie. We bought a ten pound piece of meat to cure without even thinking of the blog. We’re that culinary crazy. When one of us realized that we were pretty much making salt beef, we were a) relieved that this meaty goodness could be shared with the world, and b) absolved of the crime of cooking food outside of the blog. We did, however, look like a house of psychopaths for three weeks while the muslin-wrapped bundles hung in our pantry. Which has a window, of course.

But once we unwrapped and sliced into the wondrous meat, the weeks of apparent insanity were completely worth it. The meat is, obviously, very salty, but when paired with a sharp cheese and a good loaf of bread, it is the perfect trail food. We brought a chunk of our salt beef when we went camping, and it became part of breakfast, lunch and dinner!

A long wait for the finished product, but well worth the wait!

Get the Recipe!

Starting a Pear Brandy

Pear Brandy starting to age

Although there are several pear brandies available commercially, we opted to try making our own. This beautiful beverage will have to age around two months before we can let you know how it has turned out. If you like, you can make some too, and watch it mature along with us! We anticipate it will be delicious, with all of the flavor of pears, but none of that sometimes off-putting texture.

**Update**

We tried our brandy every month after bottling it. After the first month, it was very harsh and unpleasant. At month two, it had mellowed considerably, and now, at the third month, it is wonderfully drinkable, full of all the best flavors of both brandy and pears.

Make it at Home!

Trout Baked in Clay

“Then came trout fresh from the river, baked in clay; her prince helped her crack open the hard casing to expose the flaky white flesh within.” (I:251)

Trout Baked in Clay

Our Thoughts:

Creating these fish was tons of fun! True to our belief in the importance of utilizing local agricultural resources, we baked rainbow trout and brook trout that were caught locally by a friend. They were absolutely phenomenal.

The clay acts as kind of a dutch oven for the food, keeping the moisture inside the fish. When the first clay fish finally cracked, we were surprised and delighted to find the flesh perfectly cooked and flaking off the bones. It was creamy and tender, with a wonderful, clean taste.

Half of the fun in this recipe is molding the clay around the fish. We chose to make them look like actual fish (many thanks to Aidan’s artistic “talent”), which would be an impressive addition to any dinner table. Cracking the clay fish open on the table certainly adds a level of drama to the meal.

Get the Recipe!

Modern Auroch’s Joints roasted with Leeks

“Such food Bran had never seen; course after course after course, so much that he could not manage more than a bite or two of each dish. There were great joints of aurochs roasted with leeks, venison pies…”

-A Clash of Kings

Our Thoughts

This was yet another very tasty dish. The vegetables were absolutely delicious; I could have made a meal of just those! While the veg almost stole the thunder from the roast beef, the addition of a medieval black pepper sauce really kicked the meat up a few notches. Definitely a keeper!

Get the aurochs recipe in The Cookbook!

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