Ok, so this is a little bit of liberty taking, on my part.

When Feyre first arrives at Tamlin’s manor, she sits down to a meal that is so opulent and plentiful that it boggles her mind. In that description, there’s chicken, bread, fish, peas, asparagus, lamb, and a chocolate torte. When Feyre takes a bite, she struggles to keep her composure, the meal so far and above the quality of what she’s accustomed to surviving on that the previous food is like ashes on her tongue.

Recipe for Spring Court Gilded Chicken

Makes: 1 roast chicken, approximately 4 servings – Prep: 1.5 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken, approximately 6 pounds
• 1 1/2 Tbs. butter, melted
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• generous pinch of ground white pepper
• 2-3 small oranges, halved
• 2″ knob fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thin
• generous pinch of coarse salt
• garnish of oranges and berries

Begin by heating your oven to 450F. Rinse and pat dry your chicken, then place it on a baking sheet; I like to place mine on a cookie sheet over a rimmed baking sheet to maximize the amount of crispy skin, but that’s not necessary.

Brush the chicken all over with the melted butter. In a separate bowl, combine the turmeric, garlic powder, and white pepper. Sprinkle this liberally all over the bird. Stuff the inside of the chicken with the halved oranges and sliced ginger.

Cook at 450F for a little over an hour, or until the juices run clear.

As an added bonus, if you boil down the remainder of the chicken once you’ve picked all the meat off, it makes a wonderfully spiced broth that is a good counterbalance to our real-world winter.

I’m so excited to share the first sneak peek at the new GoT cookbook, due out this spring.

The first volume, A Feast of Ice and Fire, is what set me on this strange and wonderful path all those years ago, so it was such a complete delight to be invited back into the kitchens and halls of Westeros.

This cookbook differs from the first in a few key ways:

– First off, it’s in-world! That means it’s written in the voice of a maester of the Citadel. Maester Alton is a food enthusiast who has traveled extensively to document and personally taste-test (a real hardship, I’m sure) a wide array of dishes from Westeros and far beyond.

– Unlike the first cookbook, there is no side-by-side comparison between a historical and modern dish. However, for the historical food enthusiasts among you, rest assured that I’ll be putting up a bibliography on the blog with citations to account for all the historical recipes I snuck in anyway. ;)

– The photography is GORGEOUS. It was done in Croatia (where they filmed the King’s Landing scenes!) by Lauren Volo. I’m also completely smitten with Brian Reedy‘s woodcuts, which I want to hang in my new kitchen.

– The recipes are all new, apart from a few that appeared previously on either the blog or in the Sands of Dorne ebook. Many of them are canon, but I was also allowed off-book, to add my own dishes that I thought really fit into the world. I cannot describe the pleasure of returning to my deep research dives into historical cookery books, but I hope my delight comes across in the finished recipes!

Check out the cookbook page on the blog for more info, and please consider preordering!

At long last, and at the behest of so many of you, I have launched a Patreon account for the Inn at the Crossroads!

For those of you who have been visiting this fine establishment for years, welcome back! If you are new to the Inn at the Crossroads, welcome! Let me tell you a little bit about what this blog is all about:

The Inn at the Crossroads is a fictional setting that appears in many worlds, from Westeros to Nilfgaard, from Azeroth to Middle Earth. The look of those taverns varies, as do the customers that frequent them. But in all those worlds, as well as this one, the Inn is a gathering place.

The scent of roasting meat and spices entices you in from the street with a crooked finger of curling smoke. As you step over the threshold, and your eyes adjust, the warmth and welcome envelops you. Rough hewn beams soar high above, supporting the upper floors with untold mysteries behind closed doors. The space seems somehow cozy despite the vastness, and from a corner near the blazing hearth, strains of music mingle with conversation and sounds of merriment before floating up through the open rafters of the main hall.

It is a bastion against the elements and the troubles of the outside world, where friends and strangers come together over a pint of ale or a plate of pastries. It’s a place of rest and celebration, of good food and better company, where friendships are forged and secret schemes are planned.

ALL of that is what I hope I have invoked over the past decade of recipes on my blog and cookbooks. But any business, any tavern, needs to adapt and grow over time. It is my dearest hope that you will join me as I write this new chapter, here at the Inn at the Crossroads.

To access the feed and sign up as a patron, head on over to Patreon.

Have you seen The Dragon Prince? If not, what are you even doing right now? Get off this blog and go immediately to Netflix. Seriously. It’s one of the best shows like it that I’ve seen, the writing is fabulous, and it’s just been renewed for 4 more seasons!

WHEN you watch it, I hope you’ll be as delighted as I was by the recurring appearances of Jelly Tarts. They’re portrayed as delicious and utterly scarfable as Sansa’s lemoncakes, so I knew I had to add them to my list. The show even specifies that they’re a Persimmon flavor at one point, although we also see a red version, so I think it’s fair to use your favorite jelly. Also, I looked online and couldn’t find persimmon jelly, so that pretty well rules that out, doesn’t it? ;)

One of the show’s creator’s stated that the tarts are based on Hamentaschen, so that’s what I’ve taken my cue from as well. I started with the dough recipe for rugelah, and embellished from there. For a jam, I had a mixed berry and also a spiced holiday version, and both were just great!

My version is a bit smaller than those that Ezran and Bait gobble down, but they’re no less snackable. In roughly the 2-bite range of size, each one I ate left me wanting just a little bit more. So I’d eat another, then another, and before I knew it, they were gone. As far as I can tell, that means they totally pass the test!

SO! Make up a batch of these, and hunker down with a delightful binge of The Dragon Prince. Let me know what you think of both!

Recipe for Dragon Prince Jelly Tarts

Ingredients:

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg, divided
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup jelly or jam

Cream together the butter and cream cheese along with the sugar. Mix in the egg, then gradually add in the flour. You should end up with a nice soft dough that isn’t sticky- keep adding flour until it doesn’t stick to your hands. Divide into two pieces and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one half of the dough to about 1/8″ thickness. Cut into 4″ rounds, saving the scraps to reuse. Lightly brush the outside edges of each circle with a little water. Drop a heaped teaspoon of jelly into the middle of each circle of dough, then gently fold and press three sides of the dough into the triangular shape pictured above.

Bake for about 12-15 minutes, until the tarts are just turning golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes, and enjoy!

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… ;)

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. ;)

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:

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