Two years!

Celebratory Lemoncakes!!

March 27th marks the 2nd year bloggiversary of Inn at the Crossroads, and what an awesome two years they’ve been! I never dreamed when Sariann and I started this blog that it would go so far, or that I’d still be here two years on.

March of last year witnessed an epic S2 premiere party, held at the Asgard pub in Cambridge. Two full days of cooking (including a suckling pig) enabled us to feed more than 20 guests. The spread was ridiculously elaborate, and bits of it can be seen here, amidst my nervous eye-widening. ;)

The end of May brought boxes of finished cookbooks to our doorstep. I cannot begin to describe the amazing feeling of seeing all those months of hard work turned into a gorgeous, real, physical book.

The summer was full of interviews and signings for the book, the most notable, perhaps, being San Diego Comic Con. I’d been once about 10 years ago, but this year, going as a “somebody”, was unbelievably cool. We got to dart around the hall before the crazy masses of people were let in, and met a number of authors, illustrators, and all around creative people. Oh, and then there was the part where we had drinks with GRRM, which was only interrupted when he posed for a photo with a visiting R2 unit. (true story- the R2 wore his hat)

Over the winter, I launched Game of Brews, IatC’s sister site for brewing. I’ve loved taking my approach to historical cookery and applying it to brewing, and the results, if I may say so, have been delicious. The forum is up and running, and is a place for fans and brewers to exchange ideas, recipes, suggestions for ingredients, etc. I hope in the coming months to start a section on labels, so any of you artistically minded folks out there, keep an eye open.

And now, just in time for Season 3 viewing parties, I’ve launched a party planning ebook. It was a blast to put together, and I hope will help others bring a little immersive fantasy oomph to their own celebrations. And really, who doesn’t want to know how to say, “That’s what she said!” in Dothraki? :)

In the last year alone, nearly 300,000 visitors have stepped into the Inn, and more are arriving every day. The cookbook is being translated into 3 other languages (Spanish, German, Polish), and has sold over 20k copies so far. You all are the best foodies and fans that anyone could ask for!

Below is a photo selection of the past year’s highlights. I’ve included events, recipes, and some of my favorite food photos. I’ve got some new things up my sleeves for the coming year, so be sure to keep checking in!

And above all, happy cooking!

this happened…

S2 invites

S2 premiere!

sweetsleep herbal tea mixture

an assortment of fresh fruits, fit for a khaleesi

the first amazing look at the finished cookbooks

Beef and Barley stew

the ever helpful sous chef

San Diego Comic Con, for the win.

signing at SDCC

a hint of things to come…

my favorite new salad

THE COOKBOOK!

exploring more non-canon medieval dishes

food words from the books

I launched Game of Brews, IatC’s sister site devoted to homebrewing

menu and foods, photo courtesy of Unspoiled! Podcast

raven decals inside Best Buy, during S2 dvd launch

My awesome Targaryen scarf

my new party planning ebook

It’s another giveaway!

Do you want to rock the Season 3 premiere in true fan style? Check out these great Game of Thrones shirts, one of which could be yours, compliments of Tshirts.com:

T-shirts, from left to right: Almighty, Stark, Lannister

For your chance to enter, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or leave a comment below stating what tasty dishes you’ll be eating while you wear your new threads.

Entries will be accepted through Friday, March 23, at which point one winner will be chosen at random. If you win, you can take your pick of the three options above! Just provide your shipping address, the shirt of your choice and your shirt size.

May the bravest among us win!

(sadly, this giveaway is for U.S. residents only)

“Valabar’s has several salads. Today’s was a combination of the round and the tall, broad-leaf kinds of lettuce, along with flatnuts, blanched tomato wedges, soul of palm, pimentos, scallions, and artichoke heart marinated in sweet vinegar, which functioned as a dressing. A grated nithlan cheese—sharp and musky—was shredded over it, and the whole thing was topped with candied rose petals.

Mihi dished it up with his usual matter-of-fact fluid elegance, and my mouth was watering.”

-Dzur, by Steven Brust

Valabar’s Salad

Thoughts:

This is a most excellent dish.

The artichoke hearts are particularly nice, as their leaves soak up more of the balsamic, making them a flavor powerhouse. The richness of the hearts of palm contrasts pleasingly with the sharpness of the vinegar. The almonds, in conjunction with the scallions, invoke some taste-memory that I can’t quite place. It’s surprising how well the flavors work together, giving the impression of one dish with several different accents.

All in all, it is a thoroughly quirky salad, but so easy to make, and so well received that it may well become a staple dish in this house!

Recipe for Valabar’s Salad

Makes 2 large salads

Ingredients:

• 2-3 medium-sized tomatoes
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbs. red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup heart of palm, chopped into 1″ slices
• 1/4 cup pimento or roasted red pepper, diced
• 4 artichoke hearts, quartered
• 1 head large leaf lettuce
• 1 scallion, sliced thin
• grated cheese, such as parmesan or gruyere
• 2 Tbs. Marcona almonds
• 1 Tbs. candied rose petals

Blanch the tomatoes: Put a pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. Cut the stems out of the tomatoes, and cut a small X on the bottom of each fruit. Place in the boiling water, and scoop back out when the skin begins to peel off. Once cool, remove the skins and slice into quarters.

Combine the vinegars in a small bowl. Add the tomatoes, hearts of palm and artichoke, and pimento. Toss and let infuse for at least an hour.

To serve, arrange the lettuce in two serving bowls. Spoon the vinegar ingredients into the bowls, and sprinkle scallions, cheese, and almonds over them. Top with a few small rose petals, and enjoy!

Arrowroot Mock-Sahlep

This drink is based on a winter-time Turkish beverage called Sahlep. Traditionally, it is made with wild orchid roots, and the taste proper sahlep, served out of giant brass urns, is incomparable. However, with the decline of wild orchids, it’s important to look for alternatives, especially when (to my knowledge) one can’t get true sahlep outside of Turkey.

Arrowroot powder is a quirky thing. Dry, the consistency is like cornstarch, with that inexplicably squeaky feeling. The taste has sharp anise undertones that mostly disappear when it’s cooked. The resulting beverage is thick, flavorful, spiced, and soothing. It’s heartening after a turn out in cold weather, or as a relaxing kind of nightcap before bed.  

Proposed Location?

Braavos. I can’t quite say why, but I suspect because the bustling crossroad of cultures reminds me of Istanbul. I imagine the fishmongers, sailors, and other tradesmen retiring to cafes in the chilly evenings, or as winter sets in, for a nice hot mug of steaming goodness. I know I would!

Mock-Sahlep Recipe

Makes 1 large serving, or 2 smaller ones

Ingredients:

• 2 cups milk or water (milk is better!)
• 3 Tbs. cold water
• 2 1/2 tsp. powdered arrowroot
• pinch each nutmeg and cinnamon
• 2 or more Tbs. sugar, to taste

Bring the milk to just under a boil. In a small separate bowl, combine the cold water and arrowroot. When the milk is bubbling, pour the arrowroot mixture into the pot, and whisk together. When the mixture looks thickened, add spices and sugar to taste. Pour into a mug and serve hot.

I don’t usually post about local business, but when I do, it’s because they’re so cool I can’t help but share. The last one was Thwaite’s, for their epic meat pies and sausage. This time, it’s Cuisine en Locale.

In addition to doing a sort of CSA of prepared foods (woot!), rather than a box of ingredients, CeL also throws the occasional blowout themed dinner. I was lucky enough to attend one of these dinners a few weeks ago, and LOVED it.

The atmosphere was great, with viking hats everywhere, and long feast tables set up in the Somerville Armory. Actors from the Repertory Theater greeted and mingled with guests, who had their threads snipped by the Norns upon arrival. Valkyries guided newcomers over the Bifrost bridge into Valhalla, where they were greeted by an enormous roaring fire and awesome viking music. As a mythology fan, I seriously geeked out at all of this.

 But the FOOD. Everything was local, and delicious. The evening started with a lineup of beautiful pickled finger foods: fiddleheads, herring, veggies, cured beef, rye crackers, etc. I had gone into the kitchen the week before to help filet the herrings (look for a tasty post on that, later), and they were every bit as good as I’d hope. Course after course came into the hall, borne by fleet-footed valkyries.  Turkey soaked in mead, platters heaped with tender lamb and roasted root vegetables, and one of my favorites: cheesy oats, which I shamelessly continued to spoon onto my plate long after everyone else was finished. 

The actors and staff circulated, amusing guests with small games and banter, and frequently invoking the Norse Gods, along with hearty quaffs of mead or local beer. In short, it was the coolest thing I did in all of January. But words only go so far- Take a look at the photos from this event on Boston.com. 

So check these guys out, give ’em some love on FB, and definitely consider going to their next O.N.C.E. event- I guarantee it’ll be awesome.

Vikings are fierce!

I love this. It’s a compilation of the food words from my master document, which lists all the meals that show up in the books. The bigger the word, the more frequently it appears (thankfully, “dog” is pretty tiny). 

It’s also fun to make up new combinations of your own, like “Mushroom Pie with a Crust of Roasted Nuts”, or “Pigeon Sausage Stuffed with Lemongrass and Autumn Almonds”. What’s your favorite combination?