We were swamped with terrific ideas and suggestions for this meal. Combining our ideas with yours, this is what we’ve got:
We started with Kati’s idea that the meal would have to include lots of small dishes of nibbles for Dany to daintily pick at. Dylan is also probably correct in that there would have to be a “crap ton of fresh fruit”. We shopped at the local Asian market for some extra strange fruit varietals.
As per the suggestion of many, we served some spiced lamb over a bed of mixed grains. Also savory, the tea eggs from our Meereenese Breakfast. Equally exotic were the roasted grapes- half raisins with a burst of sweetness.
For a sweet finish, we followed Total Zelanity’s observation that Tyroshi Honeyfingers needed to be included. Add to that a side of Anne Clark’s suggested yogurt with honey and pomegranate, and some honey-cinnamon roasted chickpeas.
Our drinks consultant recommends a South African mead, such as the coffee, fig, or chili varietals from IQhilika, or a spicy Corsican witbier such as Pietra Columba. We also served up some of our home brewed persimmon wine. For a non alcoholic beverage, we suggest a minty green tea- a superior shade of green can be had by brewing matcha with fresh mint sprigs.
Our Thoughts:
Dany really feasts like a queen (or a khaleesi, if you prefer). The grapes on their own are wonderful, but for a really incredible experience, combine a bite of yogurt, roasted grape, and lamb. The three combine for a really amazing flavor. The extra fresh fruits are luscious, but in my opinion, can’t hold their own against the amazingness that is Tyroshi Honeyfingers. I mean, fried dough, soaked in honey. Yes.
We also employed an old Jacobite tradition for toasting: Fill a small glass with water. Take your beverage of choice, and, while passing it over the water, say, “To the Queen”. In this way, any Targaryen loyalist in Westeros can secretly toast Daenerys, their queen over the water. :)
Honorable Mention:
Doug suggested Ethiopian-style lamb tips, from lamb plundered from the weak Lhazareen
Min’s suggestion of something flambeed
EVERYTHING in Tami’s extensive list of courses
Faris’ suggestion of a course for each of the seven kingdoms, so she could metaphorically devour them
kkw for playing to my weakness for Turkish cuisine
Nate’s suggestion of a vintage Madeira, because it and Dany have gotten better with travel, are complex, and survive exposure to extreme heat
I want to eat this Right. Now.
I appreciate the idea of finger-food portions because it makes it that much easier to toss a scrap to a waiting dragon hatchling’s maw.
LMAO.
Oh yum. I want this right now!!! Everything sounds amazing! Tea eggs are my FAVORITE part of chinese New Year! Did you just throw the grapes in the oven or did you prep them in any way?
Drizzled the grapes with olive oil and honey, then roasted them at 450 for 10-15 minutes. Delish! :)
Great menu! Finger food makes sense since not only is Dani a light eater, but she’s probably hearing petitioners and working on queenly business all through dinner as in Dance With Dragons. Make sure the lamb and the grapes are toasted at least briefly on an open flame – we may have to make do with a barbecue, but she’d have Drogon give everything that final perfect sear!
Wow. The food is gorgeous, but the skewers and plate are fascinating as well. Where on earth did you find them?
Well, the platter is from Homegoods (a set of 3), and the skewers are traditional Turkish kebab skewers with Ottoman motifs, from Istanbul. The cup was a buck from a thrift store, too! ;)
Not sure if these are the exact same ones but I found a used set for sale on eBay:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Six-Ornate-Brass-and-Stainless-Turkish-Shish-Kabob-Skewers-Made-Turkey-/251007878374
Alternatively, there are similar sets on eBay as well as online in general. Just type ‘Turkish skewers’ or ‘decorative brass skewers’ (without the inverted commas) and they’ll pop up.
The same! They’re really, really awesome, and help cook meat beautifully, not to mention provide effortless impressive presentation!
All this talk about Targaryens and fruits got me curious. Apparently, there’s a fruit called a ‘dragon fruit’ and it looks something like this:
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Pitaya_cross_section_ed2.jpg/250px-Pitaya_cross_section_ed2.jpg[/img]
I couldn’t help but laugh. That said, this is probably the coolest and most bad-ass looking fruit I’ve ever seen!
Dragon fruit is definitely bad-ass in appearance, but the flavour is very very mild/it’s not very flavourful–it’d probably work well as more of a vegetable than a fruit lol.
It makes a pretty good sorbet or drink though. :)
Looks great, a real feast for a queen :)
Congrats. “El Pais” newspaper in Spain wrote an article about you today. Let´s have a look at your web
Oh, that looks good. And the presentation is beautiful- what is that green/brown striped chalice made from? It looks carved!
Agate! $2 steal at a thrift store… ;)
Where can I get the skewers??? I love them!
I found one set that was from Greece but already sold at auction.
(I love your photographs and recipes – can’t wait for the cookbook to come out!)
Mine are Turkish skewers, from Istanbul. I know they can sometimes be found on ebay, or other online sites. Good hunting! :)
Are you going to post the honey cinnamon roasted chickpeas recipe? They sound spectacular.