Hot Pie’s Direwolf Scones

Again, Hot Pie brings us another tasty recipe from the HBO series!

In season three, he bakes and gives to Arya a small loaf of bread that looks like a direwolf:

Well, sort of.

But as soon as I saw this episode, I knew I would have to try my hand at making some of my own.

I first tried making this with ordinary bread dough (a variation on the cookbook oatbread), but it not only didn’t retain those nice crisp edges, but ended up looking like gross lumpy Jabba-wolves. So I opted instead for a scone recipe, which worked way better.

Recipe for Direwolf Scones

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1/4 cups sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup cream or milk, or more as needed
dried currants, for eyes

Combine all dry ingredients, and then gradually add in the milk while stirring. If you need a bit more milk, add it until you have one cohesive and soft dough. Press the dough out on your work surface to a thickness of around 3/4″ thick. Using a sharp paring knife, cut out a rough wolf shape. Don’t worry if it’s a little ugly: Hot Pie’s was rustic as well!

Cut extra strips for additional legs and press them onto the main wolf shape, or leave them with just two legs. Cut a criss-cross shape for teeth and press a currant into the dough for an eye. If you like, texture the tops with the tines of a fork.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 10-12 minutes, or until the tops are a nice golden brown.

In the head version, I snipped the edges of the head to make it look like tufts of fur, and used slivered almonds for the teeth. Rawr!

And for extra kicks, here I am making these wolves on MTV Geek’s “Cooking with Thrones” episode 3 recap!

Medieval Dornish Cream Cakes

“If you did not eat so many creamcakes you would not have such dreams. Rich foods are not for girls your age, when your humors are so unbalanced. Maester Toman says — ”
“I hate Maester Toman,” Teora said. Then she bolted from the table, leaving her lady mother to make apologies for her. –The Winds of Winter, excerpt chapter

Thoughts:

Yep, this is your first recipe from Winds of Winter.

But don’t get too excited- it’s from a sample chapter that GRRM put up online several months ago. Sadly, I don’t get a better a preview of the food in the next book than any other fans. This recipe, though, was too good to put off.

Because they are bite-sized and not overly sweet, these tarts are dangerously addictive. They are made up of a sweet crust and what is essentially a custard filling. I’m not usually a fan of adding rosewater to food, but in this, the addition is so subtle that it helps round out the flavors, rather than clashing with them. An assortment of toppings finish off an awesome dessert, and make for a flashy presentation.

If anyone has a great suggestion for a modern version, I’d love to hear it!

Medieval Cream Tarts Recipe

Makes about 4 dozen mini tarts

For three tarts, which should each be about a foot wide, take one quart of the best cream that you can find, and put it in a pan over the fire. And put two eggs, which are well beaten, into it, and when it begins to boil, then take six more eggs and let them be well beaten and put them into it, and some good flour and pour it slowly into the pan. And one should stir it constantly, so that it does not burn. After that, when the eggs have been poured in, throw a quarter of a pound of fresh butter into it and let it simmer together, until it becomes thick. Afterwards let it cool, and when it is cold, then put it into three pastry shells, each of which is a foot wide. And let it bake in the tart pan. If you would put it straight away on the table, then sprinkle a quarter pound of sugar over all three, together with a little rose water. And one should serve it forth while it is yet warm. -Das Kuchbuch der Sabina Welserin, 16th century

Cook’s Notes: I’ve halved the original recipe, and instead of making large tarts, opted for much smaller versions, which would better tempt a child with a sweet tooth.

Ingredients for pastry:

3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup warm water
pinch of saffron, or a single drop of yellow food coloring

Ingredients for Filling:

2 cups cream
1 eggs, plus 3 more eggs
pinch of cardamom
pinch of cinnamon
1/2 stick butter
1 tsp. rose water
2 Tbs. sugar for dusting
garnish with your choice of crushed pistachios, candied citrus, etc.

Make up the pastry shells: Combine the flour and sugar. Let the saffron soak in the warm water for about 5 minutes, until the water has taken on a slight yellow tint. Add this to the dry mixture a small amount at a time, until it has become a large lump of dough. Roll out the dough to a little under 1/4″ thickness, and cut into 2″ rounds. Press these into a mini muffin pan, and bake for around 5 minutes at 350F. Remove from pan and allow to cool.

For the Filling: Combine the cream and one beaten egg in a medium saucepan. Bring slowly to a simmer. In a separate bowl, beat the remaining eggs. While whisking furiously, gradually pour in about 1 cup of the cream- this tempers the eggs so you don’t scramble them. Pour this whole mixture back into the pot. Add the spices, butter, and rose water, and stir, as it thickens. When it has thickened appreciably, remove from heat and let cool.

Spoon the filling into the prepared shells, dust with sugar, and top with your choice of garnish.

Party Planning Ebook

Many of you might wonder why all has been so quiet on the party planning front, here at The Inn. Finally, I can give you the answer, which is that I’ve been working on a Game of Thrones party planning ebook!

In it, I share some of the ways I use immersive fantasy to throw a winning GoT party, for a range of different skill levels. It includes ideas for invitations, activities, decor, menus, party favors and a great deal more.

Want to take a look? You can skim the first few pages HERE.

It’s currently available only for Apple readers, but I’m hoping to format versions for other readers in the near future, as well as a basic PDF.

Brown Oatbread

“Maester Luwin sent Poxy Tym down to the kitchens, and they dined in the solar on cheese, capons, and brown oatbread. While tearing apart a bird with fat fingers, Lord Wyman made polite inquiry after Lady Hornwood, who was a cousin of his.” -A Game of Thrones

Brown Oatbread

Thoughts:

I tried several recipes before lighting upon this one in an old family cookbook, on a snippet of browned newspaper clipping. As is so often the case in my kitchen, the old recipe took the day. This is such an amazingly light, fluffy, soft bread, and almost impossibly easy. It requires no kneading, and is quick to rise, and fills the whole house with a rich, buttery aroma while it bakes. I can just imagine loaves of this bread luring the Stark children to the kitchens of Winterfell. Homey enough to be a comfort food, but delicious enough to serve to guests, it could well be a staple of Northern cuisine.

Because the bread is so soft, it has to be cut into fairly thick slices- what a shame! Light toasting makes for a sturdier slice that is ideal with jam, honey, or other spreads. And, as in the quote, it is excellent with some cheese and chicken.

Recipe for Brown Oatbread

Ingredients:

2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup molasses
2 Tbs. butter
1 cup rolled oats (not the instant variety)
1 Tbs. yeast
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
~2 cups flour (you may need more or less depending on how much liquid your oats soaked up)
1 Tbs. melted butter

Combine the boiling water with the molasses and butter, stirring to combine. Pour this over the rolled oats, and let sit for 30 minutes. When the mixture is warm to the touch, but not hot, stir in the yeast, and let sit for another 15 minutes. It should be very light and bubbly at this point. Add the salt, followed gradually by the flour, until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl.

Transfer the dough to a clean, greased bowl, and brush the top with melted butter to keep from drying out. After the dough has doubled in bulk, transfer it to a bread pan, brush the top with butter, and let it rise again until doubled.

Bake at 350 for ~40 minutes, when the bread should be a nice golden brown. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before taking it out of the pan and slicing. Enjoy!

Take the Black, NYC

When Campfire asked us to consult for HBO’s “Take the Black” event in NYC, all we knew was that it would be some sort of release party for the season 2 DVD of Game of Thrones, but that’s about it. The details were all very hush-hush almost up to the event itself, but that only piqued the curiosity of hundreds of fans who turned out for the big evening.

They were well rewarded: Northern-themed foods from Inn at the Crossroads, a performance of GoT music by Jason Yang and other musicians (I never get tired of hearing the Rains of Castamere!), and even a life-sized direwolf ice sculpture carved by Shintaro Okamoto studios. Inside Best Buy, attendees ascended the escalators past house sigil banners, and at the top came face to face with Jon Snow’s Night’s Watch blacks, and Longclaw. Around the back of the store, everyone could don a fur-collared cloak and say their words in front of a green screen. After some technological wizardry, the oathtakers appeared to be in a snowy forest. Very cool. The videos from that can be seen here.

When we arrived at the venue, an hour before people were invited to line up, there was already a line forming behind the metal barriers. Our gracious hosts at Campfire introduced us to the caterers who did a marvelous job with our recipes- especially the pease porridge and the meat pies. We designed the menu with cold weather in mind, and it was COLD; hopefully hot apple cider, warm meat pies, and peas porridge took the edge off for the intrepid fans who showed up to take the black. For the next three hours, Sariann and I chatted with fellow fans, gave interviews to some very cool people, and even signed a few cookbooks.

Those devoted enough to wait until midnight to buy the DVDs received swag bags from HBO containing GOT-themed iced sugar cookies and house-themed scarves complete with sigil. Sariann left sporting Lannister red, and I bundled up with a super-fashionable Targaryen black. I pretty much haven’t taken it off since.

Now, I’m off to go grocery shopping in my new scarf. I might buy them, or I might take them with fire and blood.

I haven’t decided yet. :)

My awesome Targaryen scarf

Check out these sites’ additional coverage of the event!

mulled cider lineup

awesome Take the Black cups

menu and foods, photo courtesy of Unspoiled! Podcast

chatting with folks in line

waiting by the food booth

action shot!

finished direwolf ice sculpture

abstract house sigils

raven decals inside Best Buy, during S2 dvd launch

Jon Snow’s costume

Longclaw on display

Daenerys and her dragong

Chelsea signing cookbooks

Jason Yang performing

Sariann signing

Friend taking The Black

Tyrion has rabbit ears

My awesome Targaryen scarf

these cookies were delicious

Greens Dressed with Apples and Pine Nuts

“Cersei set a tasty table, that could not be denied. They started with a creamy chestnut soup, crusty hot bread, and greens dressed with apples and pine nuts.” -A Clash of Kings

Greens w/Apples & Pine Nuts

Thoughts:

Wonderful.

I had been putting off many of the salad recipes for lack of inspiration, but no more. This is a terrific salad! The apple slices are the star of the dish, but wouldn’t be nearly as amazing without the cheese and dressing. Creamy cheese between bites of crunchy apple, tangy dressing over soft pine nuts and pomegranate seeds bursting with color: the whole dish is a textural and taste powerhouse that’s as delicious as it is healthy. How could it get any better?

Continue reading →

Grisel’s Finger Foods

“Grisel reappeared before he could say more, balancing a large platter. She set it down between them. There were apples and pears and pomegranates, some sad-looking grapes, a huge blood orange. The old woman had brought a round of bread as well, and a crock of butter. Petyr cut a pomegranate in two with his dagger, offering half to Sansa.” -A Storm of Swords

Grisel’s Finger Foods

Our Thoughts:

I wasn’t sure at first if this meal warranted a post. Although the array of fruit sounds good, simple bread, butter, and fruit don’t generally stand out as memorable. But then I started to wonder what sort of bread one might find on the Fingers. The unnamed keep that serves as the paltry holdfast for House Baelish overlooks the Narrow Sea, so I though, Why not try a seaweed bread? Along with some homemade butter, of course.

I had my doubts initially, but was surprised by the bread! It has a nice texture, crumbly yet relatively dense. The seaweed is hardly noticeable, and if I didn’t know it was there, wouldn’t guess. In fact, next time, I might even add more. There is a very subtle salty sea flavor that compliments the more rustic flours. With a little homemade butter and a sprinkling of sea salt, it’s downright delicious. It’s also a good way to get a little more green veg in one’s daily diet, even when living in a meager hovel on The Fingers.

Continue reading →

Blandissory

“Four master pyromancers conjured up beasts of living flame to tear at each other with fiery claws whilst the serving men ladled out bowls of blandissory, a mixture of beef broth and boiled wine sweetened with honey and dotted with blanched almonds and chunks of capon.” -A Storm of Swords

Thoughts:

This is a great example of how sweet and savory elements are often combined in a medieval dish. The chicken and broth, and to some extent even the wine are more commonly served as savory dishes, while cinnamon, ginger, and honey are more often associated with sweet dishes, like cookies and desserts.

This dish is quirky, and while not especially appealing in appearance, it is actually quite tasty. The almond and rice flours thicken the broth to a consistency just shy of a medium gravy. The chicken is wonderfully soft and flavorful, a great textural counterpoint to the occasioinal crunch of the almonds.

Also, while the text excerpt calls for beef broth, I found that this is a wonderful way to use a second day roast chicken. Simply pick off any remaining meat, and boil down the carcass for broth. Very economical, and in keeping with the traditional practices of not letting anything go to waste. Of course, if you’re a Lannister, you needn’t worry about such things…

All in all, a quirky dish, but not without its merits. Medieval food surprises yet again!

Recipe for Blandissory

Makes: about 2 servings Prep: 5-10 minutes

Blaundesore to potage. Take almondes and grynde hom when thai byn blounchet and tempur hom, on fysshe day wyth wyn, and on flesheday with broth of flesh, and put hit in a pot, and therto floure of rys, and let hit boyle ; then take the braune of hennes, or of capons, and bray hom, and tempur hit up with the broth of the capons, and do hit in the pot, and colour hit with saffron; and do therto gynger mynced, and powder of canel, and sugur ynogh, and serve hit forth, and florish hit with white annys. –Ancient Cookery (England, 1425)

Cook’s Notes: I used red wine because it’s what I had open, but a white wine would make for a very pretty dish, especially with the saffron to color it.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Ground almonds
2 cups meat broth
1 cup wine
2 Tbs. rice flour
~1 cup shredded and chopped cooked chicken meat
pinch of saffron (if using white wine)
pinch ground ginger
pinch ground cinnamon
1-2 Tbs. sugar or honey
blanched almonds for garnish (~1/4 cup)

Combine ground almonds with wine/broth, and bring to a boil. Gradually add the rice flour, whisking to avoid creating clumps. Add the chicken, spices, and honey, and stir for around 2 minutes.

Pour into your serving dish, sprinkle with almonds, and serve!

Bread with Spent Grains

Spent Grain Bread

Thoughts:

I played around a bit and came up with this great, simple recipe for bread with spent grain. As with most recipes, it’s a starting point. Feel free to innovate and add other seeds, grains, flours, oats, sugars, etc. to make it your own. Just be sure to share your results! I certainly plan to keep trying new variations on it.

The resulting bread from this recipe is hearty in the extreme. The spent grains give each bite a little crunch, which is wonderful. It makes for a great toast, and even small sandwiches. I was partial to the very un-Westerosi PB&J, myself. :)

For the recipe, head on over to the brew blog, Game of Brews!

Gingerbread Castle-palooza!

I had this thunderbolt of an idea a few weeks ago.

I am going to make a gingerbread version of Castle Black for our holiday party on the 15th.

The online response to the idea was great, and one reader on FB suggested holding a Westerosi Gingerbread contest. I loved the idea, so I’m extending in invitation to all of you wonderfully creative fans to come up with your own Westerosi cookie castle, and share photos online.

In my opinion, the most well known castles stack up thusly:

Simpler

The Twins
Sept at Quiet Isle

Moderate Difficulty

Riverrun
Pyke
Dragonstone
Castle Black

You’re Nuts

King’s Landing
Winterfell
The Eyrie

And if you’re not up for making a castle by yourself, why not make it a party game? Have all your guests bring an assortment of towers, walls, etc, then glue them together with icing. Bam! You’ve just made Harrenhal!

Be sure to send us the photos of your finished castles!