Sweet Biscuits

Traditional Burrbrede

“[Sansa] drank a glass of buttermilk and nibbled at some sweet biscuits as she waited, to settle her stomach.” -Game of Thrones

Modern Sweet Biscuits

Our Thoughts

The traditional sweet biscuit is shortbread at its very very best. Burrbrede, or shortbread, is a traditional Scottish flour confectionery, made from three ingredients. Although a proper recipe wasn’t memorialized in a cookbook till 1736, shortbread has been a Scottish treat since at least the 12th century. Perfect with tea or a glass of cold milk, these biscuits are difficult to stop eating. Soft, flaky texture, and just a bit chewy eaten straight from the oven, these biscuits get an enormous stamp of approval from us!

The modern biscuits are our take on the glorious Hobnob, king of all chocolate biscuits. Clearly we’re big fans, and these home made hobnobs shape up pretty well. A bit more rustic and oaty than the store bought variety, they are equally as delectable when dipped in hot tea. This batch filled our biscuit jar, and were gone in record time!

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The Hound’s Ideal Meal

Unlike our previous character themed meals, there was a lot of consensus about the Hound’s ideal meal: Nothing fancy, a cheap cut of meat, bitter drinks, and possibly a lemoncake or two for dessert. Kathleen summed it up well, stating that the meal “should be charbroiled, unpretentious, and drowned in a sea of wine”.

We liked where a lot of you went with game meat, what with Sandor being a “hound”. The subtle poetry of hound and quarry was too appealing to resist. So, game meat it was, and we chose venison and rabbit. True, in our Middle Ages, only the nobility could hunt, but are you about to stand between the Hound and his meal? Didn’t think so.

Our grill was recently stolen, right off our porch. Otherwise we’d do a spit roasted rabbit to go with the meal. Barring that, though, we swapped in some oven roasted rabbit legs alongside the venison sausages.

A big question was whether to sear the meat, or no. Personally, we liked the idea, but could see how the Hound might not. So, we hedged our bets, searing the lamb, then hiding the evidence by braising. :) We also liked the idea of lamb, because while Sandor might be a Hound, he’s also more than a bit wolfish. Lamb shank it was, then.

Both Kate Quinn and Irian suggested bone marrow, which we loved. It evokes the image of a big mastiff gnawing on a bone in front of the fire, and also ties in with Random’s thought that “Joffrey would probably find it amusing to throw his dog a bone.” Ours is topped with applewood smoked salt.

For smaller sides, we liked Frank’s suggestion of beans thick with molasses, and Duckchick’s of sharp cheese with apples, for the Hound’s sharp words.

Our final bill of fare: black bread, bone marrow, leg of lamb, venison sausages, rabbit legs, savory beans and sharp cheese, wilted greens, and rustic lemoncakes.

Our Thoughts:

Good Lord. Or the Seven. Or any other deity the Hound probably doesn’t believe in…

This is a fantastic meal.

It is obviously very heavy on the meat, but given the fighter’s lifestyle that the Hound leads, this makes sense. The three meats- lamb, venison, and rabbit- all give amazingly rich flavors to the meal. Of course, it helps that we braised the lamb and then the rabbit in mead and molasses. The venison sausage already has port in it, so each of the meats has essentially been cooked in/with booze. Even the vegetables have been braised in mead, along with the lamb, so they’re incredibly tender and tasty. And the bread! Also made with beer.

The rustic lemoncakes are a much lighter finish to a very heavy meal, and you’ll probably only have room for a couple of them.

Our drinks consultant recommends a beer made with juniper to pair with the meat dishes, in the style of a traditional Finnish Sahti. A couple good examples of this are Huvila Arctic Circle Ale and Lammin Kataja. Another interesting pairing would be a rauchbier, such as Spezial and Schlenkerla, given that the smokiness would pair particularly well with the molasses beans and cheddar.

Honorable Mention:

Chris’s suggestion of black and white truffles to represent the duality of his nature (only if you’re buying!)
Wildling, Selkie, and Julia’s suggestions of “little birds”. We’ve got something else planned for those, though… ;)
Irian’s list of other cheap meats, including like black pudding, head cheese, ox tongue, lard, goose fat and bacon
Richard’s suggestion of “Black Dog” wines, especially if served on a yellow tablecloth
roussefolle’s wonderful ideas, just exotic enough to be Westeros, amazingly delicious
Verity’s suggestion of Baked Alaska for dessert, first for the irony of a flambe, and also because they can be made to look like a mountain, and the Hound would enjoy symbolically demolishing and devouring a Mountain

Sept Holiday Buns

Sept Holiday Buns

This one is a suggestion for the next book, as they’re delicious, historical, and really cool looking. I wanted to find a Westerosi holiday that they could feasibly be baked for, but shockingly, GRRM only lists one holiday: Maidens Day.

That didn’t seem to fit my vision, so if he should read this, I’d suggest not only including these buns, but also a holiday for The Seven. King’s Landing needs all the celebration it can get!

The buns are fluffy, light, and quite rich, especially given the relatively small amount of butter in the recipe. They make a delightful breakfast bun, and are at their very best when still warm from the oven. The combined icing and currants sweeten the deal, while the density of the bun makes it a great way to start one’s day, or celebrate your fave deities.

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Ham with Cloves, Honey, and Dried Cherries

“Sad to say, the kitchens proved to have no wild boar on hand, and there was not time enough to send out hunters. Instead, the cooks butchered one of the castle sows, and served them ham studded with cloves and basted with honey and dried cherries. It was not what Cersei wanted, but she made do.” -A Feast for Crows

Ham with cloves, honey, and dried cherries

Our Thoughts:

Salty, juicy goodness. The sweet punch of a cherry. Slow drips of honey.

All this can be yours.

This recipe is so good that it nearly defies description. Even as someone for whom ham and pork generally hold little appeal, I still had 3 servings. It’s the kind of flavor combination that will keep you eating in an effort to really nail down a description. We at least had the excuse of writing this post, but you’ll have to come up with your own.

What’s more, this is a great way to sneak a little Westeros into your otherwise normal family holidays.

This tasty ham, followed by episode 2.2, and chocolate Easter eggs? WIN.

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Bread and Salt

“…[Once] a maiden girl could walk the kingsroad in her name-day gown and still go unmolested, and travelers could find fire, bread, and salt at many an inn and holdfast.”

Thoughts:

Bread and Salt are a staple of Westerosi culture and courtesy. They are the physical manifestation of the guest-right tradition, whereby anyone who receives such in a castle, inn, or home cannot be harmed while under that roof.

My version is loosely based on a traditional Russian bread. The salt is poured directly into the hollow of the bread, and each guest may tear off a piece of bread and dip it into the salt. The bread is like Easter bread (bring it to family gatherings!) in flavor and texture, but the taste with the salt is reminiscent of soft pretzels.

The inspiration credit for this goes to reader and commenter Random.

NB: Any spoilers related to this post will be deleted.

Bread and Salt Recipe

makes 2 large loaves

Ingredients

5 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoon salt
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1 1/3 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter
4 eggs, 2 left whole for baking into the dough
1 egg, beaten, for glaze

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, salt and yeast; stir well. In a small saucepan, melt the butter, then add the milk. Remove from heat before it becomes hotter than warm; if too hot, it will kill the yeast.

Gradually add the milk and butter to the flour mixture while stirring. Add two eggs and 1/2 cup more flour and beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.

Lightly grease a large bowl, put the dough in, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into three equal size rounds; cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each of the pieces into long rolls about 1 1/2 inches thick. Using the three long pieces of dough, form a loose braid. Divide this braid in half, then form each half into a round, sealing the ends together and tucking them under.

Cover your two whole eggs with butter or oil, then slip them carefully into the middle of each loaf. They should be tucked in about halfway. These whole raw eggs bake in the oven right along with the bread.

Place loaves on a greased baking sheet and cover loosely with a damp towel. Place loaf in a warm place and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Brush risen loaves with beaten eggs, and bake in for 45 to 55 minutes, or until dark golden.

Once the loaves have cooled somewhat, you can pull the egg out of the middle and fill the remaining divot with 1-2 Tbs. salt. The whole eggs will be somewhere between soft and hard boiled, and delicious with the freshly baked bread!

Doggie Bags and Placemats

This is less of a strictly “how-to” post than a sharing of ideas I just couldn’t keep to myself. For full instructions on these crafts, check the GoT party planning guide.

If you are planning a feast of any size for the Sunday premiere of Season 2, you may be dreading the thought of what to do with all those leftovers (if you weren’t dreading it, you should be). Fear not, noble cooks! Do as I do, and send it home with your guests in their very own…

Doggie Bags!

The shields are painted with basic yellow craft paint, and the hounds are stenciled on with a sharpie. Easy. Silly. Fun.

The next project is a bit more in depth, but equally fun. For this, we got several sheets of appropriately colored felt, and decorated them to look like the Westerosi house sigils. We felted ours together, but craft paint would also work well. Much of the detail is drawn on with multicolored sharpies. The result is…

Felt Placemats!

So there you go! Two easy crafts for a successful party.

Send us your cool ideas, and we’ll feature them in an upcoming post!

Pease Pie laced with Bacon

Medieval Pease Pie laced with Bacon

“We must take you out of that vile dungeon, then. Scrub you pink again, get you some clean clothes, some food to eat. Some nice soft porridge, would you like that? Perhaps a pease pie laced with bacon. I have a little task for you, and you’ll need your strength back if you are to serve me.” -A Dance with Dragons

Modern Pease Pie

Our Thoughts:

If you love peas, then this is the dish for you. But I mean really, really love them, because that is a lot of peas… The bacon helps to alleviate the near overdose of peas, but still.

The medieval pease pie was a delight to discover in our cookbooks. Sadly, the reality didn’t quite live up to our hopes. The flavor of the juices was overwhelmed by the sheer number of peas. Additional bacon might have helped this, as well as the occasional pearl onion. The pie also had some serious structural issues, as the crust got soggy, and the peas rolled everywhere when a slice was dished out.

The modern pease pie solved all of these problems. Because the peas are mashed, they hold their shape when the pie is cut. We used a little extra to make the tart in the photo above, but a closed top pie will ensure the peas don’t burn. The flavors are much better rounded and full, the shallots and mustard coming to prominence. We also used purple pearl onions for a splash of color.

Conclusion? The modern pie is definitely the winner in this mash up.

Medieval Pease Pie Recipe

To make a close Tart of greene Pease. Take halfe a peck of greene Pease, sheale them and seeth them, and cast them into a cullender, and let the water go from them then put them into the Tart whole, & season them with Pepper, saffron and salte, and a dishe of sweet butter, close and bake him almost one houre, then drawe him, and put to him a little Vergice, and shake them and set them into the Ouen againe, and so serue it. -The Good Housewife’s Jewell, 1596

Our changes: to better match the description in the novel, we added bits of crunchy bacon to the pie. We also substituted the verjus for more readily available grape juice. We also downsized from half a peck (~5 lbs!) to an amount of peas that would actually fit into a modern pie pan.

Ingredients:

6 cups shelled fresh green peas, or most of one 32 oz. bag frozen, thawed
pastry crust, top and bottom (get a recipe)
3 Tbs. butter
pinch saffron
pinch each salt and pepper
4 strips bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled
1 Tbs. grape juice
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tbs. cider vinegar
1 egg for glaze

Preheat oven to 425.

Divide your pastry dough in half. Roll out one half and lay in a pie pan. Set the other half aside.

Put your peas into a saucepan with water, and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes. Drain in a collander, then pour into your prepared pie crust. Using the palm of your hand, press firmly down on the peas to pack them down.

Melt 3 Tbs. butter, and add the saffron to it. Allow to cool slightly, then pour over the peas. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and spread the crumbled bacon on top of everything.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Fill the prepared shells with the cooled peas and top with some small pieces of butter. Lay remaining dough circles over tops of tarts. Pinch crusts together, using a little brushed-on water as glue. Trim off any excess dough, and crimp. Make a few slits in the top crusts with a sharp knife so that steam can escape. Brush top crusts with beaten egg.

Bake until brown, about 30 minutes. Let settle on a wire rack for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Be careful as the peas will roll and spill from the sliced pie.

Modern Pease Porridge Recipe

Ingredients:

Pastry dough for a large 9″ pie dish, or similarly sized springform pan
2 lb. peas
2 Tbs. butter, divided
1 cup rough cut bacon
3-5 shallots, sliced thin
1 tsp. mustard
2 Tbs. Parmesan cheese, shredded
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg, beaten

Boil the peas until they are soft enough to be thoroughly mashed, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash them with 1 Tbs. butter.

In a separate pan, fry up the bacon until just shy of crispy, then scoop it out with a slotted spoon and add it to the mashed peas. In the remaining bacon grease, cook the shallots until they are soft. Add them to the peas and bacon, followed by the mustard, cheese, and salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.

Roll out your pastry dough and line the pan with it. Spread the remaining butter over the bottom of the pastry, then dump the filling in. Smooth it out, and cover with remaining pastry. Brush with beaten egg and bake at 350 F for 20 minutes.

Rats on a Stick (not really!)

Rats on a Stick

Our Thoughts:

I’ll be honest. When I was browsing food blogs and came across this, all I could think was “Rat”. It’s something about that thick corn cob tail…

Contrary to the name, these “rats” are actually quite good. The flavor is savory, the taste of the onions noticable, as is the parm. Cheesey, chivey potato pancake in flavor, but the consistency is more like a samosa or onion bhaji- soft, but holds together well. It’s extra delicious when served with a salsa or other chili sauce.

But the best part? It’s vegetarian, and could easily be adapted to be fully vegan or gluten free. They’re a fun addition to any party spread for guests who can’t eat meat, as well as for those who can.

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Plan your Premiere Party

With just over a week to go before the premiere of Season 2, it’s time to nail down your party plans.

For starters, be sure to check out our page for Planning a Party. There, we have great ideas for foods both simple and daring, as well as templates for invitations, party favors, and much more. Our personal favorites are the Heraldic Banner Cake toppers, the very impressive Weirwood Tree Cake, Mulled Wine, Pork Pie, and Elizabethan Lemoncakes.

What foods are you planning to make? Are you decorating? Coming in costume? What’s the craziest Game of Thrones superfan thing you’ve done? Let’s make sure everyone watches Season 2 in style!

Stuffed Green Peppers

“Seven courses were served, in honor of the seven gods and the seven brothers of the Kingsguard. The soup was made with eggs and lemons, the long green peppers stuffed with cheese and onions.” -A Dance with Dragons

Modern Stuffed Peppers

Thoughts:

Because this is a Dornish dish, we decided to use “fiery” green peppers. We didn’t have much luck finding an older recipe, but would be delighted to add it if we do!

The modern peppers are a mouth-watering explosion of hot peppers and cheese, deliciously textured by the cornflake topping. One of our taste-testers commented that we had accidentally stumbled on the best Jalapeno poppers he had ever had, but that they really needed a dipping sauce to round out the flavors. We agreed. Because poppers are usually served thus, we raided our freezer and heated some marinara. Dipped, the peppers were easily twice as delicious.

The dish is the perfect appetizer for a modern take on a Dornish dinner.

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