Tag Archives: Game of Thrones

Pigeon Pie, version 2.awesome

Pigeon Pie with Bacon and Artichoke Hearts

Our Thoughts:

We couldn’t have made up a better pie than this. It’s absolutely incredible. AND it’s historically authentic. Utter win.

This is completely unlike any meat pie I’ve previously tried. The artichoke hearts are sort of a baffling yet intriguing addition. Because there are so many other ingredients, the pigeon doesn’t really get a chance to shine in its own right, but the spices help bring it forward. We used a very flavorful bacon, which was one of the strongest elements, while the egg yolks and meatballs just added some depth and body.

Overall, much more interesting and dynamic than our original Pigeon Pie recipe, but definitely for those more adventurous epicureans.


Medieval Pigeon Pie

After ye pidgeons are made fitt to put into your pye season them with grose pepper, salt, mace & nutmeggs then lay ym into your Pot; you must have palatts ready boyld and cut into what bigness you like and lay over your pidgeons with ye yolk of hard egg, e marrow and balls of meat, made of ye lean of a legg of veal. Beat in a mortar with beef suett and some bacon amongst it when ye meat is a small as for sausages. Then add as much spice as is agreeable to your taste and a few sweet herbs. You may put in artichoke bottoms. This pye must be baked in a patty pan. -Lucayos Cookbook, 1690 

My Changes: I, personally, did not include the tongue from the original recipe. However, many people swear by it as a tasty ingredient, so if you would like, feel free to add it, and let us know how it turns out! I also swapped out the beef suet and marrow for a dash of grease left over from cooking the bacon.

Ingredients:

  • 1 springform pan with high sides
  • Pastry dough (get the recipe)
  • 5 pigeons
  • 1/4 tsp. each pepper, salt, mace, nutmeg
  • boiled palatts (tongue! – optional)
  • 3 hard boiled egg yolks
  • 3 large meatballs, preferably of veal (cooked or uncooked)
  • 1/2 cup cooked chopped bacon
  • artichoke hearts
  • 1-2 Tbs. bacon grease
  • 1 egg for glazing

Roll out pastry dough and drape over the pan. Gently press the dough into the pan to make sure it molded to the sides and bottom. Trim the excess dough and reshape into a ball- this will be your lid.

Put your pigeons in a large pot and cover with water. Simmer for around 45 minutes, or until the meat can be easily pulled from the bone. Remove all the useable meat and discard the bones.

Season the meat with your spices, then lay in the bottom of the pastry. If using tongue, lay over the pigeon meat. Crumble the egg yolk over top of the meat, then flatten or crumble the meatballs to form the next layer. Sprinkle the bacon over that, then lay sliced artichoke hearts on the very top. Pour the bacon grease evenly over the top.

Roll out the remaining pastry dough and cut into a circle the size of the bottom of the pan. Lay this circle over the pie filling, brush the edges with water, and roll the outside dough down until it touches the top crust. Pierce the top of the pie in several places to vent the steam, flute the edges in a decorative pattern, and brush the whole thing with beaten egg.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour, until the crust is golden.

Biscuits and Bacon

“Ysilla was turning the biscuits. She laid an iron pan atop the brazier and put the bacon in. Some days she cooked biscuits and bacon; some days bacon and biscuits. Once every fortnight there might be a fish, but not today… They were best when eaten hot, dripping with honey and butter.” (Dance with Dragons)

Modern Biscuits and Bacon (Gravy!)

Our Thoughts:

Omdanom.

We hate to admit it, but some dishes really are just better now than they ever were. We struggled and struggled to find a cool, interesting old recipe for biscuits and bacon, and failed to find anything the least bit appetizing. The closest historical equivalent would probably be hardtack and salt pork, both of which were available on ships.

However, our modern biscuit and bacon gravy is a simply decadent and delicious way to start the day. The recipe is straightforward, but results in a thick, salty gravy filled with bits of crunchy bacon. Served over biscuits, or in them, as Tyrion does, it’s delicious, and even vaguely feasible for a shipboard breakfast!

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Jellied Calves’ Brains

“The wedding feast began with a thin leek soup, followed by a salad of green beans, onions, and beets, river pike poached in almond milk, mounds of mashed turnips that were cold before they reached the table, jellied calves’ brains, and a leche of stringy beef.” (Storm of Swords)

Jellied Calves’ Brains

Our Thoughts:

Yes, we said we wouldn’t be making this dish.But I couldn’t help myself when I saw the lonely package in the freezer at Savenor’s labeled “Half Veal Brain”. It had to be done. So I dived in, probably more enthusiastically than is normal.

The final product is nothing short of decadent. When working with brains, it’s important to remember that they essentially have no flavor, although their texture is delightfully creamy and rich. Which is why the flavor of the aspic and the Montpellier butter becomes important. I implore you, if you are brave enough to try this, not to skimp on your stock preparation. It provides the lion’s share of flavor in the dish and allows the other components to shine.

Eaten by the spoonful, or spread on toast, the brain aspic delightfully exceeded our expectations. The saltiness of the butter is balanced by the creamy texture of the brain, and unified by the familiar flavor, if not texture, of the stock. Certainly not for the faint of heart, more for the culinarily daring, this side dish is steeped in history and an adventure to both create and consume.

Brains! Eat brains!

Autumn Greens and Ginger Soup

“…her young hostages Miklaz and Kezmya were laying out a simple supper of autumn greens and ginger soup for her…” (Dance with Dragons)

Autumn Greens and Ginger Soup

Our Thoughts:

This is a wonderful pairing of dishes for late autumn, or unseasonably warm winter days. Light enough to satisfy a between holidays diet, yet with enough oomph to see you through to the next meal. The small amount of ginger in the salad dressing compliments the heavier ginger in the soup, while the fig flavors in both dressing and on the salad lend the dish an exotic flair.

The soup pairs exceptionally well with some crusty bread and sharp cheese.

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Spiced Squash

Medieval Spiced Squash

“This evening they had supped on oxtail soup, summer greens tossed with pecans, grapes, red fennel, and crmbled cheese, hot crab pie, spiced squash, and quails drowned in butter. Each dish had come with its own wine. Lord Janos allowed that he had never eaten half so well.” (A Clash of Kings)

Modern Spiced Squash

Our Thoughts

Fantastically seasonal, this menu item was a must make for October. The medieval recipe yielded tender pumpkin cubes that tasted remarkably similar to butternut squash. The stock in which the squash was cooked imbued it with an interesting savoriness that we didn’t expect. This recipe will surely make us think twice the next time we pass over the sugar pumpkin as a singularly sweet component.

Our modern acorn squash is New England Autumn in a dish. The appearance of the squash itself screams Fall, and the flavorful sauce completes the package. Tender, sweet, and spicy, this recipe is one for the Thanksgiving table.

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Spit-roasted Rabbit

“Serving men were carrying off baskets of Hot Pie’s bread and tarts, the chief cook was carving cold slices off a ham, spit boys were turning rabbits while the pot girls basted them with honey, women were chopping onions and carrots.” -A Clash of Kings
Spit-Roasted Hare

Our Thoughts:

This is about as rustic as our recipes get. Limited by our current residency in the city, we roasted our rabbit over our porch grill, rather than a proper fire. The result, as you can see, is a picturesquely charred rabbit suspended over glowing coals.  The pairing of the char on the rabbit and honey produces a taste reminiscent of barbecue sauce, smoky and sweet together. Although rabbit is prone to turning dry as it cooks, ours stayed juicy and tender, in part, no doubt, to the honey basting.

We tried eating the rabbit with forks and knives, but in the end stooped to tearing at the meat with hands and teeth. Much more effective, and somehow even more flavorful. Not to mention perfectly in keeping with the book, given how the rabbit is eaten a few pages later…

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Black Bread, redux


We decided to give this bread another try after so many of our readers wrote in to give their takes on Black Bread.

Are we glad we did? YES.

This new recipe is wildly easy, dense, and incredibly authentic tasting. In part, because it tastes like beer. The flavor of the beer really comes through in the finished loaf of bread, a deep, earthy bitterness that is countered by the small amount of honey.

The inside of the loaf is soft, almost crumbly, while the crust bakes hard, ideal for a bread bowl for a bit of Sister’s Stew.

Try it! Try it!

Black Beer Bread Recipe

Yes, I made this recipe up, but it is so straightforward and the ingredients so simple that I believe it could easily have been made well back into history, not to mention in the Northern reaches of Westeros. Bread making and brewing have gone hand in hand practically since they were both begun, and it’s only fitting that they should come together in this delicious bread.

Makes two loaves.

Ingredients:

  • One 12oz bottle of warm dark beer, such as stout or porter
  • 1 packet yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
  • 2 Tbs. honey
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 4-5 cups flour (we used 2 cups white flour, 2 cups rye, and 1/2 cup whole wheat) plus 1/2 cup for working.

In a small bowl, add the yeast to the beer and allow to sit for 5 minutes until foamy. To this, add the egg and honey. Combine dry ingredients, then add gradually until you have a cohesive, workable dough that isn’t too sticky. Knead about 5 minutes, then cover and let rise for at least 1 hour.

Punch down mixture, and divide in two. Shape into your desired loaf, then let rise for at least 2 hours or refrigerated overnight.

Pre-heat oven to 450F. Dust the loaf lightly with flour and slash top.

Bake for 25-30min or until the crust is nicely browned.  Let stand for at least 15 minutes.


Weirwood Cake

Weirwood Cake

Alright, so this cake isn’t exactly something from the books. But as soon as I saw the haunted house cake as the October photo on my cake calendar, the image of this leapt into my head, and wouldn’t leave.

The trunk is white chocolate, molded freehand using a spoon and toothpick on a silpat. There are a couple of wooden skewers supporting the main part of the trunk, and the chocolate is poured over that. Then I poured the branches and roots (separately), as well as the pieces to brace the back of the tree. Because, of course, it had to stand upright. I then brushed some watered down cinnamon over the cooled chocolate to give it a little shading and color.

The leaves are gum paste, dyed red, and punched out with a stencil. Some have veining scored onto them, some were left to harden into a curled shape for more depth and visual interest. I stuck them onto the tree with leftover white chocolate, periodically putting the whole baking sheet in the freezer to help keep it seized up.

Finish the eyes with a bit of decorative red cake gel, and presto, a really fun GoT twist for Halloween!

Grilled Snake

“A short man stood in an arched doorway, grilling chunks of snake over a brazier, turning them with wooden tongs as they crisped. The pungeant smell of his sauces brought tears to the knight’s eyes. The best snake sauce had a drop of venom in it, along with mustard seeds and dragon peppers.” -A Feast for Crows

Grilled Snake

Our Thoughts:

After the shock factor faded, we were able to sit down and appreciate the snake for what it was. While many people claim that snake tastes just like chicken, we beg to differ. A bit. The texture is similar to chicken, but a slightly overcooked one, so the texture is slightly firm. It’s almost reminiscent of a dried sausage, given the leanness of the meat and its density.

The flavor, admitedly, does share some similarities with chicken. But this is only insofar as both chicken and snake are relatively mild tasting, almost designed to showcase whatever they are served with. In this case, the sauce is the real show stopper. Warm, rich, with a bit of a bite to it, the sauce is subtly exotic. However, it is not so strong that it overpowers the flavor of the snake, instead complimenting the slight gaminess of the meat.

In short, this is a cool recipe that’s now in the cookbook. And eating snake is badass. Do it.

Breakfast in King's Landing

“Cersei Lannister was breaking her fast when Sansa was ushered into her solar. ‘You may sit,’ the queen said graciously. ‘Are you hungry?’ She gestured at the table. There was porridge, honey, milk, boiled eggs, and crisp fried fish.” -A Clash of Kings

Breakfast in King’s Landing

Our Thoughts:

While Sansa might not have had the stomach for such a breakfast, we’re certain you will have no such qualms. The saltiness of the fingerfish is a flavorful counterpart to the sweetness of the honeyed porridge. The texturally aware eater will delight in the wide array provided by this spread: crunchy fish, delightful porridge mush, Oozy honey, firm egg. Wash it all down with good quality cold whole milk, and you’ll be set for whatever challenges your day might bring.

Just please, don’t set your bedroom on fire…this breakfast can be yours without the drama.

Get the recipes in The Cookbook!