Breakfast with Jon Snow

“Dolorous Edd made the trek to the kitchens and soon was back with a tankard of brown ale and a covered platter. Under the lid Jon discovered three duck’s eggs fried in drippings, a strip of bacon, two sausages, a blood pudding, and half a loaf of bread still warm from the oven.” (Dance with Dragons)

Jon Snow’s Breakfast

Our Thoughts:

Duck Eggs are delightful.

This is a fairly straightforward breakfast, but one that is unmistakably Northern. Each element of the meal, from the black pudding to the dark ale is heavy, packed with the calories necessary to keep warm and alive on The Wall. The duck eggs are gooey and rich, pairing especially well with the bacon and black pudding, such that despite not being brothers of the Night’s Watch, we cleaned our plates completely.

All in all, we vote this an ideal breakfast if you have planned a day of snowshoeing, winter lumberjacking, or sword fighting in the snow for several hours on end.

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Acorn Flour

“When an oak-tree is felled the whole forest echoes with it; but a hundred acorns are planted silently by some unnoticed breeze.”

-Thomas Carlisle, 1795-1881

Our Thoughts:

The smell of boiling acorns is entirely unexpected. From the bubbling pot, tendrils of steam curl up, bearing the familiar oakey scents of brown sugar and vanilla that are found in some wines, compliments of the cask they were aged in. Together, absurdly, the boiling mixture smells like creme brulee.

The resulting flour also tastes sweeter than we anticipated, with a subtle nutty flavor. It is very rich in protein, so a little goes a long way. We began mixing some in with our oatcakes, and have been very happy with the result.

We had expected this post to be a grueling sort of undertaking, and were pleasantly surprised to find how straightforward it is. It is a nice project to have going on the side while you prepare the real meal of the day. We boiled and strained ours three times just to be sure we got rid of the bitter tannins, but two times probably would have been sufficient.

So, with relatively little work, acorn flour is a definite win in our book! How to Make It!

Oatbread w/bits of date, apple, and orange

“Tyrion listened with half an ear as he sampled sweetcorn fritters and hot oatbread baked with bits of date, apple, and orange, and gnawed on the ribs of a wild boar.” -A Storm of Swords
Oatbread

Our Thoughts:

This is a really fantastic bread. Each bite has a different combination of fruity filling, but the entire loaf is soft and delicious, with the oats providing a subtle heartiness. A bite with a bit of candied orange peel is so utterly sweet and wonderful that it will keep you coming back for more and more. A bit of fresh butter or honey pairs extremely well, and try it alongside a glass of iced milk.

Get the recipe in the Official Cookbook!

Honey Spiced Locusts

“Hizdahr had stocked their box with flagons of chilled wine and sweetwater, with figs, dates, melons, and pomegranates, with pecans and peppers and a big bowl of honeyed locusts. Strong Belwas bellowed, “Locusts!” as he seized the bowl and began to crunch them by the handful.” (Dance with Dragons)

Our Thoughts:

The things we do for food…

As soon as we read the description of honey-spiced locusts in Dance, we knew we had to rise to the challenge.

This Volantene recipe results in a sweet & spicy, super crunchy snack that is surprisingly good. It takes a bit of psychological adjustment to get over the idea of eating bugs, but the novelty and brag-factor makes it well worth the effort. Underlying the more familiar tastes of honey and spice is the real flavor of the crickets- a sort of smoky nuttiness that takes several bites to savor.

We dared to try it. Do you?

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Black Cherries in Sweet Cream

“Illyrio smiled as his serving men spooned out bowls of black cherries in sweet cream for them both.” (Dance with Dragons)

Black Cherries in Sweet Cream

Our Thoughts:

This is an easy dessert with a serious wow factor. I mean, have you seen that photo?

I would totally eat this dessert.

In fact, I did.

The cream isn’t too sweet, allowing the slight tartness of the cherries to come through. The pop of the cherries melts into the texture of the cream, leaving just a hint of purple swirl in the bottom of the bowl. It’s so good you may have to lick your bowl…

For an even more decadent dining experience, leave the stems on the cherries. Dip them into a dish of sweet cream, and gently eat them one at a time like a Roman Emperor. Magister Illyrio would be proud.

Get the recipes for the Sweet Cream in the Cookbook, and make it at home!

Fig Tarts, basted with Honey

Medieval Fig Tarts

Thoughts:

These are slightly addictive little morsels, and with good reason. Take a fruit as tasty and decadent as figs, dice them, spice them, put them in buttery pastry, then fry them? Yes. The unique spice forte mix gives the tarts a really unexpected bite without interfering with the innate sweetness of the figs. I used a Killer Bee honey to baste mine, which upped the flavor to a wonderful new level.

Why it should be in the Next Book:

It’s figs! It’s fried! All it’s really missing to be the ideal GRRM dish is bacon. Which isn’t that bad an idea… Overall, though, this is a great medieval recipe, and well worth a try at home!

Medieval Fig Tart Recipe

Take figus & grynde hem smal; do þerin saffron & powdur fort. Close hem in foyles of dowe, & frye hem in oyle. Claryfye hony & flamme hem þerwyt; ete hem hote or colde. –Curye on Inglish: English Culinary Manuscripts of the Fourteenth-Century

Ingredients:

8 oz. fresh Figs
pinch of Saffron
1 tsp. Powder forte – a Medieval blend of strong spices. For this recipe, use 2 parts cinnamon to one part each a combination of pepper, ginger, mace, and clove, to your taste.
1 Tbs. your favorite variety of honey, plus more for basting
Pastry dough- enough for 2 9″ shells (see this recipe)
Oil enough to coat the bottom of the pan

Finely dice the figs as small as possible by hand or purée with a processor; mix in the saffron, powder forte spice mixture, and the 1 Tbs. honey. Roll out the pastry dough and cut into medium-sized circles. On one pastry circle place a spoonful of figs, then cover with another circle of dough; seal the edges well. Fry the pies in hot oil until lightly browned & crispy; remove from heat and allow to drain. In a pot, heat the honey, skimming off any scum that rises. As soon as the pies have drained, brush on the honey. Eat hot or cold.

Rich Beet Soup

Modern Beet Soup

“Sweet beets were grown in profusion hereabouts, and were served with almost every meal. The Volantenes made a cold soup of them, as thick and rich as purple honey.” -A Dance with Dragons

Thoughts:

The Roman recipe is the stranger of the two, and more rustic. The vegetables, especially the leeks, don’t quite puree completely down, giving the soup a hearty texture with an earthy taste.

The modern version is more familiar to many, as it’s basically a borscht. It’s simple, wholesome, hearty, with a lovely smooth texture. This soup showcases all the best aspects of root vegetables. yum.

The winner? The beauty alone of these soups make them worth a try. However, the wonderful earthiness of the Roman recipe can’t quite beat out the overall winning qualities of the modern dish. Some things just improve over time!

Recipes available in the Cookbook.

Cream of Wheat with Honey and Butter

Medieval Cream of Wheat

“Or even better, to wake in Castle Black behind the Wall and go to the common room for a bowl of Three-Finger Hobb’s thick cream of wheat, with a big spoon of butter melting in the middle and a dollop of honey besides. Just the thought of it made his empty stomach rumble.” (Storm of Swords)

Modern Cream of Wheat

Our Thoughts

The medieval cream of wheat is incredibly heavy and hearty. The hulled wheat never really loses its structural integrity without going through a sieve, so the texture is more like that of a very creamy pottage. The honey and butter sweeten it just enough for it not to be overwhelming. This recipe will definitely stick to your ribs! The way it comes out is more like a thick cream with the wheatberries, and the stock makes it taste quite nice. It would be best served with a breakfast meat and/or eggs

The modern cream of wheat is much more like what you would buy from the store. It has a smoother texture and the consistency of apple sauce. The reduced milk creates a very sweet flavor when paired with the honey butter, almost too sweet for a breakfast food. The honey butter is divine, and wonderful on an assortment of baked goods!

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Baked Venison

” Season might pass without a singer ever coming to play for us, and there’s not a goldsmith on the island. Even meals became a trial. My cook knew little beyond his roasts and stews, and Lynesse soon lost her taste for fish and venison.” (Clash of Kings)

Medieval Baked Venison

Modern Baked Venison

Our Thoughts

Venison is a very lean meat that should always be cooked with a fat to retain moisture. The medieval venison recipe is something from heaven. As we all know, everything is better with bacon, and this venison was no different. We had small venison steaks available for this recipe. and the bacon taste overwhelmed the venison a bit, but this can probably be countered by using a larger roast type cut. The modern recipe really showcases the taste and texture of the venison. The added fat from the butter prevents the meat from drying out in the oven, but does not create a greasiness to the venison. Both recipes are certainly worth making, and don’t forget to save your leftovers for venison pie- it’s wonderful!

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Lemonsweet

“Arianne drew the child away. ‘You must be hungry. We have dates and cheese and olives, and lemonsweet to drink. You ought not eat or drink too much, though…” -A Feast for Crows

17th C. and Modern Lemonsweet

Thoughts:

These recipes produce two very different lemonades. The older recipe results in an intense, kick in the face sort of lemonade, with all the vibrancy of fresh lemons, and a sweet tang that goes on and on.

The modern recipe, ironically, makes a lemonade that tastes very old worldy. Using honey instead of sugar reduces the immediate sweetness prevalent in many modern lemonades, while the unexpected taste of the vanilla will make you stop and work the flavors over again in your mouth.

Both are excellent and refreshing on hot summer days. In the future, we might try infusing the modern version with just a sprig of fresh thyme or rosemary, while the older recipe could do with a bit of (non-traditional) carbonation.

Recipes available in the Cookbook.

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