Tag Archives: pork pie

Burlington Book Signing

Everyone deserves goodies. But a really great author who has entertained and captivated us with the emotional rollercoaster that is A Song of Ice and Fire deserves extra swag. Being the foodies that we are, we decided to make up a gift basket for George RR Martin when he started his book signing tour in MA.

Being a creative sort, Chelsea just couldn’t help herself, and may have gotten a little carried away…

The swag basket included a medieval pork pie, cheese and olives, a small bottle of local cognac, traditional oatcakes with both blackberries and pine nuts, our new ultimate lemoncakes, potted hare, mulling spices, and our own little gag gift: a small bottle of “Tears of Lys”. The parcels were wrapped in a combination of linen cloth and hand woven inkle bands before getting their individual labels. Into the basket, lined with leather and fur, for the perfect presentation.

  

After Sariann finished work, we piled into the car with a couple of our Inn-mates (Ha!), and headed for Burlington. At the bookstore, the lines were predictably around the entire side of the building, fans all abuzz with excitement about the new book and meeting George. We felt like superheroes in disguise wearing our snazzy aprons as the bookstore staff ushered us in and handed us off to the uber efficient Random House marketing folks, who in turn took us to The Martin.

George was kind enough to take a few minutes to chat with us about food, and the contents of the gift basket.

He also signed our aprons:

George signs apron

 

This was pretty much one of the best nights of our lives…

Pork Pie

“‘If I could fly, I’d be back at Castle Black eating a pork pie,’ said Sam.” -A Clash of Kings

Medieval Pork Pie with Currants

Medieval Pork Pie with Currants

Thoughts:

When we began to make these, we naively thought, “Two meat pies?  We’ll surely have leftovers for days!”  They were gone within hours.  Like many of our modern and medieval comparisons, the resulting dishes were quite different from one another.  Here’s the breakdown:

The medieval pork pie is definitely in the sweet category.  The amount of eggs in it makes it fluffier than the modern version, and the currants and ginger only add to the sweetness.  However, it is a sweetness that really suits the pork.  We might leave out an egg or two in the future, just so the meat holds together a bit better.

The modern pork pie is dense, and is very serious about being pork.  It could have used a little more salt, but when dipped in either ketchup or BBQ sauce it is rendered delicious.  If you do have leftovers, this pie is wonderful for a quick, cold breakfast straight from the fridge.

Bottom line?  Modern is savory, medieval is sweet, but both are delicious, and will be a hit with anyone who can get their fork into one.

**NB: The cookbook contains a tweaked version of the Medieval Pie, and a much more dynamic version of the Modern Pie.**

 

Medieval Pork Pie

A-nother manere. Tak fayre porke y-broylid, & grynd it smal with yolkys of Eyroun; than take Pepir, Gyngere, & grynd it smal, & melle it with-al, & a lytel hony, & floryssche thin cofyns with-ynne & with-owte, & hele hem with thin ledys, & late hem bake, & serue forth. – Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books

Our changes: Instead of boiling down our own pork roast and grinding it up, we used pre-ground pork.  Much easier!  ALSO!  This makes a great pairing with the Cream Swans, because you will be able to use the egg yolks for this, and the whites for that.  Win!

Ingredients:

  • 1 9″ pie shell with lid
  • 1 1/2  lb. ground pork
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 2 tsp. ginger
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup currants
  • 1/2 cup chopped dates

Brown the pork over medium heat.  Let cool slightly, and mix well with all the other ingredients – The filling should be very moist. Place mixture in pie shell & add lid. Fold top dough under and pinch edges shut.  Cut decorative steam holes in the top of the pastry, and bake at 375° F for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a golden brown.

Modern Pork Pie

The new, updated, and totally delicious modern recipe is available in The Cookbook!