Cookbook Cover Crown Roast

Thoughts:

I’ve had a few inquiries since the cookbook came out about the beautiful and mouthwatering crown roast on the front cover. No wonder, since it’s so striking: (photo) However, I have a secret to confess. Until now, there was no recipe to go with that dish, either in the cookbook or on the blog. Finally, I’ve decided to fix that. When Sariann and I went to do the cover photo shoot, we had to make a lot of food. Like, a few days’ worth of cooking; We didn’t know what would get used, so we brought a bit of everything. I had hoped to bring a version of the rack of lamb with garlic/herb crust, but lamb was just too expensive for a dish that might not get eaten after hours under photography lights. If I buy lamb, I want to eat every last bit of it. So I bought a rack of beef ribs much more inexpensively, and trimmed them to look fancy. It worked, but leaves me hungry every time I look at the cookbook. Thus, this new suggestion for a future aSoIaF book- the crown roast.

While the cookbook cover roast was predominantly for show, this version begs to be eaten. The bacon around the bottom keeps it juicy and delicious, while the stuffing finishes cooking to be dense and filling. The meat pulls flavor from the bacon on the outside and the stuffing on the inside. While the meat wasn’t quite fall-off-the-bone tender, it was pretty close.

Why it should be in the next book:

It’s a crown. Made of meat. Wrapped in bacon. Tell me that some witty Westerosi cook wouldn’t serve something like this at, say, a coronation feast. It’s also a perfect centerpiece for your S4 premiere parties, because who doesn’t love gnawing on a bone at a medieval feast? (vegetarians excepted…)

Crown Roast Recipe

Time: ~2 hours Serves: depends on the size! figure 2-3 ribs per person, with additional sides

Ingredients:

1 rack of ribs, your choice of meat (I used pork)
salt and pepper
Stuffing (get the recipe)
~5 strips of Bacon

French the ribs, if your butcher can’t/won’t. Do this by trimming down the meat around the tops of the ribs to leave about an inch of exposed bone. This is just to make it look fancier, like in the picture, but if you’re pressed for time, you could skip it. Save the trimmed bits of meat, taking care to check each for small pieces of bone. Curve the trimmed rack around on itself so the rib ends are pointing up and out, then secure the two ends together with a bit of twine or toothpicks (if you use toothpicks, remember to warn guests before serving).

Wrap two or three strips of bacon around the bottom of the crown roast. Fry the remaining bacon, dry, and crumble into the stuffing. Brown the leftover bits of trimmed meat from the top of the roast in the bacon fat, then add it to the stuffing mixture. Press the stuffing into the middle of the crown. Cover the stuffing with tin foil, and cook the roast at 375 for around 2 hours. If you like, remove the foil about 20 minutes from the end of cooking to allow it to brown.

To serve, cut into small rib sections, and dish up with some of the stuffing. If you like have a little of your favorite sauce available on the side.

Oaten Stuffing

Thoughts:

This recipe is a wonderful stuffing that is equally good out of a bird as in it. The oats provide a lovely texture that is at times both crunchy and soft, while the seasonings and stock deepen the flavor. The currants round out the experience, offering a tiny fruity burst in nearly every bite that is countered by small bits of bacon. Can one really ever go wrong with bacon? The simple substitution of wheat bread for something without gluten makes for a great gluten-free stuffing that won’t disappoint.

And while it might seem odd to post a recipe for just stuffing, never fear- This is just gearing up toward the next post, which is a real show stopper!

Oaty Stuffing Recipe

Soaking: 30 minutes Prep: 10 minutes Cooking: 30-40 minutes

Cook’s note: for a Gluten Free version, just substitute the regular bread for a GF version. Also, I’ve never been a fan of celery, but feel free to add that, subtract currants, and otherwise tweak the recipe as you see fit!

Ingredients:

2 cups steel cut oats, soaked and drained
3 or so strips of bacon
3 Tbs. butter
1 onion, diced small
1 chopped apple
1/4 cup dried currants
1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 slices bread, torn into small pieces
1/2 cup chicken or beef stock

Set your oats in a bowl of warm water to soak for at least 30 minutes, until somewhat softened.

Fry the bacon in a skillet until crispy, then move to a paper towel to drain. When it’s cooled, crumble into small pieces. Drain most of the fat off the skillet, then melt your butter. Add the onion, apple, currants, and garlic. Stir around until the onions are soft and translucent. Turn down the heat, and add the herbs, followed by the stock. Stir for a minute, then remove from heat and stir in the bread, bacon, and drained oats.

Use to stuff a chicken or roast, or just cook on its own at 350F for around 30 minutes, stirring to avoid any overly crispy bits.

Hen stuffed w/carrots, chestnuts, and prunes

“I never eat prunes myself. Well, there was one time when Hobb chopped them up with chestnuts and carrots and hid them in a hen. Never trust a cook, my lord. They’ll prune you when you least expect it.” (DwD)

Black Hen, carved, w/carrot-chestnut-prune stuffing

Our Thoughts

So, as soon as we learned about black chickens, we knew we had to try one. However, we didn’t realize that ours came with a head. Or with giant dinosaur feet. This made the preparation of the meal something of an adventure, and we mean the kind where it’s sort of unpleasant. We rolled up our sleeves, though, and soldiered on. The only solution was to cut that bird up until it looked like the sort of chicken we know and love, and so it stopped staring at us.

Eating this chicken is a strange experience. Your tastebuds say “chicken!”, while your brain can’t quite get over the color. The texture of the meat is somehow reminiscent of turkey, with a richer flavor than one gets with regular chicken. There isn’t a great deal of meat on one of these birds, but what you do find is tasty. Thankfully, the stuffing is absolutely YUM. Each flavor gets its own sort of showcase in your mouth, and each provides a nice, different texture from the others.

Bottom Line? A nice recipe, but next time we’ll put the stuffing in a normal chicken.

Get the Recipe…

Salladhor Saan’s shipboard Dinner

“Salladhor Saan got to his feet. ‘My pardons. These grapes have given me a hunger, and dinner awaits on my Valyrian. Minced lamb with pepper and roasted gull stuffed with mushrooms and fennel and onion.” (II: 115)

Medieval Lamb Meatballs and Modern Roasted “Gull”

Our Thoughts:

This is a really nice, comparatively easy meal. The lamb meatballs are simply made, soft and spicy. Because they only have pepper in them, the delicious flavor unique to lamb really comes through. The eggplant puree only adds to the experience of the meatballs. In the “gull” corner, the stuffing is what really makes it special. The fennel stays a little crunchy, providing a nice textural counterpoint to the flavor combo of the other ingredients. Pop a few grapes for dessert, and you’ll be feasting like a pirate king.

Make it at Home!