Poultry ala Sunbird – Fragile Things

Thoughts:

This plate is full of exotic, old world flavors. The chicken is soft and tender, and the meat falls from the bone, gently infused with the ingredients in the cider can. Flavors from the herbs are just barely present, but there, and the lavender mostly fades to the background, except for a hint of aroma.

The sauce is out of this world. Vanilla bean might seem counter-intuitive but it blends with the other flavors surprisingly well. I wondered how the garlic and the sweeter flavors would meld, but the whole thing came together wonderfully. The grains of paradise, which were my own addition, give the sauce a little bit of a kick. The final squeeze of citrus in the sauce gives the whole a little zip, and helps to round out the feeling of the sauce on the tongue.

I’d love to try this same recipe with a pheasant, but until one happens my way, I’ll be more than happy to enjoy this with chicken again and again.

Poultry ala Sunbird Recipe

Ingredients:

1 chicken
1 can of cider, 1/3 filled
1 sprig rosemary
1 sprig sage
1/2 tsp. dried lavender
1 tsp. cardamom
1/2 tsp. coriander seed

Fill the can of cider with the spices and herbs. Place the can inside the chicken, and stand it up in a pot. Cover with aluminium foil, and cook for around 1 hour. While it’s cooking, make the sauce (below).

Remove the chicken from the oven, and let rest for 15 minutes.

Discard the can and carve the bird. Drizzle with sauce, and serve hot.

Sauce:

Cook’s Notes: Of all the quirky ingredients that went into the description of this dish, patchouli was the only one I didn’t have on hand. Feel free to improvise according to what’s in your own pantry!

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
2/3 can cider
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbs. honey
1/2 tsp. red sandalwood powder
1/2 tsp. ground grains of paradise
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
pinch of cloves
pinch of nutmeg
1 vanilla bean
1 Tbs. molasses
1 Tbs. worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs. fresh orange or lemon juice

Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add the garlic and sautee until soft. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for around 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it has thickened. Turn off the heat, add the citrus juice, and stir to incorporate. Serve immediately.

Historical Hot Chocolate, 1631

Thoughts:

This is the most decadent hot cocoa I have ever encountered.

Made thick and creamy by the emulsified ground nuts, it pours beautifully. There is a hint of robust smoky spiciness lent by the chipotle that compliments the chocolate, giving it a warm mouth feel no matter what temperature you serve it. The spice lingers on the back of the tongue, allowing the other flavors a turn. The anise is subtle, but with a distinct small bite, and traces of the cinnamon are there also. The annato doesn’t have much flavor, but adds a wonderful rich depth of color.

This recipe was probably intended to be made with water, and possibly even served cold. I like using milk as the base, as it increases the creaminess of the drink. When it’s cold the oils from the nuts rise to the top in a very thin sheen.

*Fun Fact: drinking chocolate did not violate the terms of fasting, as dictated by the Catholic Church. Win!*

Recipe for Historical Hot Chocolate

“Take one hundred cocoa beans, two chillies, a handful of anise seed and two of vanilla (two pulverized Alexandria roses can be substituted), two drams of cinnamon, one dozen almonds and the same amount of hazelnuts, half a pound of white sugar and enough annatto to give some color. And there you have the king of chocolates.” -Curioso tratado de la naturaleza y calidad del chocolate (A Curious Treatise of the Nature and Quality of Chocolate), 1631

Cook’s Notes: Although nuts ground in a food processor can work in a pinch, I recommend using pre-ground flour, which will be a finer consistency that one can usually get at home. If you’d like it spicier, feel free to tweak the chili types/proportions to taste!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup ground cocoa, unsweetened
1 dried chili pepper (chipotle), ground or chopped fine
1 anise star
1/2 vanilla bean, or 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. almond flour
1 tsp. hazelnut flour
2 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. ground annato for color
pinch of cayenne (optional)
2 cups milk

Combine all the ingredients with the milk in a medium saucepan. Heat gently for around 5 minutes, but do not bring to a boil. Strain into cups, and enjoy!

Salladhor Saan’s Hot Wine

“Fetch him some hot wine with cloves, I am misliking the sound of that cough. Squeeze some lime in it as well. And bring white cheese and a bowl of those cracked green olives we counted earlier! Davos, I will join you soon, once I have bespoken our good captain. You will be forgiving me, I know. Do not eat all the olives, or I will be cross with you!” -A Storm of Swords

Salladhor Saan’s Hot Wine

Thoughts:

While spiced red wine is perfectly suited to winter in the frozen North, this recipe uses more summery, exotic ingredients that one might find in the holds of a pirate captain’s ship: vanilla, lime, and expensive spices.

This is a unique twist on a usual mulled wine recipe, resulting in something vaguely like a hot sangria. Each of the flavors takes its turn on the palate, from the initial burst of citrus to the semi-sting of cloves and pepper, while the bay leaves impart just a slight hint of earthiness. The vanilla and honey combine to sweeten out the tartness of the lime, rounding out the full taste experience of this drink.

A must try for those who like hot wine!

Salladhor Saan’s Hot Wine Recipe

Cook’s Note: I chose to use a white wine, even though the wine in the book is a red.

Ingredients:

1 lime, keep the peel and half the juice
700 ml white fruity wine (that is 1 normal bottle)
1-2 vanilla pods (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
3 bay leaves
~10 whole cloves
pinch of ground cloves
pinch of white pepper
3 -4 tablespoons honey
6 tablespoons white port (optional, but fortifying)

Peel the lime, cut into small pieces, and juice half of it. Pour the wine in a pan, add the lime peel, lime juice, vanilla pods, cloves, pepper, and bay leaves. Bring to just under a simmer. Lower the heat, cover the pan and leave to warm through for at least 15 minutes. Try to just keep it hot and not let it boil. Add 3 tablespoons of honey and the port, if using, then taste to see or you want to add more honey. Remove the vanilla pods, cloves, lime peel and the bay leaves. Serve in a heatproof glass.