Steak and Kidney Pie

“Winterfell…When last I was inside those walls, your cook served us a steak and kidney pie. Made with ale, I think, best I ever tasted. What was his name, that cook?”
“Gage,” Jeyne said at once. “He was a good cook. He would make lemoncakes for Sansa whenever we had lemons.” -The Winds of Winter

Steak and Kidney Pie, from the Winds of Winter

Thoughts:

Huzzah, and rejoice! Another recipe from the Winds of Winter, pulled from a previous excerpt chapter on GRRM’s site.

I admit that I was a tad nervous to make this pie. I’ve had steak and kidney pie before, and loved it, but I’ve also heard reports of kidneys being far too gamey to be enjoyable. However, I was determined to power through, so I found some really nice lamb kidneys at the ever-awesome Savenor’s, and set to work.

I couldn’t be happier with the finished pie. I had a slice for each meal of the day (it makes an amazing breakfast), and was delighted each time. Because the meats are stewed in ale, as per the quote, it’s tender, juicy, and tumbled in a rich gravy. I’ve seen versions with veggies and such mixed in, but I liked the no-nonsense mixture in this pie, which is pretty much just meat.

Recipe for Steak and Kidney Pie

Ingredients:

3/4 lb. quality lamb kidney (about 4 kidneys)
2 lb stew beef, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup flour
3 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 bottle ale
1 1/2 cup beef stock
1 medium onion, diced

Pastry ingredients:

3 cups flour
1 tsp. coarse salt
1 stick butter
~1/2 cup cold water
1/4 cup milk for glaze, or 1 egg, beaten

Cut the kidneys into small pieces, around 1″, avoiding the hard white parts around the middle. In medium heat oil, sear the kidney for a couple of seconds, then add everything else. Cover and simmer for an hour and a half, or until the gravy has thickened. Allow to cool while you roll out the pastry.

Combine the flour and salt, then rub or cut in the butter until it resembles a coarse breadcrumb mixture. Gradually add enough water to pull the whole together. Place in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.

Divide the pastry dough in two, and roll out to two rounds, about 1/8″ thick. Place one layer of dough in a pie pan, then fill with the cooled meat mixture. Wet the edges, then place the second layer of dough over top. Trim excess dough off the sides, then fold under and seal. Brush with egg or milk, and bake at 400F for around 40 minutes, or until the top is a golden brown. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

What Next?

We have learned so very much over the past year, about blogging, photography, and historical cooking. The cookbook process was veritable trial by fire, and we had to accomplish a great deal in a relatively short amount of time. We’ve gone from photographing dishes in the kitchen with our phones:

…to published authors with an eye for edible aesthetics:

But now, about a year and a half after starting this blog, we find ourselves, ironically, approaching a crossroad.

In time, inevitably, we will run out of new Westeros foods to make. It seems nearly impossible, given the sheer size of the books, but in over a year, we’ve made hundreds of recipes. A far cry from our original goal of about 100 recipes, we’ve now completed more than

132 dishes, and over 208 total recipes!

Clearly, we got carried away.

But since we’ve enjoyed our time at The Inn so much, we would like to see it turn into something new, rather than just fizzle out. We have a few ideas, but as always, we’d love to get your input! An historical food blog? A medieval chatroom? A shadowy corner for Westerosi conspiracy theorists?

What would you like to see The Inn transition into? At least, of course, while we wait for The Winds of Winter, because you know that if GRRM writes it, we’ll try to cook it. ;)

And for fictional food from other worlds, be sure to check out Chelsea’s blog, Food Through the Pages.

Sept Holiday Buns

Sept Holiday Buns

This one is a suggestion for the next book, as they’re delicious, historical, and really cool looking. I wanted to find a Westerosi holiday that they could feasibly be baked for, but shockingly, GRRM only lists one holiday: Maidens Day.

That didn’t seem to fit my vision, so if he should read this, I’d suggest not only including these buns, but also a holiday for The Seven. King’s Landing needs all the celebration it can get!

The buns are fluffy, light, and quite rich, especially given the relatively small amount of butter in the recipe. They make a delightful breakfast bun, and are at their very best when still warm from the oven. The combined icing and currants sweeten the deal, while the density of the bun makes it a great way to start one’s day, or celebrate your fave deities.

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Roman Sweets

“…next I sing of honey, the heavenly ethereal gift…” -Virgil

Roman Stuffed Dates

Our Thoughts:

These are a purely natural, gluten and sugar free powerhouse of nominess. The texture of chewy date is complimented by the crunchy nut filling, and the whole is dripping with honey. They fit perfectly with my mental preconceptions of Ancient Roman dining. Imagine reclining on elegant couches, opulent fabrics rippling underneath you toward the exquisite mosaic on the floor. Course after course of decadence is served, yet this dish stands apart as the epitome of simple, delicious sweets.

Go on. You know you want to.

Roman Stuffed Dates

DULCIA DOMESTICA: LITTLE HOME CONFECTIONS (WHICH ARE CALLED DULCIARIA) ARE MADE THUS: LITTLE PALMS OR (AS THEY ARE ORDINARILY CALLED) DATES ARE STUFFED—AFTER THE SEEDS HAVE BEEN REMOVED—WITH A NUT OR WITH NUTS AND GROUND PEPPER, SPRINKLED WITH SALT ON THE OUTSIDE AND ARE CANDIED IN HONEY AND SERVED.

Ingredients:

Dried dates, pitted
crushed nuts – hazelnuts and cooked chestnuts are perfect
cinnamon and long pepper (or black pepper), 1 tsp. per 1/2 cup of nuts
honey to cover the stuffed dates
a jar to store them in

Chop the nuts small, and mix with cinnamon and pepper. Carefully stuff this mixture into the pitted dates, taking care to not overstuff and tear the fruit. Place the stuffed dates in a jar, propping the dates up to keep the nuts from spilling out. Continue this process until the jar is full. Pour honey over the stuffed dates until all the crevices are filled.

Wassail

Wassail

Our Thoughts:

Incredible.

I struggled to find a wassail recipe that really appealed to me, so naturally, I made one up. The resulting beverage is cider perfected. It tastes of autumn, crisp winds, and the Wolfswood. The alcohol combination manages to disappear completely into the cider (danger! danger!), although the ale gives just the slightest fizz. It starts out subtle, then builds almost instantly to a spiced cider explosion.

I’ve heard of adding tea to wassail, and look forward to experimenting with that, but in the meantime, this is a new winter staple at The Inn.

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Lemon Curd

Lemon Curd

Our Thoughts:

Lemon curd is so unbelievably good, so decadent, that you will not believe us when we tell you that it’s also easy to make yourself. But give this recipe a try, and you’ll not resort to buying the overpriced jar at the market ever again.

This makes a wonderful topping for any of our various lemoncake recipes, a classic accompaniment to scones and tea, or eaten directly off a spoon.

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Concord Grape Pie

We ought to do good to others as simply as a horse runs, or a bee
makes honey, or a vine bears grapes season after season
without thinking of the grapes it has borne.
– Marcus AureliusConcord Grape Pie

Our Thoughts:

It’s soooo good! For me, because it’s a regional fingerlakes favorite, this is the taste of fall, and childhood.

The pie seizes up as it cooks, making a wonderfully gooey dessert with just a hint of the lemon, which only intensifies the flavor of the grapes. The aroma curls through the house, tempting tendrils nearly as perceptible as cartoon animation, luring you to the kitchen. The taste is an explosion of grapeness, as though you are eating Platonic Concord grapes, sun-warmed from the vine.

Why it should be in the next book:

Because it’s delicious! It’s a perfect pie for the Redwynes, as their economy revolves entirely around the export of grapes and wines. It would be almost inevitable that they would have a very grape-centric cuisine, and this pie would, for them, be as much a staple of their pantry as apple pies in New England. At least before the reavers hit…

Get the Recipe!

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.

Spiced Plum Mousse w/Honey

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

-William Carlos Williams, 1934

Thoughts:

Ohmygoodness, but this is GOOD. Like, crazy delicious. This is an instant favorite, and will probably be made several times during every holiday season for the rest of our lives. The recipe is simple, the texture is smooth, and the flavor can’t be beat. The strong spice mixture leaves just a slight tingle on the lips. And with the onset of summer, and with it fresh fruits, this dish is a must!

Why it should be in the Next Book:

Didn’t you read that? Or look at the photo? This is a phenomenally good dish, one that is authentically medieval, yet interesting and exotic enough that any character in Westeros would be delighted to partake. We imagine it in Highgarden, down on The Arbor, or over in Pentos.

Spiced Plum Mousse with Honey- Recipe

Take bolas and scald hem with wyne, and drawe hem thorow a straynour; do hem in a pot. Clarify hony, and therto with powdour fort and flour of rys. Salt it & florissh it with whyte aneys, & serve it forth. -Forme of Cury, 1390

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes

Makes around 4 servings

Cook’s Notes: Yellow plums and white wine yield a golden-colored mousse, while purple plums and a red form a quite different but equally delicious mousse. We opted to leave the anise out of our mousse, but have included it in the ingredients to keep consistent with the original recipe. We also think that some candied orange peel garnish would be a fantastic addition to this dish.

Ingredients:

~1 pound of plums, purple or yellow
1 1/3 cups wine, red for purple plums, white for yellow plums (we used a syrah)
4 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. rice flour
pinch of salt
pinch of Powder Forte (see below)
1 Tbs. candied anise seeds (optional)

Candied anise seeds can be purchased inexpensively in Indian groceries or, at great cost, in fancy French groceries as anis de Flavigny.

Wash and pit the plums, cutting them in half, or pieces. Meanwhile, bring the wine to the boil in a stainless steel or other nonreactive pan. Add the plums and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the plums are very soft. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the wine.

Press the plums through a sieve into a heavy saucepan. Place this saucepan over low heat and stir in the honey. Stir the rice flour into the 1/4 cup of the reserved wine, then stir this mixture into the plum puree and add the salt and spices. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, until thickened. Pour into a serving bowl and cool slightly before serving. If you like, decorate with the candied anise seeds just before serving.

Powder Forte:
Mix equal parts black pepper, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves. You may also include long pepper, but it is very hard to come by. The most determined of cooks may find it in Indian markets.