A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook (A Song of Ice and Fire) (32 page)

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Authors: Chelsea Monroe-Cassel,Sariann Lehrer

BOOK: A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook (A Song of Ice and Fire)
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Pairs well with
Oatbread
,
Sweetcorn Fritters
, mead
At first quite peppery, the sauce quickly mellows into a complex medley of flavors that delights the palate. Cloves are predominant, but despite the quantity, the flavor isn’t overwhelming. The boar itself is like a delicious hybrid—the texture similar to a high-quality cut of steak, and the richness like venison, but without the accompanying gaminess. A medieval must!
4 boar tenderloins, about
¼ pound each
⅛ cup red wine, such as a rioja or Syrah
1 cup apple cider or white grape juice
2 teaspoons
Poudre Forte
⅛ cup red wine vinegar
12 to 20 whole cloves
Place the boar tenderloins in a Ziploc bag or a baking dish. Mix the wine, vinegar, and juice with 1 teaspoon of the poudre forte, and pour the marinade over the boar. Allow the meat to sit in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Drain the liquid into a saucepan, and set it aside. Using a sharp paring knife, make small holes in the tenderloins and insert whole cloves into the meat; 3 to 5 cloves per tenderloin should suffice. Sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon poudre forte over the tenderloins, pressing the spices into the meat.
Line a baking pan with tinfoil and place the boar on it. Roast the meat for 15 minutes, then check for doneness. Depending on the size of your tenderloins, it may take up to 10 minutes longer.
Remove the boar from the oven and pour any juices from the baking pan into the reserved marinade. Cover the boar to keep it warm.
Simmer the sauce ingredients until they have reduced slightly, around 15 minutes. Pour the sauce over the boar and serve.
Peaches in Honey

When a serving girl brought [Sansa] her supper, she almost kissed her. There was hot bread and fresh-churned butter, a thick beef soup, capon and carrots, and peaches in honey
. Even the food tastes sweeter,
she thought
.
—A CLASH OF KINGS

Roman Peaches in Honey-Cumin Sauce

Persica duriora purgabis, frustratim concides, elixas, in patina compones, olei modicum superstillabis et cum cuminato inferes
.
—APICIUS, 4TH CENTURY

Serves 8 or more
Prep: 15 minutes
Baking: 30 minutes
Pairs well with
Pork Pie
,
Honeyed Chicken
,
Sansa Salad
, sweet wine
This is a curious recipe, taken from an ancient Roman text on cookery. The combination of pepper, cumin, and fruit turns familiar flavors into something unusual, each element lingering in its turn on the palate. The dish would work beautifully as a chutney or as a side dish to a meaty main course—it isn’t what most of us consider a dessert. A little bit goes a long way, but this is what your favorite meat course didn’t know it was missing.
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
¼ cup honey
¼ cup white wine vinegar
Pinch of dried mint
4 peaches, ripe or just underripe
2 tablespoons olive oil
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Roast the cumin in a dry pan until it turns fragrant and just begins to darken; this takes only a few minutes. Mix the roasted cumin with the pepper and set aside.
Mix the honey and vinegar in a saucepan, then cook it over medium heat until the honey has melted into the vinegar. Stir in the spice mix and the mint. Simmer briefly, stirring, until everything is combined.
Peel the peaches, remove the pits, and cut them into slices. Place the peach slices in a large baking pan and toss them with olive oil. Pour the cumin sauce over the peaches and bake for 30 minutes.

Modern Grilled Peaches in Honey
Serves 8
Prep: 5 minutes
Grilling: 8 to 10 minutes
Honey glaze: 30 minutes
Pairs well with Modern
Bean-and-Bacon Soup
,
Beef and Bacon Pie
, white wine
These peaches are pure deliciousness. Grilling brings out the fullness of the peach flavors, and they become reminiscent of peach pie filling. The thyme-infused honey takes the sweetness and complexity to the next level. You will want to savor every single bite. Consider adding a dollop of crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream to complete the dish.
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 fresh thyme sprigs, plus more for garnish if desired
4 firm ripe peaches, cut in half, pits discarded
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Mascarpone, crème fraîche, or vanilla ice cream for serving
Chopped nuts for garnish (optional)
In a small pot, whisk together the honey and lemon juice. Add the thyme sprigs and cook over low heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat, cover it, and let the mixture steep for 15 to 20 minutes. Then discard thyme sprigs and strain the glaze if necessary. You can serve it cold or reheat it when the peaches are ready.
Shortly before you are ready to serve the dessert, put the peach halves in a bowl, drizzle them with oil, and mix them with your hands. Make sure all the peaches are coated with a thin layer of oil. Heat a grill pan.
Put the peaches on the hot pan, cut-side down. Cook them for 4 to 5 minutes, then turn them over. Cook for another 4 minutes, or until the peaches are soft but still firm (they shouldn’t fall apart).
Place the peaches on plates, drizzle them with glaze, and top with a dollop of mascarpone, crème fraîche, or a scoop of ice cream. Decorate with chopped nuts or thyme sprigs.
Apricot Tarts

A man was pushing a load of tarts by on a two-wheeled cart; the smells sang of blueberries and lemons and apricots. [Arya’s] stomach made a hollow rumbly noise. “Could I have one?” she heard herself say
.

—A GAME OF THRONES

Medieval Apricot Tarts

Lesshes fryed in lenton. Drawe a thick almande mylke wiþ wat. Take dat and pyke he clene w apples and peere & mynce he w pnes&; take out þ ston out of þ pnes, & kerue the pnes a two. Do þto raisons, sug, flo of canel, hoole macys and clow, gode powdos & salt; colo hem vp with sandr. Meng þise with oile. Make a coffyn as þ didest bifor & do þis fars þin, & bake it wel, and sue it forth
.

—THE FORME OF CURY
, 14
TH CENTURY

Makes eight 4-inch tarts or one 9-inch tart
Prep: 15 minutes
Baking: 45 minutes
Pairs well with
Almond Crusted Trout
,
Salad at Castle Black
, semisweet white wine
The original 14th-century recipe for this tart includes several different kinds of fruit but is still delicious when altered to showcase apricots. The yellow-orange of the apricots is beautiful against the red of the sandalwood-tinted creamy filling, and the combination of fresh and dried fruit creates a textural balance.
2 cups almond milk
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground mace
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sandalwood powder, or a few drops of red food coloring
½ cup dried apricots, sliced into thin strips
3 to 5 fresh apricots, diced
½ cup pitted prunes, thinly sliced lengthwise
½ cup currants
1 batch
Medieval Pastry Dough
, prebaked into one 9-inch shell or eight 4-inch shells

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