Beef and Bacon Pie - A Feast of Ice and Fire

Of all the recipes in the book, " A Feast of Ice and Fire", by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel & Sariann Lehrer, I had most been looking forward to the Beef and Bacon Pie... and it did not disappoint.

"Part of  him wanted nothing so much as to hear Bran laugh again, to sup on one of Gage's beef-and-bacon pies, to listen to Old Nan tell her tales of the children of the forest and Florian the Fool." - A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

I got the egg wash all wrong, so it isn't as pretty as it is tastey this time!

As I tend to do, I went a little off recipe for this one.  I liked so much of both recipes in the book (Medieval and Modern variations) that I ended up with something that was a little in the middle.

9-12 strips bacon, diced

1 1/2 lbs beef stew meat

salt and pepper to taste
1 onion diced
1/2 medium potato diced
1 cup diced fruit (prunes, raisins, dates, or any combo)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup beef broth
2-3 tablespoons of flour
2 pastry dough sheets (for 9inch pies)

1) Preheat oven to 375
2) Cook the diced bacon in saucepan over medium heat, until all the fat has run out
 - drain fat and return bacon to the pan.
3) Add to the pan:  Beef, onion, potato, vinegar, fruits and broth
4) Add in the flour and cook on low until the juices form a gravy
5) Turn off heat and let the mixture cool
6) Line the pie tin with one pastry dough and fill it with the meat mixture
7) Add the second pie dough as a lid, trim off excess, pinch closed the edges
8) Brush with egg wash for pretty finish
9) Bake 40 minutes or until golden brown

Onions In Gravy - A Feast of Ice and Fire

Another great recipe worth holding onto from my new cookbook, "A Feast of Ice and Fire" by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel and Sariann Lehrer

" Ben Stark laughed. ' As I feared. Ah, well I was younger than you the first time I got truly and sincerely drunk.' He snagged a roasted onion, dripping brown with gravy from a nearby trencher and bit into it. It crunched."  - A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

The onions simmering in the gravy just before they were done.

1 bag of pearl onions (10 oz or so)

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/3 cup apple juice

1 tablespoon of flour

3 cups beef stock

Splash of brandy (optional)

 (I used my bacon bourbon)

Cut half the onions into quarters and set the remaining whole onions aside for now.

Place honey and butter in frying pan and the quartered onions, cooking for about 8 - 10 minutes or until they become golden brown.  Be sure to keep on stirring so that they do not burn

Add the cider in three splashes letting it come up to heat before adding the next splash.

Sprinkle the flour over the pan to make sure it fully incorporates, then add the stock and the reserved whole onions.

Bring this mixture to a simmer, cooking for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Reduce the heat and continue to cook until it reaches your desired consistency.

You can taste it and add additional salt and pepper or the booze at this point.

Lemon Cakes - A Feast of Ice and Fire

in like manner, we had Lemon Cakes after lunch, the recipe came from the book, "A Feast of Ice and Fire" by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel & Sariann Lehrer.

"Later came sweetbreads and pigeon pie and baked apples fragrant with cinnamon and lemon cakes frosted in sugar, but by then Sansa was so stuffed that she could not manage more than two little lemon cakes, as much as she loved them." - A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

This is what was left after lunch was served.

I used the books recipe for "Elizabethan Lemon Cakes" on page 165.  They are a cookie but very cake like, hence the name.

If you follow the directions you get 36 small little cakey-cookies and if you let your boyfriend help he doles them out into about a dozen man sized portions.  This kept them very cake like on the inside which was a hit for our crowd.

The original original recipe came from LUCAYOS COOKBOOK 1690  (not that is not a typo)

The redacted recipe for a modern kitchen thanks to the great authors of my new favorite cook book is as follows.

2 1/2 cups flour (plus more as needed)

2 cups sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Grated zest from 2 lemons

1 egg

2 egg yolks

and for the glaze

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon milk

1) preheat oven to 350 degrees - grease a baking sheet (or two)

2) in large bowl add flour, sugar and cut in the butter.

3) add zest and egg, and egg yolks.

4) mix  - add more flour if needed

5) roll dough into small 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on baking sheet 

6) Bake for 15 minutes, until tops just begin to turn golden

7) allow to cool for a minute, then move to cooling rack

8) Mix sugar and milk until very smooth, drizzles over the cooled cookies.

Cheese-and-Onion Pie - A Feast of Ice and Fire

Also from the book "A Feast of Ice and Fire" by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel & Sariann Lehrer, I served the an version of the Cheese and Onion Pie for our lunch.

"Moon Boy mounted his stilts and strode around the tables in pursuit of Lord Tyrell's ludicrously fat fool Butterbumps, and the lords and ladies sampled roasted herons and cheese-and-onion pies." - A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin

The photo shown here also has the stuffed grape leaves of Dorne on the plate. 

2 medium potatoes (peeled and cut into bite size cubes)
2 medium onions (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
   * original recipe called for an aged cheddar, I had an apple wood smoked cheddar
   * I also encourage trying other tasty aged or smoked cheeses as your taste buds see fit
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Pie dough - 2 rounds
1 egg white for glaze (optional)

1) Preheat oven for 350 degrees
2) boil potatoes 10-15 minutes, drain and set aside
3) boil the onions 2-3 minutes, drain and return to saucepan
4) coat the onions with the flour, add the milk and cream to the pan and cook over medium heat stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes.  (looks like an onion rue at this point)
5) Add potatoes, cheese and cayenne - stir well, season with salt and pepper as needed
6) Line a greased pie tin with one pie dough round, fork the bottom and fill with the goodness
7) brush rim with egg or water and place second pie dough on top
8) trim, and crimp to close the pie dough, make four holes in the center top, brush with egg white
9) bake 35 - 45 minutes or until golden brown, allow to cool to just above room temp before serving

Oatbread - A Feast of Ice and Fire

From my new book "A Feast of Ice and Fire" by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel & Sariann Lehrer, we held a feast for our friends as we watched Season 2 of "Game of Thrones" in a marathon!

Afternoon snack was Oatbread.

"Tyrion listened with half a ear as he sampled seetcorn fritters and hot oactbread baked with bits of date, apple and orange, and gnawed on the ribs of a wild boar" - A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin

This recipe makes 2 loaves, we doubled it because we knew we were going to want leftovers.  The 6 of us at the party ate through one loaf in the afternoon and another loaf at dinner.

1 1/c cups warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons of dry yeast
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
2 1/2 -3 cups all purpose flour  (or oat flour?)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temp
1/3 cup diced dates
1/3 cup diced candied orange peel
1/3 cup peeled, diced apple
some more rolled oats for topping (optional, but it makes the presentation)

1) combine warm water, yeast and honey in a large mixing bowl
2) let it sit for 5 minutes until it become bubbly, that is the yeast doing it's thing
3) Add oats, 1 cup flour, salt and butter.  Stir until completely combined.
4) add the fruits and work into the mixture until they are distributed evenly
5) gradually add in the rest of the flour until it becomes a cohesive mass of dough
6) flour your working surface, and turn the dough out onto it, kneeding for 8  minutes
* when you poke it and it bounces back, you are done
7) grease a large bowl, place the dough in it, cover with a clean dish towel to store in a warm place until it has doubled in size.
8) Then punch it down, divide it in half and form into two round loaves.
9) wet the tops with a little water and sprinkle with the optional rolled oats.
10) lightly score the tops with a X shape
11) place loaves on baking sheet, cover with clean towel and sit for an hour (they should double in size again)
12) Preheat over to 400 degrees
13) bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown


Serve with butter, or jams (appletini in thyme worked well)