Pre-Party Teaser Photos

More thrift store shopping!

I couldn't resist taking a couple of teaser pics after Brendan and I did a pre-staging of the food service area yesterday. We found some really excellent silver-plated serving trays, and left the edges tarnished for that worn-in look.


A portion of the drink selection: wines and mead.



We had two issues with dinner plates- first, we didn't have enough for twelve guests, and second, nothing we had looked even remotely period. After looking for 12 matching plates at 4 different thrift shops, we finally found these stainless steel plates at a dollar store for $1.25 each. They had a circle design lightly etched into the surface, so Brendan and I used 180 grit sandpaper to remove it, and take down some of the freshly-machined shine. Later, we also treated each plate with beeswax and distressed them a bit more.

More pictures to come later! For now, it's time to start on the first bits of food prep: making dough and soaking some split-peas.

Medieval Cooking, pt. 7, Elizabethan Lemon Cakes

More extra credit. I can definitely taste why these are Sansa's favorites. The recipe from the cookbook isn't listed on their website, but Inn at the Crossroads has a different lemon cake recipe to try.

Medieval Cooking, pt. 6, Buttered Carrots and Parsnips

While we at House Sheppard have been preparing to host our own modest shindig, the authors of A Feast of Ice and Fire (the cookbook I've been using all month) have been putting together a Game of Thrones Party Planning EBook, which they announced yesterday on their website!

Medieval March is almost over, and this is the final recipe I've chosen to prepare for the month. It's the simplest thing on the menu so far, and takes very little time to prepare.

Buttered Carrots and Parsnips

Carrot, parsnip, butter, spring onion, salt and pepper. That's really it. Peel and slice the roots at an angle (about 1/8 inch thick), melt a generous amount of unsalted butter in a skillet on medium-high, cook the roots in the butter until fork tender and beginning to blacken around the edges. The book says cook for 15 minutes but on my stove it only took about 5 minutes. Use your judgement.



Season with salt and pepper, garnish with spring onion, and serve.

Game of Thrones Party Preparations

It's just one week until the Game of Thrones premiere party! The official invitations have been sent:



Just for fun, I made a short video of myself digitally painting the portrait of Daenerys Targaryen on the invitations. Continuing the art project thread, Brendan indulged in a bit of woodburning and made a wall hanging for the dining room. Along with some intricate knotwork, he created a family sigil in the style of the show:



Other little details involve making the long grocery list and finding some decorations to finish off the theme. I managed to score this medieval-style candle holder centerpiece (with candles) at a thrift store for $15:

First Day of Spring Onions

Yesterday was the long-awaited Vernal Equinox, so I wanted to post something in celebration of my favorite season, Spring.



The following tip is worth passing on: If you buy spring onions from the store, you can regrow them just by placing the roots in water. We started these in a ramekin with shallow water, then when they started growing we transferred them to an empty peanut butter jar. They're thriving with little effort; we typically change the water every other day, but that's about it. The jar also makes another welcome pop of green on the kitchen counter.

Potatoes Au Gratin

Taking a short break from this month's medieval theme, I needed something simple to make on Sunday after a long and exhausting weekend signing autographs and sketching at a Magic: The Gathering tournament in DC. I had a great time, but after 10+ hours working plus commute time both days, I didn't want to expend too much energy in the kitchen.

Sunday was also St. Patrick's day. I'm neither Catholic nor of Irish descent, so I don't celebrate the holiday in its intended form, but a lot of folks seem to have adapted it into an informal celebration of Irish culture and beer. I decided to make a classic and simple potato dish. Au Gratin was originally a French style, but has been adapted by many different cultures over time. I thought au gratin potatoes were awful growing up because the first ones I tried were from a box (my nickname for them as a kid was "ugh, rotten!"). I can't begin to explain how much better it is made fresh.



Potatoes Au Gratin

Ingredients (makes 4 generous servings):

• 3 medium red skin potatoes, peeled
• 8 oz soft cheese (havarti, gouda, etc.)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp thyme
• 1/4 tsp rosemary
• salt and pepper to taste
• chopped spring onions (for garnish, optional)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400° F.

Using a mandolin slicer, slice the peeled potatoes as thin as possible. Set aside.

Begin making a cheese sauce by heating the heavy cream over low heat. Grate or cut up the havarti cheese into small pieces, and add to the heavy cream. Stir the cheese as it melts- the trick here is to let the cheese melt slowly. You do not want the cream to boil or burn while you make the cheese sauce. When the cheese is completely melted, add the salt and pepper and remove from heat.

In a 9 inch glass pie dish (or other glass bakeware) greased lightly with butter, create a layer from 1/3 of the potato slices. Pour 1/3 of the cheese sauce, then a pinch of the rosemary and thyme on top of the potatoes, and repeat twice more until all of the sauce, potatoes, and spices are layered in the dish.

Bake for 1 hour. When done, the top should be browned and crispy but the layers below should be soft, creamy, and easy to cut with a knife. This is a dish best served the same day it's made, since the cheese sauce can separate overnight and become oily. Once cooled for about 15 minutes, garnish with spring onions and enjoy!

Medieval Cooking, pt. 5, Tart in Ymbre Day

Happy Pi Day! (March 14th... 3.14... get it?)

I totally did not plan to make a pie on Pi Day, it just happened. This pie is based on the Tart in Ymbre Day (Amber Day Tart), or Cheese and Onion Pie in the Feast of Ice and Fire cookbook.

I made one the authentic way last week, and it came out bland, and a little awkward. Brendan specifically mentioned the saffron didn't work well with the currants and almost tasted soapy. Also, 3-4 modern-size onions and 8 modern-size eggs is far too much for a 9-inch pie. So I remixed the recipe a little and made it again. Here's what came out:



The crust is the same as the pastry crust I used in the fruit tarts from earlier this week, plus salt. I pre-baked this crust at 350° F for 10 minutes.

Tart in Ymbre Day, Revised

Filling Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 yellow onions, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 cup grated Havarti cheese
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup raisins, lightly coated in flour
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped basil
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp poudre douce
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375° F.

Pan-fry the chopped onions, basil, sage, and garlic in 2 tbsp butter over medium-high heat for about 12 minutes, or until the onions are tender. In a bowl, combine the cooked onions and all other ingredients, mix well, and pour the filling into the pre-baked pastry crust.

Bake the pie for 20 minutes, then remove and, if the crust is golden-brown, cover the crust with tin foil to keep it from getting too dark. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool for 10 minutes, slice and serve.



So, let's recap:
Appearance-wise, the authentic and revised versions aren't so different; the authentic version came out a bit lighter in both color and texture, probably because the onions were still white after parboiling, and there was more egg involved. The revised version is more flavorful and balanced, with the butter lending a rich almost dessert-like quality to the raisins and sweet spices.

So far, I'm thinking this dish will play the part of the vegetarian main course at the Game of Thrones-themed dinner. Stay tuned, as there's more to come...