"Games of Thrones" Themed Dinner

Both my husband and I are big fans of all of the "Game of Thrones" books, and the HBO series as well. It was fairly obvious early on as I read the novels, there is quite an emphasis on the descriptions of food and feasting throughout all five books. Since we love food, and cooking, I really wanted to see if there was a way to incorporate some of these ideas into a party or dinner. As I was researching, I found there had already been a cookbook created for just such an event !

We set about creating a beautiful Thanksgiving dinner for some friends designed around several of the recipes in the book. Most of the dishes have the option of a "traditional" and a "modern" preparation, and in each case we could, I opted for the traditional, we wanted the experience to be as authentic as possible.

Here is the problem...apparently the recipes weren't very well researched in terms of proportions and process. I am an experienced cook, and I could tell by just by looking at some of these were not going to work. The mistake I made was assuming the authors had done their research, tested these out and that the photographs actually represented the finished product. Silly, silly me. I ended up doing a lot of tweaking to their recipes, and had one that was a total fail, completely unsaveable.

Here is the menu I designed for the event:

We have the added benefit of having all our own meads and ales, so that was fun, but every other dish was made from or inspired by the cookbook A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook.

The one dish we most wanted to include in our feast was lemon cakes, because they are Sansa's favorites, and were mentioned several times throughout the books. They were a complete disaster, the original recipes proportions were off so much, the dough came out like sand. I tried adding extra lemon juice to form it into something of a cake or cookie, but they were burnt on the outside and raw in the middle. And, I knew it wasn't going to work when I looked at the recipe, but I somehow trusted that a published recipe had to have been tested, right ?

The other really big fail for us was the pease porridge. There simply wasn't enough liquid to make it porridge-like at all. I would probably re-make it, because the flavor was nice, but again, proportions were way off.

The one big score of the day was the Blueberries in Bastard Crèam. I think we would have been happy just drinking the cream, it was delicious. My husband thinks that recipe was worth the price of the cookbook ! And, I recalled my love of mulled wine, which we indulged in all throughout the day, and well into the evening. I will share that recipe, and possibly repost some of the others after I have refined them.

All in all, not the most successful dinner party I have ever hosted, but I learned I should always trust my instincts when attempting a new recipe. Just because someone has published a cookbook that has beautiful photos does not mean they have all the answers !

 



Crockpot Beef Pho

I have to admit, mine isn't as beautiful as the dish that inspired this, from the lovely and talented Dorothy Stainbrook at Heath Glen Farms, linked here: 

http://www.farmtojar.com/recipes/slow-cooker-vietnamese-beef-pho-vietnamese-beef-noodle-soup/

But, I was very excited at the change to finally convince my husband that he would like this dish. I love pho, and we have tried it a few times, but he just never liked it. Well, in his defense, the first time he had it, I brought it home from a restaurant, and I didn't give him proper instructions on how to eat it. He took ALL of the garnishes, dumped them into the soup and attempted to eat it. It wasn't good. He isn't a big fan of soy sauce, and there was way too much basil and too many hot peppers, so it didn't go over well. We have had some bad versions as well. So, he was convinced he didn't live it. 

I was determined I could make a version he would like, and then I saw Dorothy's crock pot style pho. I knew I could slightly change the mix of ingredients to make it something he could like. And, he did ! The best thing about this is how easy it is to modify to your tastes. Thank you so much, Dorothy, for inspiring this lovely soup ! 

Crockpot Beef Pho 

1 pound oxtail, short ribs or beef shank 

2 tablespoons fish sauce 

2 tablespoons soy sauce 

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 cloves garlic 

2 large onions, diced 

4 ounces ginger, diced 

8 cups beef stock 

1 cinnamon stick 

1 teaspoon anise seed 

1 teaspoon fennel seed 

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes 

2 tablespoons honey 

For garnishes: 

Lime, cut in wedges 

Bean sprouts 

Sauteed cabbage

Thin rice noodles 

1 pound sirloin steak, thinly sliced 

Jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced 

Fresh herbs: basil, mint, cilantro 

Place oxtail, ribs or shank in a zip lock bag, along with the fish sauce and soy sauce, and place in the refrigerator. Let marinate overnight. In the morning, heat olive oil in a large, non-stick skillet. Place meat in skillet and sear well on all sides. Place meat in a crockpot. Add onions, garlic and ginger to the same skillet and saute until all are carmelized, about 10 minutes. Add these to the crockpot, and then pour in beef stock. Place a small saute pan over high heat, and place dry spices in pan. Heat spices until they become aromatic, let them cool, and place in a small cheesecloth pouch. Add these to the crockpot as well. Heat on low for 8-10 hours. Strain broth through a sieve to remove all the bits, and simmer. Plunge the noodles into the broth just until soft, then place in a bowl. Gently lay strips of steak over the top of the noodles, and our hot broth over the top. Garnish as desired. 

Third Place Pumpkin Chili

Am I bitter ? Absolutely not. It was a calculated risk to make a non-traditional chili for my Scandinavian Lutheran coworkers. Even more risky to make it spicy, with some Indian inspired flavors.

I contemplated making the previously award winning white chicken chili,  but with nine other entries,  I thought I had some room for something more adventurous.  Would it win? Probably not, but I was really happy with the flavor, and the foodie folk at work appreciated the unusual combination of flavors.

Third Place Pumpkin Chili

1 pound smoky bacon, diced
2 medium  onions diced
One yellow and one red pepper, diced
2 pounds spicy turkey sausage
8 cups turkey stock
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can tomatoes with green chilies (mine were homemade,  so extra spicy)
2 cans pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling, although, that might be interesting, too)
1 small sugar pumpkin,  cooked slightly, then diced into half inch cubes
2 tablespoons cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 bottles good quality beer (I used some Three Floyds Pride and Joy, but feel free to add any beer you like)
Greek yogurt and chopped cilantro,  for garnish
In a large stockpot, fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon,  then add onions, peppers and garlic.  Saute until soft, then crumble in turkey sausage.  Brown sausage, then add stock, beans, tomatoes, puree and pumpkin cubes. Bring to a boil, then add spices and beer. Simmer until pumpkin cubes are tender. Serve with yogurt and cilantro for garnish.

Oatmeal Bars with Sour Cherry Jam

I have a friend, Soraya, who loves to make jam. And the jams are, quite frankly, phenomenal. She is always kind enough to share them with us, and we love them. But, we don't eat a lot of jam. I use it more in recipes than just eating on toast or bread. 

I have a handful of recipes that call for jam (thumbprint cookies, trifle), but I wanted something that would complement this really unusual sour cherry jam she made us this year. I like the fact that it isn't overly sweet, and it made these almost taste like a filled granola bar. I think the beauty of this recipe is that I could substitute any jam for the filling, but the mixture of the sour cherries and garam masala was perfection.

Oatmeal Bars with Sour Cherry Jam

2 sticks butter, softened (1 cup)

1 3/4 cup oatmeal

1 3/4 cup flour

2/3 cup dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon garam masala

12 ounces sour cherry jam (or whatever kind you prefer)

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, mix together the butter and the dry ingredients. Press half of this mixture into a 9 by 13 pan, to form a crust. Evenly spread the jam over the top of the crust. Gently sprinkle the remaining dry mixture evenly over the jam, and press down lightly to set. Bake 35-45 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting into squares.

Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Meatloaf

I love jalapeno poppers, and even more if they have bacon. When the weather started to turn cold, it totally made sense to make meatloaf, and stuff it with my very favorite flavors of bacon, jalapeno and cheese.

This couldn't be simpler, and it made excellent leftover meatloaf sandwiches the next day. I know you're jealous, aren't you ?

Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Meatloaf

1 cup panko bread crumbs
2/3 cup milk
2 pounds lean ground beef
2 tablespoons Montreal steak seasoning
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 eggs, beaten
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 small jalapenos, diced finely
1/2 pound bacon, cooked and diced
1/2 cup ketchup
Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, mix together panko bread crumbs and milk. Let the milk absorb completely, then add ground beef, eggs, steak seasoning, Worcestershire sauce and eggs. Mix well and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine cream cheese, jalapeno peppers and bacon. Using a 9 by 5 loaf pan, press half of the meat mixture into the bottom. Spread cream cheese mixture over the top, then press remaining meat mixture over the top of this. Spread ketchup over the top of this. Cover with foil, and bake 1 hour. Remove foil, and bake an addition half hour to 45 minutes until top is brown and meat reaches an internal temperature of 175 degrees. Remove from oven, and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
 

Potato Leek Soup

I didn't take a photo of this soup, because I didn't make it to eat. Well, not yet, anyway. I woke up early on Saturday, and needed to get this soup cooked and ready for the freezer, so I could have dinners and lunches ready for the coming week, and some for the weeks ahead.

 

Potato leek is one of my all time favorite soups. I never really had this when I was growing up. We had potato soup, for sure, but it was the chunky, super creamy kind, very rich and hearty. That is not this soup. This one is very smooth and delicate, and also very simple to make. I was lucky enough to get both potatoes and leeks in my last CSA box, so it was a perfect time of year to break out this recipe.

 

You can leave out the cream cheese and make the entire soup dairy free as well, it will be plenty creamy as is.

 

Potato Leek Soup

1 pound leeks

2 tablespoons butter

2 ½ pounds russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

8 ounces cream cheese, softened (optional)

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

 

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Bacon, fresh chives, sour cream for garnish

 

Slice entire leek thinly, and rinse well in water, to remove any grit or dirt. Pat dry on paper towels. In a large Dutch oven, melt butter and sauté leeks until tender. Add potatoes and stock, and simmer until potatoes are tender, approximately 30 minutes. In small batches, puree soup and cream cheese in  blender until smooth. Pour back into pan, and add lemon juice, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Simmer an additional 10 minutes, adjusting seasoning as needed. Garnish as desired.

Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Pizza

We spent a rather rainy, windy weekend in Duluth, but the one of the highlights of the trip was a visit to the Northern Waters Smokehaus. We always stop on the way out of town, because we love their products ! And as always, we purchase more than we should...

 

The traditional smoked salmon there is my favorite, so we buy some for snacking, and some for cooking as well. I was thinking about a take on lox and bagels for this pizza, and wanted to top it with some of the very cute pea shoot and microgreen mix we received from Bossy Acres. This was so easy to put together, as I had a pizza crust I had frozen from my last batch all ready to go. A little topping of pickled onions and sour cream was the perfect accompaniment.

 

Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Pizza

1 pizza crust (we prefer thin, but any kind will work here)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup smoked salmon, shredded

1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled

Pea shoots and micro greens, for garnish

 

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons pickled red onion, chopped

3 tablespoons sour cream

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Mix together and set aside.

 

Preheat oven to 500. Roll out crust on foil or parchment paper. Spread olive oil and garlic on the crust. Top with mozzarella, then salmon and goat cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven, and let rest for 2-3 minutes. Top with greens and drizzle with sauce.