A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook (A Song of Ice and Fire) (38 page)

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

Authors: Chelsea Monroe-Cassel,Sariann Lehrer

Breakfast in Meereen

Dany broke her fast under the persimmon tree that grew in the terrace garden.… Missandei served her duck eggs and dog sausage, and half a cup of sweetened wine mixed with the juice of a lime. The honey drew flies, but a scented candle drove them off
.
—A STORM OF SWORDS

Serves 2
Eggs: Several hours to overnight
Prep: 10 minutes
Cooking: 30 minutes
Pairs well with
Honey-Sweetened Wine
This is one of the more decadent breakfasts to be found in Westeros or Essos. Tea eggs are a wonderfully simple way to make hard-boiled eggs interesting and exciting. The yolks stay creamy even after they are cooked; this, combined with the subtle flavors imparted by its tea, is a spicy and exotic variation on the common egg. We recommend pairing them with a lamb sausage, a suitably unusual breakfast meat. Consider serving the Honey-Sweetened Wine as well; it is an exquisite addition to the meal, complementing the sweetness of the fresh fruit and balancing the richness of meat and eggs.
4 hard-boiled eggs, preferably duck eggs (see
this page
)
3 black tea bags
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground clove
1 star anise
½ cup soy sauce
4 sausages, your favorite kind
Persimmon, figs, dates, or other fruit (optional)
Using the back of a spoon, gently crack the shells of the hard-boiled eggs all the way around so there are spiderweb-like lines all over the shells. Place them back in the pot and cover them with water. To the pot, add the tea bags, spices, and soy sauce. Simmer the eggs in this mixture for 30 minutes, then either continue to simmer for
another few hours, or soak them overnight. At this point, you can either chill the eggs for up to a week and serve them cold, or you can serve them warm.
When you’re ready to serve, peel the eggs, taking care to just remove the shell and the outer membrane and to preserve the beautiful cracked pattern on the egg white.
Cook the sausages according to your preference, slice up some fruit, arrange everything on the plates, and serve.

Cook’s Note:
Both the eggs (and the wine, if you choose to serve it) require time to steep, and are best prepared the day before.

Biscuits and Bacon

Ysilla was turning the biscuits. She laid an iron pan atop the brazier and put the bacon in. Some days she cooked biscuits and bacon; some days bacon and biscuits. Once every fortnight there might be a fish, but not today.… They were best when eaten hot, dripping with honey and butter
.
—A DANCE WITH DRAGONS

Serves 4
Prep: 10 minutes
Biscuits: 15 minutes
Gravy: 10 minutes
Like many of our modern recipe interpretations, this one is a bit loose. We doubt that Ysilla would have the means to make this particular pairing on the deck of a ship, but it was too delicious to pass up.
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder Salt
3 cups milk (whatever is in the fridge)
2 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted
6 slices bacon
Ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 450°F and grease a baking sheet.
In a bowl, combine 2 cups flour, the baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Combine 1 cup of the milk and the butter, then stir this into the dry ingredients until just blended. Drop the biscuits by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
While the biscuits bake, preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the
bacon in the skillet and cook until it is just shy of crispy. Set it aside to drain on paper towels. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour to the grease, and whisk it in thoroughly. Cook for about 1 minute, taking care not to burn the flour. Then add the remaining 2 cups milk and whisk thoroughly. Heat the mixture until bubbling, then simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until it starts to thicken. Meanwhile, crumble the bacon and add it to the gravy along with generous amounts of salt and pepper. Allow the gravy to simmer until the desired consistency is achieved, then serve it over the biscuits.

Honey-Spiced Locusts

Hizdahr had stocked their box with flagons of chilled wine and sweetwater, with figs, dates, melons, and pomegranates, with pecans and peppers and a big bowl of honeyed locusts. Strong Belwas bellowed, “Locusts!” as he seized the bowl and began to crunch them by the handful
.

—A DANCE WITH DRAGONS

Makes 1 cup of cooked insects
Prep: 15 minutes
Cooking: 10 minutes

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