To mak pyes of pairis tak and smyt fair buttes of pork and buttes of vele and put it to gedure in a pot with freshe brothe and put ther to a quantite of wyne and boile it tille it be enoughe then put it in to a treene vesselle and put ther to raw yolks of eggs pouder of guinger sugur salt and mynced dates and raissins of corans and mak a good thyn paiste and mak coffyns and put it ther in and bak it welle and serue it. —A NOBLE BOKE OFF COOKRY, 16TH CENTURY
Serves 6 to 8 Prep: 15 minutes Cooking: 45 minutes to 1 hour
Pairs well with Bean-and-Bacon Soup,
Cream Swans, dry cider
This medieval pork pie is nothing like the savory modern meat pies with which you may be familiar. This is a sweet meat pie, flavored with honey and ginger. If you enjoy pork served with sweet barbecue sauce, this is the dish for you.
1½ pounds ground pork
½ teaspoon salt
4 egg yolks
2 teaspoons ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
⅓ cup honey
½ cup dried currants
½ cup chopped dates
1 batch Medieval Pastry Dough or dough for a double-crust 9-inch pie, unbaked
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Brown the pork in a skillet over medium heat. Let cool slightly, and mix well with the salt, egg yolks, spices, honey, and fruits. (The filling should be very moist.) Place the mixture in the pie shell and add the lid. Fold the top dough under the edge of the bottom crust and pinch the edges shut. Cut decorative steam holes in the top of the pastry, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until golden brown.
Cook’s Note: This makes a great pairing with the Cream Swans, because you will be able to use the egg yolks for the pork pie, and the whites for the swans.
Modern Pork Pie
Serves 6 to 8 Prep: 15 minutes Cooking: 45 minutes to 1 hour
Pairs well with White Beans and Bacon,
Baked Apples, sweet cider
The modern pork pie is dense and savory. Drizzled with barbecue sauce, hot sauce, or ketchup, it is rendered utterly delicious. If, against all odds, you end up with leftovers, this pie is wonderful for a quick, cold breakfast straight from the fridge.
1 onion, diced
1½ pounds ground pork
1 sleeve of Ritz crackers, about 1½ to 2 cups crushed
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch each of salt and ground black pepper
⅓ cup spicy barbecue sauce, plus additional for serving
2 apples, cored, peeled, and thinly sliced
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 batch Medieval Pastry Dough or dough for a double-crust 9-inch pie, unbaked
Hot sauce and ketchup, for serving
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Lightly brown the onion in a pan over medium heat. Place it, along with the pork, crackers, poultry seasoning, cumin, and salt and pepper, in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Pour the filling into the pie shell, spreading it out evenly. Brush the sauce over the pork mixture. Arrange a layer of sliced apples over the top of the sauce, then sprinkle the cheese over the top of the apples.
Cover with the second piece of dough. Fold the top dough under the edge of the bottom crust and pinch the edges shut. Cut decorative steam holes in the top of the pastry and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until golden brown. Serve with the option of BBQ sauce, hot sauce, or ketchup.
Pease Porridge
They ate oaten porridge in the mornings, pease porridge in the afternoons, and salt beef, salt cod, and salt mutton at night, and washed it down with ale. —A FEAST FOR CROWS
Medieval Pease Porridge
French owt. Take and seeþ white peson and take oute perrey; & pboile erbis & hewe he grete, & cast he i a pot w the perrey pulle oynons & seeþ he hole wel i wat & do he to perrey w oile & salt; colo it with safron & messe it and cast þon powdo douce. —THE FORME OF CURY, 14TH CENTURY
Serves 3 to 4 Cooking peas: 30 to 40 minutes Parboiling: 5 minutes
Pairs well with Crusty White Bread,
Pork Pie, dry or sweet cider
This medieval porridge is characterized by a surprisingly sophisticated undercurrent of herbs and spices. The pearl onions add flashes of flavor that provide sweetness, while the light color of the yellow peas helps highlight the green of the herbs and the orange of the saffron, making for an inviting-looking dish. It makes a nice first course for a summer dinner or a vibrant side accompaniment to a hearty main course.
2 cups dried yellow split peas
6 cups water
1 sprig fresh parsley
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh mint
12 pearl onions, peeled and left whole
½ teaspoon plus a pinch of saffron
2 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon Poudre Douce
Put the split peas in a large pot, and add the water. Turn the heat up to medium high. Add the herbs and onions to the pot. Parboil the herbs for about 3 minutes, and the onions for 5 to 10 minutes, until they are soft. Using a slotted spoon, remove the herbs and onions from the pot and set the onions aside. Press the herbs dry and chop them finely. Cook the peas for about 30 to 40 minutes longer, or until they are soft. Drain the peas.
Place the cooked peas in a small saucepan and add the onions, chopped herbs, ½ teaspoon saffron, oil, and salt. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent sticking.
Place the pease porridge in a serving dish and sprinkle a pinch of saffron and poudre douce on top for color and flavor.
Modern Pease Porridge
Serves 4 Soaking peas: overnight Prep: 5 minutes Cooking: 1½ to 2 hours
Pairs well with Trout Wrapped in Bacon, Crusty White Bread, meat pies
If you like peas and onions, you will love this dish. This modern version is more subdued than the medieval recipe. It is best served warm and goes well with meats, cheeses, and other light lunch foods. Pease porridge is a traditional British side dish, and is still prepared today in one of two ways. The peas can be boiled in a pudding cloth, resulting in moister and softer porridge, or baked in the oven. The baked peas will be dryer, with delicious crispy bits on the top and around the edges.
8 ounces dried split peas
1 small onion, peeled and halved
1 bunch fresh herbs, tied together—consider thyme, basil, and parsley
2 cups water
1 egg
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Beef stock or vegetable stock (optional)
Pour peas in a bowl and cover them with at least a finger’s breadth of water. Leave them to soak overnight at room temperature.
Drain the peas and put them in a pan with the onion, herbs, and water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer, covered, until the peas are tender, about 1 hour. Stir occasionally, adding water if the mixture is drying out. Mash the peas by hand or in a food processor, then beat in the egg and season with salt and pepper.
From here, you can put the puree into the center of a floured pudding cloth, tie it securely, and boil it in stock for 1 hour, or spread it into a shallow, greased ovenproof dish, level the surface, and bake in the oven, preheated to 350°F, for 30 minutes.
Cook’s Note: A pudding cloth can be made out of any piece of cotton. Simply take a large square of cotton cloth and soak it in boiling water. Wring it out and lay it flat on your work surface. Take ½ cup of flour and spread it in a circle on the cloth. Dump the pudding into the center, pull up the sides, and tie well.
Rack of Lamb
The eight soon-to-be brothers feasted on rack of lamb baked in a crust of garlic and herbs, garnished with sprigs of mint, and surrounded by mashed yellow turnips swimming in butter. —A GAME OF THRONES
Serves 3 to 4 Prep: 20 minutes Cooking: 20 to 30 minutes
Pairs well with Buttered Carrots,
Modern Turnips in Butter, Arya’s Snitched Tarts,
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br /> Southron Mulled Wine
This is a fantastic dish for a dinner party. When cooked to perfection, the lamb will be pink and juicy on the inside and crispy brown on the outside. Each bite is tender and bursting with garlic and herb flavor.
2 racks of lamb, about 1¼ pounds each, frenched (about 12 chops)
Salt and ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup soft fresh bread crumbs
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon flour
¼ cup red wine vinegar
Fresh mint for garnish (optional)
Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 475°F.
Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Combine the garlic, parsley, thyme, and bread crumbs in a shallow bowl. Moisten the mixture with enough olive oil to hold it together, then set it aside.
Heat a large dry skillet over high heat. Put the rack of lamb, convex side down, in the skillet. With tongs, hold the meaty side against the skillet for a minute to give it a nice brown crust. Turn the rack to sear it on all sides for a total of 4 minutes. Remove the meat from the skillet and place it in a roasting pan, meat side up. Mix the flour and vinegar together in a small bowl, paint this mixture onto the lamb, then gently apply the herbed bread crumbs, patting them to form a crust covering the meat.
Roast the lamb until medium rare, 20 to 25 minutes (145°F internal temperature). For an extra-crispy crust, finish cooking the meat under the broiler for 2 minutes. Let the racks rest for 5 minutes.
To serve, use a carving knife to cut between the rib bones. Arrange the chops on warm serving plates. The chops are best served hot, and they will cool quickly, so you may want to carve them at the table.
Iced Blueberries in Sweet Cream
“From the Lord Commander’s own table,” Bowen Marsh told them. There were salads of spinach and chickpeas and turnip greens, and afterwards bowls of iced blueberries and sweet cream. —A GAME OF THRONES
Medieval Crème Bastard
Take þe whyte of Eyroun a grete hepe, & putte it on a panne ful of Mylke, & let yt boyle; þen sesyn it so with Salt an hony a lytel; þen lat hit kele, & draw it þorw a straynoure, an take fayre Cowe mylke an draw yt with-all, & seson it with Sugre … —TWO FIFTEENTH-CENTURY COOKERY-BOOKS
Makes 4 large servings Freezing berries: 1 hour
Prep: 15 minutes Chilling cream: 2 to 3 hours
Pairs well with Salad at Castle Black,
Rack of Lamb, Oatbread
This recipe produces an addictive cream sauce that is simple to make and not too sweet, complementing the natural sweetness of the berries. As a treat on the Wall, where Jon Snow makes his home, we thought it particularly fitting that the recipe is called Crème Bastard. Bastard is an early form of the word custard, and has no connection with one’s parentage when used in a culinary context.
1 pint fresh blueberries
2 egg whites, slightly beaten
1 cup plus 2 teaspoons milk or cream
2 tablespoons honey
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons sugar
We prefer to start with fresh blueberries rather than frozen ones, because many frozen berries are often processed improperly. To get started, sort your blueberries, setting aside any overripe ones for immediate snacking. The key is to freeze the berries flat, using a plate or baking sheet in the freezer. After the berries are frozen, they can be transferred to a bag and stored for up to six months.
While the berries are freezing, combine the egg whites and 1 cup of the milk in a pan on the stovetop, and bring to just under a boil, whisking all the while. Let it simmer for around 5 minutes, then add the honey and salt. After simmering for another minute or two, strain the mixture into a bowl. Add the remaining milk and sugar. Pour the sauce into a pitcher or serving dish and chill; it will thicken as it chills.
Pour the cooled sweet cream over the frozen berries to serve.
Modern Sweet Cream
Serves 4 Freezing berries, chilling cream: 1 to 2 hours
Cooking cream: 20 minutes
Pairs well with Stewed Rabbit,
Roman Buttered Carrots, Honeyed Chicken
This modern version of the dish is really just a sweeter, creamier version of the medieval preparation. It makes a refreshing dessert or a decadent breakfast. If the cream is allowed to thicken over the double boiler, custard is made.
1 pint fresh blueberries, frozen as For Medieval Crème Bastard
½ pint heavy whipping cream
½ cup sugar
5 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Bowl of ice water
While the berries are freezing, combine the cream with half of the sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a strong simmer—not a boil! Remove the saucepan from the heat.
Whisk the egg yolks and other half of the sugar in a bowl with a standing or hand mixer. Add the vanilla extract.
After mixing for 1 minute, begin slowly pouring the cream mixture down the side of the bowl, whisking rapidly to avoid curdling the eggs. After all the cream has been added, pour the mixture into a glass bowl that you can set atop a saucepan or into the top of a double boiler. Heat water in the bottom pan over medium heat and cook the sauce over it, stirring constantly, until it thickens to a pourable cream, about 10 minutes.
Set the glass bowl or top of the double boiler into the ice water to stop the cooking process. Stir the cream for 5 minutes to cool it, then pour it into a small pitcher and refrigerate.
Pour the cooled sweet cream over the frozen berries to serve.
Mulled Wine
The Old Bear was particular about his hot spiced wine. So much cinnamon and so much nutmeg and so much honey, not a drop more. Raisins and nuts and dried berries, but no lemon, that was the rankest sort of southron heresy.… —A CLASH OF KINGS
Medieval Mulled Wine
Hippocras. Take four ounces of very fine cinnamon, two ounces of fine cassia flowers, an ounce of selected Mecca ginger, an ounce of grains of paradise, and a sixth [of an ounce] of nutmeg and galingale combined. Crush them all together. Take a good half ounce of this powder and eight ounces of sugar [(which thus makes Sweet Powder)], and mix it with a quart of wine.
—LE VIANDIER DE TAILLEVENT, 14TH CENTURY
Serves 4 Prep: 5 minutes Cooking: 20 minutes minimum
Pairs well with Beef and Bacon Pie,
Aurochs Roasted with Leeks,
Medieval Honey Biscuits
This recipe produces a hearty mulled wine, rich in spices. It is heavy and strong, without the sweetness of many modern mulled wines. To accommodate the Old Bear’s preferences, we added raisins, cranberries, and almonds to the 14th-century recipe, creating the ideal drink for those who plan to walk the Wall at night.
1 bottle inexpensive red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Pinot Noir are all good choices)
1½ tablespoons Poudre Douce
Handful each of dried cranberries, raisins, and almonds
Bring the wine to a simmer. Stir in spice, nuts, and dried fruits, and continue to simmer for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. After sitting, the spice mixture will create a thick residue that will settle to the bottom.
Using a ladle, serve into individual mugs or other heat-safe vessels. Try not to disturb the layer of spices at the bottom of the pot.
Southron Mulled Wine
Serves 10 Prep: 10 minutes Cooking: 45 minutes
Pairs well with Poached Pears,
Rack of Lamb, Arya’s Snitched Tarts
This recipe comes from the chaplain’s wife at a top British university. It produces a delicious hot wine that, while spicy and rich, is medium-bodied and easy to drink. The sweetness of the honey and cane sugar combines brilliantly with spice of the fresh ginger, resulting in an arresting tingle that floods the palate without compromising the other flavors.
2 clementines or 1 small orange<
br />
20 whole cloves
2 bottles red wine (Shiraz and Cabernet work well)
3 cups pulp-free orange juice
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
Three 1-inch cubes fresh ginger
3 tablespoons honey
4 heaping tablespoons sugar
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 shot brandy, cognac, or Armagnac (optional, but adds a pleasant kick)
Slice the clementines in half and stud each half with the whole cloves, inserting the stem of the clove into the rind and leaving the buds protruding. You may need to pierce the flesh of the clementines with a small knife in order to insert the cloves. Float the clementines in the wine, rind down, so that the cloves are suspended in the wine.
Add all the remaining ingredients and bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring often with a whisk, but do not boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat so that the wine is kept just below a simmer. Heat for 45 minutes, then serve with a ladle.
Cook’s Note: Don’t be afraid to meddle with the proportions to suit your taste, adjusting the amounts of honey, ginger, and fruit juice as desired. Additional sugar or honey can also be added, to make the wine more drinkable for those who are not enduring freezing temperatures. The clementines make delicious boozy treats for the lucky guests still around when the wine runs out.
Breakfast at Winterfell
There was much more than [Catelyn] asked for: hot bread, butter and honey and blackberry preserves, a rasher of bacon and a soft-boiled egg, a wedge of cheese, a pot of mint tea. And with it came Maester Luwin.
—A GAME OF THRONES
Makes a big breakfast for 2 Prep: 5 minutes Eggs: 5 minutes
Pairs well with Crusty White Bread,
Applecakes, cold fresh milk
A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook Page 4