The Unofficial Game of Thrones Cookbook: From Direwolf Ale to Auroch Stew - More Than 150 Recipes from Westeros and Beyond (Unofficial Cookbook) (33 page)

Ballroom Blackberry Honeycake

One event after another sours Sansa Stark’s life, so much so that she may wonder if she’s cursed by the gods (both old and new) for some twisted amusement. But a life with such trials should be balanced with some sweetness. Sansa takes blackberry honeycakes as a form of comfort in the Queen’s Ballroom. The berries are oddly symbolic of Sansa’s predicament. Once caught in blackberry brambles — so seemingly innocent — their thorns will only dig deeper into the traveler who tries to press forward; the only way out is back. (
A Storm of Swords
, Chapter 59 — Sansa)

Serves 8

¹
⁄
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cup (
¹
⁄
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stick) butter, softened

¹
⁄
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cup honey

1 egg, beaten

1 cup flour

1
¹
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teaspoons baking powder

¹
⁄
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cup plain yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups blackberries, sweetened to taste with honey or sugar

¹
⁄
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cup raw sugar

¹
⁄
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cup (
¹
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stick) butter, softened

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cup flour

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour an 8-inch or 9-inch cake pan.
   
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and honey. Add beaten egg.
   
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Add to creamed mixture.
   
4. Fold in yogurt and vanilla.
   
5. Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Cover with sweetened blackberries.
   
6. To make the topping, cream the sugar and butter. Stir in flour until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle crumb topping over blackberries.
   
7. Bake for 45 minutes.
   

White Harbor Hippocras

North of the Saltspear, Barrowton is the seat of House Dustin. Here, Roose Bolton meets and plans with others while feasting on White Harbor’s finest imported fare. Casks of hippocras would sweeten any negotiation quickly — thanks to the overwhelming sugar and fine red wine used to make it. (
A Dance with Dragons
, Chapter 32 — Reek)

Makes 2 pints

2 pints red wine, your choice

1 pound sugar

4 tablespoons ground cinnamon

6 tablespoons ground ginger

¹
⁄
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teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Pour wine into a large pitcher or bowl.
   
2. Add sugar and spices to wine. Stir well, dissolving as much sugar as possible.
   
3. Cover container of wine securely, and allow to infuse. Taste often to determine when infusion meets your expectations. The longer you infuse the wine, the stronger the spiced taste. Infusion should be complete within 7 days.
   
4. Strain liquid through cheesecloth four times to separate out all spices.
   

Cersei’s Plum Wine

It’s been said that wine brings out the truth in people. For Queen Cersei, it’s a tool that can bring a sheltered person courage to face the truth. She even keeps flagons of this variety at the ready for her double-edged purposes. Fermented from fruit that likely grew in orchards nourished by the Blackwater, this plum wine might be easy enough for anyone to make, but only the Queen could boast of having the finest. (
A Clash of Kings
, Chapter 60 — Sansa)

10–12 wine bottles

3 pounds wild plums

1
¹
⁄
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gallons water

4 pounds sugar

1 teaspoon wine yeast

2 Campden tablets

1. Wash, stem, and pit the plums. Cut them into small pieces, reserving the juice. Crush well and put into a 5-gallon crock or large sterilized bucket, adding enough water to cover plums. Put a lid, muslin, or cheesecloth over the top and let stand for 24 hours.
   
2. Strain the plums through the cloth and return the juice to the crock. Add the sugar and yeast. Cover and let stand for 4–5 days.
   
3. Stir each day and skim the foam off the top.
   
4. Strain the juice. Add enough water to make 2 gallons. Put in gallon jars with airlocks and rubber stoppers in place. Let stand 2 weeks.
   
5. When the fermentation is complete, use plastic tubing to siphon the wine into sterilized bottles. Cork and rack for at least 3 months. Siphon wine into a bottling bucket (known as racking) and add Campden tablets according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Bottle and cork wine immediately. Age for 6 months to 1 year before drinking.
   

• A large crock (2–5 gallons), bucket, or one-gallon glass jars
  
• Cheesecloth or muslin to cover the container
  
• An airlock for the secondary fermentation
  
• A small hose or plastic tubing for siphoning wine
  
• Wine bottles with corks to siphon the wine into
  

Stark Spiced Wine

In the halls of Winterfell, the kitchen staff does what it can to bring warmth to the people of the North. When winter clouds are gathering, even a young man with a name such as Jon Snow can find himself craving warmth. This hot, spiced wine warms the chest and the blood with a hint of southron flavors. (
A Game of Thrones
, Chapter 5 — Jon)

Makes 20 drinks

1 cup sugar

4 cups water

Spiral of lemon peel

18 whole cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

2 750-ml bottles red dinner wine

1. Dissolve sugar in water in large saucepan. Add slices of lemon peel, cloves, and cinnamon. Boil 15 minutes.
   
2. Strain out the peel and spices. Add the wine and heat gently, but do not boil.
   
3. Serve in stemmed mugs.
   

Stag Strongwine Snifter

“Ours is the Fury!” The motto of the House Baratheon and its sigil, the great stag, make it clear that Baratheons are a passionate people, embracing primal emotion. Robert Baratheon certainly fits the bill, a large man with large desires, especially for strongwine. This cocktail, inspired by the power and flavor of the renowned spirit from the Arbor, is sure to have the power to sate any great man — and to fell him as quickly as its namesake does. (
A Game of Thrones
, Chapter 47 — Eddard)

1 serving

1 ounce cognac

1 ounce Grand Marnier

Pour ingredients into a brandy snifter and serve.

Tears of Lys

The deadliest and stealthiest of all poisons, tears of Lys is as rare as it is untraceable — the perfect choice for the discerning assassin. This cocktail isn’t quite as lethal as its namesake, but is doubtless a poison worth picking. Cachaça is the perfect spirit for the job: not only is it made from fermented sugarcane juice; home distillers can formulate blindingly strong batches that are more potent than whiskeys and vodkas. The lime hints at its exotic and mysterious origins, and simple syrup further belies this drink’s dark purpose. One sip can erase any lingering doubts about why it so easily catches its victims off-guard … (
A Game of Thrones
, Chapter 30 — Eddard)