The Unofficial Game of Thrones Cookbook: From Direwolf Ale to Auroch Stew - More Than 150 Recipes from Westeros and Beyond (Unofficial Cookbook) (27 page)

Cersei’s Roast Swan

Whether she is planning her next moves against her enemies or feigning softness and modesty, Queen Cersei keeps up appearances. She never tires of showing off her power and authority, and this dish embodies so much of her presence and authority that it forever recalls Cersei in her full glory. Too often served in its plumage or overflowing with oyster-mushroom stuffing, this spit-roasted version echoes a touch of the Queen’s penchant for violence. (
A Clash of Kings
, Chapter 44 — Tyrion)

Serves 8

2 (4-pound) swans

1
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cups brandy, divided

Coarse kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

2 teaspoons thyme

4–6 strips bacon (optional)

1. Lightly coat swans with
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   to
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   cup of the brandy. Sprinkle inside and out with salt and pepper.
   
2. Follow manufacturer’s rotisserie directions: secure clamp and fork at one end of rotisserie rod, slide rod through center of meat (attaching some of the skin from the front and back of the swans). Attach the other fork and secure clamp. Make sure swans are balanced. Tie up loose wings and legs with string. Rotisserie cook at 300°F over pans of water with the lid closed.
   
3. Melt butter and add remaining brandy and thyme. Baste swans every 15 to 20 minutes, especially breast meat. If breast meat is getting too cooked, place 2 or 3 slices of bacon over the breast and secure with toothpicks.
   
4. Swans are done when leg joints begin to move easily and fall apart. Internal temperature in thigh will be about 165°F. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes and carve.
   

Hearty Blandissory

Just one course of the seventy-seven at the historic wedding feast, blandissory is a sweet-tart soup of capon boiled in wine. This version is more of a hearty stew — since only the Lannisters are likely to serve a meal of seventy-seven courses — but the fowl is still braised thoroughly in wine. The capon wasn’t the only Lannister fledgling done in with wine at that memorable feast, though, so prepare this dish with care. (
A Storm of Swords
, Chapter 60 — Tyrion)

Serves 6

2 yellow onions

1 carrot

1 stalk celery

1 grapefruit

2 oranges

1 lemon

1 lime

1 tablespoon olive oil

3-pound capon

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cup port wine

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cup honey

2 cups
Redwyne Brown Stock
, made with beef

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cup blanched almonds, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
   
2. Cut the onions into wedges. Peel and cut the carrot into quarters. Roughly chop the celery. Quarter the grapefruit, oranges, lemon, and lime (leave the peels on).
   
3. Heat the oil to medium-high temperature in a large Dutch oven. Sear the capon on all sides. Add the vegetables and fruit; cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the wine and reduce by half, then add the honey and stock. When the liquid begins to boil, cover and braise in the oven for 1 hour, or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
   
4. Serve the cooking liquid (which will thicken as it cooks) as a sauce accompanying the capon. Garnish with almonds.
   

Tyrion’s Spiced Brawn

Deep in thought over the state of his nephew’s wits, Tyrion finds himself enjoying a leche of spiced brawn. This dish’s mixture of garlic, apples, peppers, salt, and sugar offers flavors to mimic those of Tyrion’s personality. Hot and surprising, yet deep and somehow sweet, this dish is as comfortable on a philosopher’s desk as it is in a lord’s feast. (
A Storm of Swords
, Chapter 60 — Tyrion)

Serves 6

2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper

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teaspoon ground cloves

4 cloves garlic, minced

3–4 tablespoons olive oil

6 apples (crisp and tart varieties like Jonagold)

6 wild pig chops or steaks

1. Prepare a hot fire in a grill. Grease a grill wok.
   
2. Combine brown sugar, salt, pepper flakes, cracked black pepper, and cloves, whisking to combine. Stir in garlic and olive oil.
   
3. Core and quarter the apples. Mix together with one-third of the brown sugar mixture. Set aside.
   
4. Coat the chops with the rest of the brown sugar mixture.
   
5. Grill chops to 125°F for rare and 135°F for medium-rare; internal temperature should reach 145°F for well-done. While chops are grilling, place apples in a grill wok. Toss with wooden spoons until apples are a bit browned and warmed through. Serve chops in the center of a platter surrounded by the apples.
   

Barristan the Bold’s Wild Boar Ribs with Dragon Pepper

Forty-seven years after being knighted by King Aegon V, Ser Barristan Selmy still feels the heat of Dornish dragon peppers from this spicy boar dish. First spurned by the Lannisters, then discarded like refuse thanks to a dragon, Barristan is no stranger to the burn of being overlooked, either. Still, his honor ties him to the duty at hand, and his passion for serving his king — or queen — is no less strong than it was the day he first knelt before Aegon the Unlikely. This recipe re-creates that first taste of fire in honor of Barristan’s unwavering loyalty. (
A Dance with Dragons
, Chapter 55 — The Queensguard)

Serves 4

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons salt

5–6 pounds baby back ribs or spareribs

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cup vegetable oil in a spray bottle

1. Mix all of the dry ingredients together. Wearing rubber gloves (this stuff can burn), rub it into the meat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
   
2. Prepare the grill to medium with plenty of room for indirect heat.
   
3. Grill the ribs over indirect heat for 20 minutes per side, or until temperature reaches 145°F for well-done.
   
4. Spray with vegetable oil and finish grilling until nicely browned. Serve over polenta with a side of grilled red chilies.
   

Sansa Stark’s Boar’s Rib

As she attempts to leave behind one way of life and hopes to find another, Sansa Stark makes new allies who offer her an evening’s rest with a repast of boar. Many of the ingredients in this recipe must be smashed, bruised, or torn before adding, mirroring the emotional onslaught Sansa has faced on her journey. But in many ways these changes may be nothing more than another set of charades and masks. Add
Arya’s Lemon Cakes
to tempt her at dessert, and the dark fantasy will be complete. (
A Storm of Swords
, Chapter 6 — Sansa)

Serves 4

1
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quarts dry red wine such as burgundy

4 bay leaves

1 onion, peeled and sliced

4–6 cloves garlic, smashed, unpeeled

2 ounces Worcestershire sauce

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cup parsley, rinsed and minced