Highgarden strikes me as a likely one of the best regions in Westeros in which to dine.
Seriously.
So when Margaery won the last round of voting for character themed meals, I was more than a little excited. You all were apparently inspired as well, since you had some really fantastic suggestions for this spread. As always, I took some of my favorites and worked them into the finished meal.
I took Josh’s idea of a consomme (a delicate mound of finely diced apple, carrot, leek, and mushroom in the centre of a large bowl, surrounded by fresh edible flowers), but opted for a nice spring lamb, rather than boar. The steaming broth for the soup was served separately, and made the flowers float when it was poured over. The broth, which was clarified with whipped egg whites, was dark and richly flavorful. Plus, as a bonus, the meat that went into making the broth was easily turned into a nice lamb pie.
As sides, in addition to a number of nibbles ideally suited to Margaery and her handmaidens, I served a small salad of summer greens, with fresh fruits and flowers, similar to Sansa’s Salad. I added a cheese plate for the Queen of Thorns, since we know how much she hates being made to wait for her cheese. I also made up a compound butter with parsley and turmeric, so it was the colors of House Tyrell, but I ran out of time to make the bread! Doh! And for a drink, I went with Te Kaihu’s idea of hibiscus flowers in a sparkling wine.
For dessert, we have Jennifer’s suggestion of an Apple Rose Pie, miniaturized, alongside Tanya’s suggestion of sorbet, but instead of orange and rosewater, I chose a peach sorbet in honor of Renly. I would LOVE to make up MellowEnglishGal’s suggestion of a croquembouche, but that’s too much work on top of all the rest of this spread. Soon, hopefully; it’s been on my bucket list for years!
The finished menu:
- lamb consomme
- summer greens salad
- mini apple rose pies
- cheese plate for the Queen of Thorns
- nibbles- almonds, fruits, etc.
- peach sorbets
- compound butter with parsley and turmeric
- hibiscus flowers in sparkling elderflower
So there you have it! This might be my favorite character meal yet, or at least tied for first. It’s simple but interesting, light but satisfying. It’s very much the kind of meal I prefer to enjoy in the heat of summer, so it was perfect as an outdoor picnic of sorts, just as soon as I had the photos I needed. ;)
Honorable Mention:
- Wanda’s suggestion of stuffed pigeons with rose petal sauce
- Rebecca’s idea of dandelion jelly, which she says tastes like honey and chamomile tea
- Erica: steamed whitefish with simple veg and white wine vinaigrette
- MellowEnglishGal’s idea of a croquembouche: filled with different pastry creams, decorated with edible flowers, sugared, honey-roasted or gilded almonds, spun-sugar, fresh strawberries/raspberries. It’s fiddly, rich, delicate and temperamental, ornamental but concealing a lot of complexity, absolutely stunning: Margaery
