Jammy Rolls

Thoughts:

Continuing my seasonal trend of all things Concord Grapes, I had the sudden idea to make these awesome jammy rolls with some leftover jam. Which, of course, means I’ll have to make more jam. They’re basically made the same way as cinnamon rolls, but are filled with concord grape jam instead of cinnamon sugar. Topped with a little drizzle of lemon icing, and they’re pretty much amazeballs.

Soft, dense dough holds in the gooey grape filling. The lemon icing, which couldn’t be easier to make, perfectly accentuates the flavors of the Concord Grapes, adding a little zing! to their sweetness. Granted, they could be made with any jam you happen to have on hand, but I think the flavor of the grape is robust enough to hold its own against that amount of dough.

So go get yourselves some of the last grapes of the season, and make this recipe for a wonderful weekend breakfast treat!

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Cider Cake

Thoughts:

Cider, for me, is the epitome of Autumn.

Dense, moist, and characterized by that distinctive spiced cider flavor, this cake is an easy new favorite. I initially wondered if the cake would need icing, since it calls for so few ingredients, but after tasting it, I love it as is. It’s delightfully simple, and while frosting would only add, I enjoy a simpler baked good next to my afternoon tea. If frosted, it would be pigeonholed into the dessert category, while unfrosted, it can be enjoyed equally well as breakfast, snack, dessert, or with tea. I’ve tweaked the recipe just a bit, but it is every bit as delicious as the original.

Also, one of the best parts of the recipe is the note afterward, which states that despite the recipe coming from a Young Lady, it “will make a nice cake, better than some old ladies make.”

I’m inclined to agree.

Cider Cake Recipe

Prep: 10 minutes Baking: 35-40 minutes

Makes one 9″x9″ cake

Cook’s Note: The batter is much, much thicker than what we are used to with cake recipes. Also, you may wish to trim off the edges of the cake if they are a tad too crispy.

from Dr. Chase’s Receipt Book, 1887

Ingredients:

1 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 egg
1 1/3 cup sweet (unfermented) apple cider, room temperature
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. each cinnamon and ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
4 cups flour

Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter and flour an 8″ square pan, or a 9″ round one.

Cream together the sugar, butter, and egg. Add the cider, and beat until it’s all the same consistency. Add the soda and spices, followed by the flour, which should give you an unusually thick batter. Smooth this evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick poked into the middle comes out mostly clean. Allow to cool in the pan for around 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack.

Delicious served with a little whipped cream, or vanilla or ginger ice cream.

Hansel & Gretel – Crumbcake

Hansel and Gretel, by Arthur Rackham, 1909

You probably know the basics of the Hansel and Gretel story: the standard wicked stepmother, a fantastic candy house, a child-eating witch, and the happy ending.

This familiar tale was recorded by the Brothers Grimm in 1812. It may date back to the Great Famine of the early 14th century, when many poorer families gave in to desperate strategies for survival. It also has elements in common with many other more obscure fairy tales, such as following a trail through the woods, abandoned children, and witches who eat children.

The idea of an entire house made of gingerbread and candy, simultaneously enticing and forbidden, stayed with me as a child, and is similar to the 14th century account of the Land of Cockayne, a fantastic medieval utopia. That house will be revisited in a later post, but for now, I’ll stick with the breadcrumbs.

The first time Hansel and Gretel are banished into the woods, they leave behind them a trail of white pebbles that helps guide them back home. The second time, unable to get pebbles, they use breadcrumbs. Later, they lose their way after discovering that birds have eaten all of the crumbs.

You will devour this crumb cake just as readily:

Despite the fact that a little goes a long way, you may be tempted to overindulge, given the wonderful combination of crust and cake. The rich, buttery crumble top contains warm spices, with just enough sugar to give it a bit of crunch. The cake itself is moist and flavorful, the ideal companion to coffee or tea.

Try it with breakfast, or with afternoon tea, or even as an accompaniment to after-dinner coffee hour.

Crumb Cake Recipe

Makes 1 8×8″ cake

Prep: 30 min. * Topping: 20 min. * Baking: 35 min

Cake:

1 1/4 cups cake flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, cut into 6 pieces
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup buttermilk
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting (optional)

Crumb Topping:

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons butter, melted and still warm
1 3/4 cups cake flour

To make the topping, combine the sugars, cinnamon, and melted butter. Add the flour and stir until the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool for about 15 minutes.

For the cake, preheat oven to 325° F. Grease an 8” square baking dish and line with parchment, allowing extra to hang over the sides. This extra will help lift the cake out of the pan once it is baked.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the softened chunks of butter one piece at a time, incorporating thoroughly until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs, with no large chunks remaining. Add the eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk, then beat together until light and fluffy.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, spreading it evenly. Break apart the crumb topping and sprinkle over the top of the batter in an even layer.

Bake until the crumbs are golden, and a toothpick comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes more, then remove the cake from the pan by lifting out the parchment.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Ice cream makes a wonderful accompaniment.

Strawberries and Sweetgrass

“Tables and benches had been raised outside the pavilions, piled high with sweetgrass and strawberries and fresh-baked bread.” -A Game of Thrones

Strawberries & Sweetgrass

Thoughts:

The first taste of summer, for me, has always been strawberries. If there were a way to further improve upon their juicy goodness, this incredibly simple recipe is it. Each flavor enhances that of the strawberries without treading too heavily. Both lemongrass and ginger are distinct, but work together to compliment the basic goodness of fresh fruit, making strawberries and sweetgrass a winning dessert in my book.

Served alongside a glass of iced mead or cider, this is an instant favorite for warm summer evenings on the porch, or for a winning contribution to a picnic.

Strawberries & Sweetgrass Recipe

Total Prep Time: 10 minutes Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup mead or hard cider
1 tsp. grated ginger
1 Tbs. minced lemongrass
1 lb. strawberries

Combine all ingredients except the strawberries in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat for just long enough for the honey and mead to meld together, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Prepare the strawberries by removing the leafy tops, and slice into a large bowl in an assortment of shapes and sizes. Pour the sauce over the sliced fruit and toss to coat. Serve either at room temperature, or chilled. It is especially good with a glass of the same mead or cider with which you made the sauce.

Roman Sweets

“…next I sing of honey, the heavenly ethereal gift…” -Virgil

Roman Stuffed Dates

Our Thoughts:

These are a purely natural, gluten and sugar free powerhouse of nominess. The texture of chewy date is complimented by the crunchy nut filling, and the whole is dripping with honey. They fit perfectly with my mental preconceptions of Ancient Roman dining. Imagine reclining on elegant couches, opulent fabrics rippling underneath you toward the exquisite mosaic on the floor. Course after course of decadence is served, yet this dish stands apart as the epitome of simple, delicious sweets.

Go on. You know you want to.

Roman Stuffed Dates

DULCIA DOMESTICA: LITTLE HOME CONFECTIONS (WHICH ARE CALLED DULCIARIA) ARE MADE THUS: LITTLE PALMS OR (AS THEY ARE ORDINARILY CALLED) DATES ARE STUFFED—AFTER THE SEEDS HAVE BEEN REMOVED—WITH A NUT OR WITH NUTS AND GROUND PEPPER, SPRINKLED WITH SALT ON THE OUTSIDE AND ARE CANDIED IN HONEY AND SERVED.

Ingredients:

Dried dates, pitted
crushed nuts – hazelnuts and cooked chestnuts are perfect
cinnamon and long pepper (or black pepper), 1 tsp. per 1/2 cup of nuts
honey to cover the stuffed dates
a jar to store them in

Chop the nuts small, and mix with cinnamon and pepper. Carefully stuff this mixture into the pitted dates, taking care to not overstuff and tear the fruit. Place the stuffed dates in a jar, propping the dates up to keep the nuts from spilling out. Continue this process until the jar is full. Pour honey over the stuffed dates until all the crevices are filled.

Black Cherries in Sweet Cream

“Illyrio smiled as his serving men spooned out bowls of black cherries in sweet cream for them both.” (Dance with Dragons)

Black Cherries in Sweet Cream

Our Thoughts:

This is an easy dessert with a serious wow factor. I mean, have you seen that photo?

I would totally eat this dessert.

In fact, I did.

The cream isn’t too sweet, allowing the slight tartness of the cherries to come through. The pop of the cherries melts into the texture of the cream, leaving just a hint of purple swirl in the bottom of the bowl. It’s so good you may have to lick your bowl…

For an even more decadent dining experience, leave the stems on the cherries. Dip them into a dish of sweet cream, and gently eat them one at a time like a Roman Emperor. Magister Illyrio would be proud.

Get the recipes for the Sweet Cream in the Cookbook, and make it at home!

Sherbet

“The stew was fiery hot, Hotah knew, though he tasted none of it. Sherbet followed, to cool the tongue.” (aDwD)

Sherbet

Our Thoughts:

Unable to decide which recipes to use, we tried three of them. We’ll start with the modern and work our way back in time.

Modern is YUM. The tang of the Greek yogurt pairs deliciously with the sweetness of the pom juice. This version took the longest to freeze, but was lovely and scoopable once it was.

The Oldish recipe is the most pomegranatey, having the most unadulterated juice in it. We tried molding it, which worked reasonably well, although might do better with a silicone mold.

The Traditional Sharbat is the strangest of the three, but I have a feeling that is just due to the recipe we used. We’ve had sharbat that was delicious, but sadly, this one falls short of expectations. The almond milk would better suit a fruit (haha!) like apricots, I think, rather than the pomegranate.

Verdict? We liked the first two about the same, and the traditional version not so much. Sherbet in just about any form, and any flavor, though, is just perfect on a hot summer day.

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Peaches in Honey

“When a serving girl brought her supper, she almost kissed her. There was hot bread and fresh-churned butter, a thick beef soup, capon and carrots, and peaches in honey. ‘Even the food tastes sweeter,’ she thought.” -A Clash of Kings

Modern Peaches in Honey

Thoughts:

The Roman recipe is very curious. The tastes are both familiar and strange, as we aren’t used to cumin being used in desserts. The pepper lingers on the back of your palate, lengthening the slightly spicy sensation started by the cumin. We used a sweet wine, but the slight tartness of a vinegar would be lovely with the other flavor elements. The syrup is very sweet, such that a small portion goes a long way. In the end, we decided the flavor would work beautifully as a chutney, or a side dish to a meaty main course, rather than a dessert.

The modern recipe is pure decadence. Grilling the peaches brings them to their absolute sweetness, and they half cook, making them reminiscent of peach pie filling. The thyme infused honey takes the sweetness and complexity to the next level. You will want to savor every single bite, and including a dollop of creme fraiche or vanilla ice cream will only add to the dish.

So? The Roman recipe is what your favorite meat dishes didn’t know they were missing, while the modern version is a brilliant dessert. Both recipes are available in the Cookbook.

Tyroshi Honeyfingers

“…we seldom had enough coin to buy anything…well, except for a sausage now and again, or honeyfingers…do they have honeyfingers in the Seven Kingdoms, the kind they bake in Tyrosh?”

-A Game of Thrones

Our Thoughts

The Roman recipe is a curiosity. They fried to a crispily crunchy on the outside while still leaving a bit of chew on the inside. The pieces were easy to cut into shapes, and could probably even be rolled into logs. The flavor is really all about the honey, but the pinch of pepper and cinnamon on top adds a slight level of complexity.

The Modern recipe knocked our socks off. These fritters are like Winnie-the-Pooh-gasms. Between the spiced sauce and the incredibly luscious texture, we ended up gobbling them and shamelessly licking our fingers.

The winner? We had imagined Tyroshi Honeyfingers to be sort of a tasty sweet street food. The Roman variety is fun because of its historical significance and ease of shaping, but wouldn’t be easy to make in a dusty alleyway. The modern version is SO good and is made basically like carnival fried dough, so fits our loose criteria for a great honeyfinger. Modern Wins!

Get the recipes in The Cookbook!

Poached Pears from Highgarden

“The war had not touched the fabled bounty of Highgarden. While singers sang and tumblers tumbled, they began with pears poached in wine…” -A Clash of Kings

Modern Poached Pears

Thoughts:

These are utterly delicious.

Imbued with a vibrant pink color from the wine, the medieval pears have a soft, warm texture, and aren’t overly sweet. The taste is reminiscent of mulled wine, redolent with spices. This is an authentically medieval dessert that will transport you to a seat at a long trestle table in a huge stone hall, with hounds fighting for scraps in the corner, and the buzz of mead-inspired conversation all around.

The modern recipe produces an absolutely exquisite dessert. The caramel sauce is warm and gooey, and somehow gives the impression of butter and spices that aren’t actually there, all of which is underlain by the subtlest of orange flavors. It tastes of autumn, of crisp days spent in an orchard, and evenings in by the fire.

Both of these recipes are winners, and can be found in the Cookbook.