Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Another main dish I cooked for Brian's Game of Thrones birthday lunch : honeyed fowl. And I didn't want to just serve chicken, so I opted for duck and Cornish game hens. I considered quail, too, but realized I would need about 50 quail to feed our hungry troops. The duck was easy. I adapted my Maple-Syrup Glazed Duck by simply swapping out local, raw honey for the maple syrup during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Easy peasy. I served it with a Pinot Noir reduction on the side. I haven't made Cornish game hens in about a decade. I don't know why. It just doesn't occur to me to purchase them. However, after the reception they received, I will definitely make them again. 2 Cornish game hens 5 lemons 2 clementines hickory salt - enough to rub the birds inside and out 5 T butter, melted honey - enough to drizzle over the top Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Take any innards from the hen cavity. Rinse, dry, and rub with hickory salt.  When your birds...

I love making things that fulfill two project commitments at once. So, I decided to make the chocolate wine tasting cake from Booze Cakes for a cookbook review and for the dessert course for my friend Brian's Game of Thrones-themed birthday luncheon . Here are my Chocolate-Pinot Cupcakes in Marshmallow Fondant AKA Horse Heart Cupcakes... Before I get into the recipes, I have a f unny story. My Precise Kitchen Elf came down when I was making these and this was his response -  "Mom, you know that hearts have three valves, right? Not four valves. Or two. Oh, and they aren't just red and black. They have some blue and purple. Though for small animals, you won't see a lot of blue. What kind of animal heart is that supposed to be?"  Horse .  "Then you definitely need more colors." Please leave the kitchen.    adapted from the Wine Tasting Cakes recipe in  Booze Cakes *  by Krystina Castella and Terry Lee Stone Bef...

When looking at different recipes and menus for a Game of Thrones themed luncheon for Brian , I came across photos for Jon Snow's Pork Pies. I didn't delve too far into what made them special; I just decided to make some fennel scented meat pies with an absinthe crust. Yum! Absinthe Pâte Brisée 2-1/2 C all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling 1/2 C finely ground blanched cashews or cashew flour 1/2 t fennel pollen 1 C butter, very-cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes 3-4 T ice water 3-4 T abinsthe fleur de sel Place the flour, ground cashews, fennel pollen, and cold butter in a large bowl. Use the patry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add ice water 1 T at a time, alternating with the absinthe, until mixture just begins to clump together. If you squeeze some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready. If the dough doesn't hold together, add a little more water and cut again. Note that too much w...

As part of my Game of Thrones lunch for Brian 's birthday, I decided to make some lamb lollies and call them 'Mutton with Garlic.' What I love about this: I don't have to do anything, or very little. I just rubbed them and handed them off to my husband and he grilled them. Thanks, Love! 2 racks of lamb 3 T crushed garlic 2 T fleur de sel Rub the lamb with the garlic and salt. Spread as evenly as you can. Let stand for 10 minutes. Grill till desired doneness. Slice into lollipops.

Each year I host a birthday feast for my friend Brian. The themes have ranged from buckets to Smurfs and Cuban fare to beer-cheese pairings. This year I was inspired to create a lunch menu based on his (current) favorite TV show: Game of Thrones. Okay, truth be told, I do not watch 'Game of Thrones', I'm completely unaware of the characters, the costumes, and the storyline; but I do know that the show has an official recipe book. That boded well for my idea. So, I decided to do some research.  Here's that I served. Recipe posts to come... In case you can't read it. Here's what it says... Party Like a Lannister A Game of Thrones Themed Birthday Feast Shots of Ice and Fire The Old Bear’s Hot Spiced Wine Pycelle’s Iced Milk with Honey Dates and Dragon Eggs Jon Snow’s Pork Pies Bran’s State Dinner Wheels of White Cheese Mutton with Garlic Honeyed Fowl Seaweed Salad Black Bread Baked Apples Pickled Golden Dragon Cla...