A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook (A Song of Ice and Fire) (23 page)

Bake for about 40 minutes, then check on the necks, as they will finish first. Remove them if they are done, and continue to bake the rest of the pieces for about 40 minutes more. The finished meringue pieces should be light, dry, and crunchy. They can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for several days.
To assemble the swans, lay out a base on a serving dish. Using a small ice cream scoop, make small balls of ice cream. Lay these on top of the base and attach the remaining elements of the swan. The wings go on the sides, and the neck on the front (use a chopstick or something similar to create a hole in the ice cream for the neck). Repeat to assemble all the remaining swans. Serve immediately.

Click
here
to download as a PDF.

Honey Biscuits

For the sweet, Lord Caswell’s servants brought down trays of pastries from his castle kitchens, cream swans and spun-sugar unicorns, lemon cakes in the shape of roses, spiced honey biscuits and blackberry tarts, apple crisps and wheels of buttery cheese
.
—A CLASH OF KINGS

Medieval Honey Biscuits

Crispels. Take and make a foile of gode past as thynne as paper; kerue it out wyt a saucer & frye it in oile; oþer in grece; and þe remnaunt, take hony clarified and flamme þerwith. Alye hem vp and serue hem forth
.

—CURYE ON INGLYSCH, 14TH CENTURY

Makes about 20 biscuits
Prep: 10 minutes
Frying: 20 minutes
Pairs well with any pie
,
Bean-and-Bacon Soup
, hot beverages
These biscuits have a homey authenticity that comes from the use of plain pastry dough, dripping with honey and covered in cinnamon. They taste of warm cottages and comfort in a world where winter is coming.
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
Cold water
Olive oil or unsalted butter
¼ cup honey
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Mix together the flour and salt. Using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour until the dough has the texture of coarse bread crumbs. Gradually stir in just enough cold water that the dough sticks together. Be careful not to overwork it or add too much water.
Roll out the pastry to ¼-inch thickness and cut it into circles about 2 inches across.
Fry the pastry in a pan coated with a little olive oil or butter over medium heat, until lightly brown and crisp, being careful not to burn the pastry. This should take about 3 minutes. Drain well on paper towels. Meanwhile, place the honey in a saucepan and slowly bring it to a boil. Brush the pastries with the hot honey, sprinkle them with cinnamon, and serve hot.
Cook’s Note:
In place of a fresh batch of dough, feel free to utilize the leftovers from any of our pie recipes.

Modern Honey Biscuits
Makes 16 biscuits
Prep: 10 minutes
Baking: 15 minutes
These biscuits are incredibly fragrant and bursting with spicy favor. They are served best warm with a tall glass of milk.
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice or mixed spice
½ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground ginger
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
½ cup honey
1 cup raw sugar for decorating
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Either line two baking sheets with parchment paper or plan to bake in two batches.
In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices, granulated sugar, and ginger. Using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Heat the honey in a small saucepan over medium heat until it is warm and runny (or microwave it for 1 minute). Add the honey to the flour mixture and work with a wooden spoon or spatula until a soft dough forms.
Pour the raw sugar into a bowl. Roll the dough into 2-inch balls and coat them with raw sugar. Place eight balls onto each prepared baking sheet, without flattening them; leave room around the sides for spreading. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the tops of the biscuits are just cracked. Let them stand on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.
Eat the biscuits right away or store them in an airtight container for up to a week.

Other books

Vengeance by Brian Falkner
Green Eyes by Amanda Heath
Holiday Hotel Hookup by Jeff Adams
Pricolici by Alicia Nordwell
A Distant Magic by Mary Jo Putney
Buddies by Nancy L. Hart