Dragon Salmon

“[...] the Aundair River is famous for the seafood that half-elven anglers bring back to the markets of Fairheaven. The traditional preparation of the enormous salmon that spawn in that river, like much else in Aundair, relies heavily on sauces: in this case a butter and dark wine reduction.” - Heroes’ Feast, p. 75

Packed full of healthy minerals, fats, and vitamins, fish is an important part of a healthy and balanced diet. However, the cost of fresh fish can reach astronomical prices in places where it isn't readily available. So, why not make the most of the fish you buy when splurging for it?

The Dragon Salmon from Heroes’ Feast is a great, easy recipe to get anyone started on pan-searing salmon while making it look like it came straight out of a Michelin star kitchen. With a flavour combo to die for, it’s sure to make the mouths water of even the pickiest seafood eaters!

BONUS: See the results section for suggestions on vegetables that will add a colourful flare while plating up!

See below for my notes on the results and for some helpful tips and tricks when making this yourself! Get Heroes’ Feast here: https://dnd.wizards.com/heroes-feast

Prep: 10 mins Cook: 25 mins Overall: 35 mins

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds (1.5 kg) skin-on salmon fillet, pinbones removed if necessary, cut crosswise into 4 equal pieces, and blotted dry*

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp. (30 ml) neutral-tasting oil (such as vegetable, canola, safflower, or grapeseed)

2 tbsp. (28 g) unsalted butter

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 tsp. (1 g) minced fresh thyme

⅔ cup (160 ml) fruity, medium-bodied red wine (such as Pinot Noir, Côtes du Rhône, or Zinfandel)**

½ cup (80 ml) low-sodium chicken broth

1 ½ tbsp. (5 g) minced fresh chives, for garnish

* I’m usually not a believer in organic foods. However, I found using organic salmon for this recipe really increased the flavour.

** Don’t use the cheapest wine for this recipe, you can really taste it. Instead, opt for a 14-16$ bottle. I recommend Bolla Valpolicella.

NOTE: Be careful if using dried thyme instead of fresh thyme since dried spices have a much more concentrated flavour. Use one-third of the amount of fresh thyme called for in the recipe if substituting for dried.

First, preheat the oven to 200℉ (93℃) with the oven rack in the middle of the oven.

Next, after blotting the fillets with paper towel, sprinkle them with salt and pepper and lightly massage it in.

TIP: Blotting both sides of the fish helps prevent it from sticking to the pan while it cooks.

Warm oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat (I set mine closer to medium) until shimmering.

The general trick with pan-frying fish is to use high heat and to give the fillets enough time to cook on both sides while only flipping them once.

To achieve this, place the salmon fillets flesh-side (pink side) down and cook, undisturbed, until the bottoms of the fillet start to turn opaque (like a golden band around the bottom) and the sides of the fillet have lost their vibrant pink colour, 3 to 4 minutes.

Gently flip the fillets using either tongs or a spatula so they are now skin-side (silver side) down. Again, cook, undisturbed, for 3-4 minutes until the fillets have lost all translucent properties on the inside and the flesh flakes apart when checked with a fork.

NOTE: The timings for my fish really depended on their thickness. It sometimes took me 5 minutes a side to cook!

TIP: A downside of frying fish in a pan is that the oil will splatter as it cooks. To save yourself some clean up time (and your arms and hands), place splatter guards over the skillet to catch most of the flinging oil.

TIP: Pan-frying any kind of fish will cause your house/apartment to smell like fish. To help with this, open your windows before you begin cooking. If available, turn your fumehood on high.

Once the fillets have cooked, transfer them to a heatproof plate or baking tray lined with aluminum foil. Place the fillets in the oven to keep warm while the sauce cooks.

TIP: Like @afinickyguide found, the fillets tended to dry out if left in the oven too long. To keep them moist, tent a piece of aluminum foil over the fillets before putting them in.

TIP: Let this picture be a lesson in why you never want to overcrowd a pan. I couldn’t find the tongs and had to use a spatula to flip and get them out of the pan. Disaster!

Reserve the oil used for cooking in a separate bowl for later. Then, wipe out the skillet.

After, melt 1 tbsp. butter in the skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallots, thyme, and ¼ tsp. salt and cook, stirring constantly, until the shallots soften - about 1 minute.

Heroes’ Feast says to add the wine and the chicken broth then adjust the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer to cook until reduced by two-thirds. However, I’ve found that simmering the sauce on medium-high reduces it too quickly, and simmering on low (as simmering usually works) reduces it too slowly.

Instead, for more consistent results, add the wine and broth and simmer on medium for 6 minutes (for the sauce to reduce by two-thirds). Stir occasionally and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any stuck browned bits. Add the reserved oil halfway through.

TIP: Like @afinickyguide, I found there was barely enough sauce for all four fillets. I recommend doubling the amount of ingredients for the sauce to have enough.

Reduce heat to low and add the remaining 1 tbsp. butter, ¼ tsp. salt and pepper to taste. Stir constantly while the melts and incorporates into the sauce. Taste the sauce and, if necessary, adjust seasoning with salt.

Pour or spoon sauce over or around the salmon fillets, sprinkle with chives, and serve hot.

TIP: If you don’t like skins on the bottom of your fish, they can be easily taken off after cooking by turning the fillets on their sides before plating and gently prying them away using a fork while a spatula keeps the fillet in place.

Overall, I would give this recipe a 5/5. Fish is a staple in my house and I’m happy to say that this recipe has replaced our traditional one - it’s truly outstanding! The sauce is a perfect balance of flavours and choosing the right red wine provides excellent body and depth to the meal.

As mentioned earlier, I only have two gripes with this recipe: the fillets can dry out easily if left to warm in the oven too long and that you may need to make double the amount of sauce, depending on your tastes. However, both are easily fixed by tenting the fish with aluminum foil before placing it in the oven and doubling the amount of ingredients for the sauce.

BONUS: For extra flair when serving, plate the fillets with green veggies like broccoli, peas, or green beans for a colourful contrast!

Tags

fantasy cooking food dnd lunch dungeons and dragons fish recipes delicious d&d homemade lore wine dinner recipe heroes feasting heroes' feast dnd cookbook dnd cooking homecook homecooking elven cuisine LOOK at that crust dragon salmon

Potato Leek Soup (w/ Smoked Turkey)

Served year round, this dense and nutritious vegetable blend is perfect for warming the limbs and souls of dwarves subjugated to the unrelenting cold of damp subterranean life. - Heroes’ Feast, p.97

There’s something very comforting about a rich, creamy soup on an overcast day. Whether rain or snow, its warmth gives you a sense of homely comfort and raises your spirits.

I’d never tried potato and leek soup before attempting this recipe and was skeptical at first; how good could some leeks and potatoes be? However, I was blown away by taste! Delicious and filling, this Potato Leek Soup is sure to satisfy your hunger while giving you those reading-a-good-book-on-a-rainy-day vibes. Make sure to dip a thick slice of sourdough bread from your nearest bakery in it for an even more knock-your-socks-off taste!

As an added bonus, this soup is easily made vegetarian! See the results sections to find out how.

See below for my notes on the results and for some helpful tips and tricks when making this yourself! Get Hero’s Feast here: https://dnd.wizards.com/heroes-feast

Keep reading

Tags

cooking dnd dungeons and dragons recipes d&d soup recipe heroes feasting heroes' feast dwarven cuisine dnd cooking heroes feast cookbook homecook homecooking updated recipe potato leek soup potato leek soup w/ smoked

79 notes View Post

heroes-feasting

2 years ago

Tags

YO?? vegetables tumblr hell

96K notes View Post

heroes-feasting

2 years ago

Adult life tip.

Do not buy a cabbage unless you have one of the following:

1. A recipe that uses a whole cabbage

2. 200 recipes that use some cabbage

3. A desire to waste an entire half cabbage

Tags

tumblr hell

68K notes View Post

heroes-feasting

3 years ago

Homely Halfling House (Gringerbread)

“A traditional treat served in the waning light of the month of Sunsebb in Greyhawk, this style of gingerbread man memorializes a legend about the ancient ruins of Castle Greyhawk.”- Heroes’ Feast, p. 43

Here’s my entry for the unofficial 2021 Heroes’ Feast Gingerbread Showcase that I’m participating in with:

@afinickyguide

Samantha Nahra

Luboffin_ (Luna)

Check out their gingerbread houses and use this Survey Monkey link to vote for your favourite! : https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LHFG8PD

As the chilly winds descend on Fearûn, there’s nothing more comforting to a halfling than cozying up in their house by the fireplace with their favourite book and a steaming cup of cocoa broth.

So, as we all settle in for the winter months ahead, bring some cozy warmth and joy to your holiday season and create your own halfling house!

Spiced without being overbearing, these cookies are a great dessert to serve with coffee or hot chocolate, or pack them in a cookie bundle with some Earl Grey cookies and Banana-Cranberry muffins!

Remember to vote for your favourite house using the Survey Monkey link!

Check out below for my process in creating the house and for some helpful tips and tricks when making this yourself! Get Heroes’ Feast here: https://dnd.wizards.com/heroes-feast

Prep: 10 mins Cook: 2 hours 15 mins* Overall: 2 hours 25 mins

* Includes time for dough to chill

Ingredients for the dough:

3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour

¾ cup (75 g) dark brown sugar

1 tbsp. (8 g) ground ginger

2 tsp. (6 g) ground cinnamon

¾ tsp. (5 g) baking soda

¾ tsp. (4 g) kosher salt

¾ tsp. (2 g) dried mustard powder

½ tsp. (1 g) freshly grated nutmeg

⅛ tsp. (.3 g) ground cloves

12 tbsp. (170 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

⅔ cup (160 ml) unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap)

3 tbsp. (44 ml) whole milk

½ tsp. (3 ml) pure vanilla extract

Ingredients for decorations:

1 ⅓ cup (175 g) confectioners’ sugar

1 egg white

¼ tsp. (2 ml) pure vanilla extract

kosher salt

In a food processor, combine flour, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, mustard powder, nutmeg, and cloves. Pulse several times to mix.

Then, add the melted butter, molasses, milk, and vanilla and process until the ingredients form a dough with no remaining streaks of flour, 15 to 30 seconds, stopping to scrape down the sides of the dough as necessary. (Picture 1) )

Lightly dust a work surface with flour, scrape the dough onto it, and knead briefly until the dough forks a cohesive ball. (Picture 2) )

Divide the dough in half, and flatten each half into a disk ~¾- to 1-inch thick. (Picture 3) )

Wrap each half in cling film and allow to chill in the fridge for one hour or up to 24 hours. (Picture 4) )

Preheat the oven to 350F (177 C) with the racks in the upper-middle and lower-middle of the oven. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Making regular gingerbread cookies

Unwrap one of the dough disks and lay it between two pieces of parchment paper on your work surface. Roll out the dough until it’s roughly 11-inches (28 cm) in diameter and ¼–inches (0.5 cm) thick. (Picture 1) )

Cut out as many cookies as possible using your cookie cutter of choice. You’ll get more than I did here since I used the dough scraps from the house. Heroes’ Feast used a 3 ½-inch (1.3 cm) gingerbread man cookie cutter for all of theirs. (Picture 2) )

Peel away the dough scraps so that all you have left is the shapes. The dough is super sticky and a nightmare to transfer. The easiest way that I found to transfer the cookies was to cut out the parchment around each cookie (Picture 3) ) and use it to flip the cookies onto the baking sheet.

Once the cookies have been transferred, peel away the parchment. (Picture 4) )

Making a gingerbread house

Roll out the dough the same way you would for the gingerbread cookies. (Picture 1) )

Next, trace any shapes you want to use for the house onto parchment paper and cut them out with a sharp knife. Do not lay down regular paper as the stencil for the cookies - the dough is way too sticky and makes it a nightmare to peel off.

To get the right dimensions for the house, I first traced out the shapes with a ruler onto graph paper and cut them out to use as stencils for the parchment shapes. (Picture 2) )

Peel off the parchment paper stencils and cut out the bottom parchment piece the same way you would if making regular gingerbread cookies (previous step). Use the cut out parchment to flip the shapes onto the baking sheet. Once transferred, peel away the parchment (Picture 3) ).

Dimensions

Front and Back: 5-inches (13 cm) base, 2.5-inches (6.5 cm) wall height, 3.5-inches (9 cm) diagonal for the roof

Side Walls: 6-inches (15 cm) base, 2.5-inches (6.5 cm) wall height

Roof*: 7.5-inches (19 cm) length, 4-inches (10 cm) width

* Meant to hang over the edge of the front, side, and back pieces.

Making a 3D Christmas tree

To decorate the house, I really wanted to make a 3D tree. To attempt this, I cut out two trees and created small slits to allow them to slide together.

Making regular gingerbread cookies

Bake each tray of cookies until they begin to set and the edges and are slightly puffed, about 9-11 minutes, rotating the pans 180 degrees and switching racks halfway through baking.

Cool the cookies on the sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating. (Picture 1) )

You won’t be able to cook all of the cookies on two baking sheets. Make sure to let the baking sheets cool before loading them with more cookies.

Making a gingerbread house

Since these cookies were so much larger than their cut-out cousins, I left them in the oven about 5-6 minutes longer.

I also left them to cool on the rack for a few hours to harden up a bit so they wouldn’t be as flexible when building the house.

Like if you’re making regular cookies, you won’t be able to cook all of the cookies on two baking sheets if you’re using up the scraps from cutting out the gingerbread house shapes. Make sure to let the baking sheets cool before loading them with more cookies.

Decorations

For the frosting, add the confectioner’s sugar, egg white, vanilla, a pinch of salt, and 1 tbsp. water to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on medium-low until combined, about 1 minute.

Adjust the speed to medium-high and beat until glossy, soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl as necessary. (Picture 2) )

For decorations, Heroes’ Feast uses chopped up walnuts and currants. I wanted to make a wreath for the house, so I used chopped pistachios instead. (Picture 3) )

Using baking soda in gingerbread cookies is great when making cookies that you don’t need to retain their original shape too much. But, it’s a bit of a pain when trying to make a gingerbread house.

After doing some sleuthing on Sally’s Baking Addiction, it looks like the best thing to do for gingerbread houses is cut the amount of baking soda used by ¾.

To fix my cookie-spreading problem post-baking and make everything a bit more manageable, I started by re-cutting out the slits I had made in the 3D tree before baking. (Pictures 1) and 2) ).

Next, I used the graph paper stencils I had made as guides to trim the cookies back to their original dimensions. (Pictures 3) and 4) ).

In hindsight, to save myself from the gingerbread crumb apocalypse, I would have trimmed them before I let them harden for a few hours.

To decorate the house, I used these Wilton products:

#16 decorating tip (open star)

#2 decorating tip (round)

4 piece, quick twist coupler system

16-inch featherweight decorating bag

To start, I used the #16 tip to pipe a line of frosting onto the base of one of the front/back walls and attached it to the serving platter. Then, I piped icing along one of the long and short edges of the side walls and attached them to the serving platter and front wall. (Picture 1) )

I attached the back wall by piping icing along its base and inside edges and securing it to the serving platter and side walls. (Picture 2) )

Because the roof was pretty heavy and I didn’t want it to fall, I tried to attach it extra securely by piping icing onto the slanted edges of the roof and one of the long walls while also piping icing onto the edges of the roof where it would attach in those places. (Picture 3) )

I wanted the roof to overhang on the front and back of the house, but since I hadn’t accounted for the extra length on the sides from the width of the front and back walls, they were actually a bit short*. I used scraps from cutting the gingerbread back into shape to pad the edges. (Picture 4) )

* The dimensions provided in a previous section take this extra width into consideration.

To clean up the “structural frosting” of the house a little bit, I used the #16 tip to add little dots of frosting along seams and a line of frosting connecting the two halves of the roof. (Picture 1) )

After, I switched out the the #16 tip for the #2 tip and used it to pipe on the shingles. (Picture 2) )

Again, I used the #2 tip to pipe on windows and a door. (Picture 3) )

Finally, I used frosting to attach little pieces of pistachios to create a wreath and put together the 3D tree - it stands on its own! :D (Picture 4) )

Overall, I would give this recipe a 5/5. Not only are the cookies well spiced without being overbearing, you can also have a lot of fun and be creative with it!

If you’re making regular gingerbread cookies, they come out really nice - crunchy on the edges and soft on the inside!

For making a gingerbread house, all I would change would be to lower the baking soda by ¾ to not have them spread out as much and use crusting buttercream frosting instead of royal icing. But that’s just because I like buttercream more.

I highly suggest using this recipe and trying to make your own gingerbread house with friends! It’s a lot of fun and you get to eat it afterwards - win-win!

Happy Holidays everyone and thanks again to:

@afinickyguide

Samantha Nahra

Luboffin (Luna)

For participating in this years unofficial showcase - this couldn’t have happened without you all! <3

Check out their gingerbread houses and use this Survey Monkey link to to vote for your favourite! : https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LHFG8PD

Tags

fantasy dnd dungeons and dragons dessert baking cookies recipes homemade lore heroes feasting heroes' feast dnd cooking homecook homecooking gingerbread homemade dessert human cuisine gingerbread house homely halfling house the 2021 unofficial heroes' feast gingerbread showcase

26 notes View Post

heroes-feasting

2 years ago

OKAY CAN SOMEBODY EXPLAIN TO ME HOW THE FUCK YOU SHIP A PACKAGE OF COOKIES TO A FRIEND WHO LIVES IN NEW JERSEY, ONLY TO HAVE IT NOT GET THERE ON TIME BECAUSE IT SOMEHOW ENDED UP IN GUAM?

I JUST

GUAM?

Tags

cw swearing tumblr hell fave posts

261K notes View Post

heroes-feasting

2 years ago

Tags

polls fantasy cooking food dnd vanilla extract dungeons and dragons heroes feasting heroes' feast dnd cookbook dnd cooking heroes feast cookbook foodblr halfling cuisine stuffed egg battered toast french toast can't believe this meme is what got me back into writing you know where this is going. see you tomorrow! lmao dnd polls

4 notes View Post

heroes-feasting

2 years ago

maybe this silly little coffee drink will equip me to face the unrelenting and unendurable horror of existence

Tags

coffee tumblr hell me anytime i start anything

70K notes View Post

heroes-feasting

2 years ago

Yellow Yaks: Oat-Fudge Bars

Did you know? In MCC 22, the Yellow Yaks were nicknamed The Golden Girls and were MCC’s first all-female team!

Welcome to the stage, the Yellow Yaks themed dessert: Oat-Fudge bars!

I’ve had this idea knocking around in my head since last summer and now it’s done and I finally get to share it! This event is so much fun to watch and participate in as an audience member, so I really wanted to create something that everyone could enjoy!

Best of luck to the Yellow Yaks this MCC! Which team will you be rooting for?

And, of course, thank you Scott Smajor.

(Check out the recipe below and huge thanks to Garbange for fixing the lighting in the picture! Inspired by these.)

Keep reading

Tags

mcyt mcc mcc 25 mcc yellow yaks reblogging for the night crew

42 notes View Post

heroes-feasting

2 years ago

Trick or Treat :D