Tag: dessert

Moon-Sugar

“This one brings you good news, my cats and kittens, tigers and tigresses—especially for everyone who loves moon-sugar! And that’s all of us, isn’t it, my lion-hearts, because admit it: nothing makes our tails twitch like a moon-sugar-glazed sweet roll!”

-“Moon-Sugar for Glossy Fur? Yes!” by Rathuni-la Dawnwhisker, The Elder Scrolls Online

Creating edible alchemical ingredients is a special passion of mine, and there is none as iconic as Moon-Sugar. As a longtime fan of Khajiit, bringing this sugary treat to my holiday sweets smorgasbord was a must! When bringing fictional food to life, however, a Provisioner occasionally has to decide between two sometimes conflicting traits: should it taste as described, or look as shown? In the case of Moon-Sugar, creating a sweet treat that resembles a bowl of the ingredient was my primary purpose, with a secondary goal of creating a flavor that would suit an Elder Scrolls theme, while not behaving in the real world the way Moon-Sugar behaves in the video games. The candy we will be making is a hard candy often called “Shattered Glass Candy,” but with the slight change of using a herbal tea for flavoring and coloring.

To start, gather your ingredients. You will need 2 cups of granulated sugar, 3/4 cup of light corn syrup, 1/4 tsp Vanilla extract, and 1/2 cup strongly brewed herbal tea. I used a Citrus Lavender tea by Teavana, but you can really branch out and pick whichever tea sounds good to you! This tea created a soft yellow color that resembled the images of Moon-Sugar in Skyrim, which was one of the reasons why I picked it. If the color is not important to you, you could even substitute strongly brewed coffee! When steeping my tea I used two tea bags in a little over 1/2 cup of hot water and steeped it until the water had cooled. If you’re using herbal tea you can use this method, but if you decide to use any tea with actual tea leaves, I recommend using an extra tea bag and not steeping for more than five minutes, to avoid excess tannins causing bitter and astringent flavors in the tea.

As you prepare to make the Moon-Sugar, I also recommend wearing shoes and making sure no pets or small children can wander freely in the kitchen. You will be working with molten sugar!

Before beginning with the sugar, line a medium-sized cookie sheet with tinfoil and spray with non-stick spray. If you would like, you could substitute a cookie sheet with a silicone mat instead.

Begin by bringing the sugar, corn syrup, and tea to a boil in a high-walled pot, stirring frequently until the sugar is fully dissolved. Brush down the sides of the pot with warm water to help prevent sugar crystals from forming up the sides.

When the sugar mixture has come to a boil, continue stirring occasionally and insert a high-temperature thermometer. Continue boiling and stirring occasionally until the temperature reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Turn off the heat and allow the pot to sit for a moment until the sugar stops bubbling (there will still be bubbles, but no new ones forming). Stir in the vanilla extract.

Pour the sugar syrup carefully into the prepared pan and allow it to cool completely and harden, about an hour.

Using a kitchen mallet or meat tenderizer (or a heavy bottomed pot) shatter the hard candy. I recommend striking it in several places until the pieces are your desired size.

Add all of the candy shards as well as 1/4 cup powdered sugar, and shake until the candies are evenly covered. Store in an airtight container (or the aforementioned baggie). It will keep for several weeks, if it lasts that long!

Moon-Sugar

  • Servings: 10-12
  • Difficulty: Medium
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The holiest of treats in the Khajiiti culture.


Ingredients

-2 Cups Sugar

-3/4 Cups Light Corn Syrup

-1/2 Cup Strongly Brewed Herbal Tea

-1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract

-1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar


Directions

  1. Gather your ingredients. Line a cookie sheet with tinfoil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Bring sugar, corn syrup, and tea to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Wipe down the sides of the pot with warm water to avoid sugar crystals forming.
  3. When sugar mixture reaches a boil, insert a high temperature thermometer. Stir occasionally until the temperature reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
  4. Turn off the heat and allow the sugar mixture to sit until bubbles stop forming. Stir in the vanilla extract.
  5. Pour the sugar mixture carefully and evenly into the prepared cookie sheet. Allow to full cool and set (about one hour).
  6. Using a kitchen mallet or meat tenderizer, shatter the candy into small pieces.
  7. Add the candy pieces and powdered sugar to a large baggie and shake until the candy is evenly coated. Candy will keep for about two weeks and can be served immediately.

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Candied Chestnuts

“Ho hurr hurr! Liddle wunner they send oi t’keep watch on ‘ee, you’m a villyen, Maister Gonff. Keepen ‘ee paws outten ‘ee chesknutters, or oi tells Miz Bell offen ‘ee.”

-Billum, from Mossflower by Brian Jacques, p.103

Few foods in the cuisine of Redwall Abbey and the greater Mossflower Wood has captured more readers’ attention and left a more memorable impression than Candied Chestnuts. Making their first appearance early on in Redwall, Candied Chestnuts remain not only a tantalizing described treat, but an important plot device in several books. For me as a child, Candied Chestnuts held an almost holy place: the way Brian Jacques described each morsel, covered in sugar, coveted by birds especially, made me crave them. As such no recipe has ever reached higher on my list of dream recipes than candied chestnuts.

For this recipe I started with a traditional Marrons Glacé recipe but expanded on the recipe to match the descriptions of Candied Chestnuts from the book, namely achieving a crispier outer shell with present sugar crystals. Though the final results takes several days to pay off, you’ll find the crispy shell surrounding a gently chewy center to be well worth the wait.

To begin you will need one and 1/4 cups of water, two cups of granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon cardamom, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and approximately one pound of roasted chestnuts (I used three 5.2 oz bags of Gefen Roasted Chestnuts, a little over a pound, available on Amazon). If you have trouble finding roasted chestnuts, I recommend checking in with your local Asian Markets. By using prepackaged roasted chestnuts this recipe is easy to create any time of year, regardless of being bound by Chestnut Season.

In a medium pan, add water, sugar, cardamom, and vanilla and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once the mixture reaches a boil, continue cooking it for five minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the chestnuts to the pot carefully, and bring the mixture back to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue boiling the chestnuts in the syrup, stirring frequently, for ten minutes.

After ten minutes has elapsed, turn off the heat and allow the mixture sit for about sixty seconds, until it stops bubbling. Carefully transfer the mixture to a clean dish or container and cover loosely. Allow the mixture to sit undisturbed for 12-18 hours. After enough time has elapsed, transfer the mixture back to a clean pot and bring to a boil again, stirring until the mixture is boiling. Allow the chestnuts to boil for three minutes, then remove from heat. Transfer back to the same container once it has ceased bubbling, and once again allow the mixture to sit undisturbed for 12-18 hours. Repeat this process 3-5 times (it will required more repetition if the weather is colder, and less in warmer weather) until almost all of the syrup has been absorbed by the nuts.

When you check on the nuts and find that most of the syrup has been absorbed, preheat the oven to 200 degrees, or a warming setting if your oven has one, and transfer them to the pot one last time and bring them to a boil. This time, boil the chestnuts for ten minutes, stirring frequently. The purpose of this final boil is to bring the syrup to a setting temperature, which will allow thick sugar crystals to form on the outside of the chestnuts.

Transfer the chestnuts and remaining syrup back to the cleaned container and set the chestnuts aside to cool slightly (about 3-5 minutes, until you can pick them up safely with your fingers) and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. When the sugar mixture has begun to set around the chestnuts and then can be touched, use a spoon or your fingertips to transfer each chestnut to the lined baking sheet. Allow some of the sugar crystals to remain on the chestnuts, these will help to form the harder outer shell. Bake the chestnuts at 200 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour, until they have firmed up and the surfaces of the nuts are dry and crispy.

Allow the chestnuts to cool completely, and then transfer to an airtight container. They will keep at room temperature for 1-2 weeks, but it’s unlikely they will last all that long! Serve as a snack by themselves, or alongside holiday treats. Or use them as garnishes on baked goods, or chopped in cookies.

Candied Chestnuts

  • Servings: 4-8
  • Difficulty: Medium
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Among the most iconic of Redwall foods, a treat to sweeten any day.


Ingredients

-1 Pound Roasted Chestnuts

-2 Cups Granulated Sugar

-1 and 1/4 Cups Water

-1 tsp Vanilla Extract

-1/4 tsp Freshly Grated Nutmeg

-1/4 tsp Cardamom


Directions

  1. Gather your ingredients.
  2. Bring Water, Sugar, Vanilla, Cardamom, and Nutmeg to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
  3. Add chestnuts and boil for ten minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. All to cool until mixture stops bubbling and transfer to a clean container. Cover loosely. Allow to sit for 12-18 hours undisturbed.
  5. Transfer the mixture to a medium pot and bring back to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Allow to boil for three minutes. Allow to cool and transfer back to container, cover loosely, and allow to sit undisturbed for 12-18 hours.
  6. Repeat step 5 3-5 times, until almost all of the syrup has been absorbed by the chestnuts.
  7. Once almost all of the syrup has been absorbed, preheat oven to 200 degrees and bring chestnuts to a boil, stirring frequently. Boil over medium heat for ten minutes. Transfer back to the container and allow them to cool until syrup starts to set.
  8. Using a spoon or your fingertips, transfer chestnuts one by one to a parchment lined baking sheet, taking care to make sure each chestnuts has some sugar crystals attached.
  9. Bake at 200 degrees for 45-60 minutes, until the nuts have firmed up and are dry and crispy to the touch.
  10. Allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks.

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Skyrim-Style Apple Pie

“You might as well have some sweets. I made them for the festival after all.”

-Bendt, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, “Tending the Flames”

Nothing fits more firmly in the Holiday Season in the United States than Apple Pie, it’s so ubiquitous as a staple in American foods that it’s hard to imagine it in any other setting. And yet, sitting there on Bendt’s counter during the Burning of King Olaf is a row of ostensibly fresh baked apple pies. Where do apple pies fit in the pseudo-medieval fantasy setting of Skyrim? Actually, the humble apple pie can be traced back, at least, to the 14th Century manuscript “The Forme of Cury,” or translated, The Method of Cooking. This apple pie recipe in many ways doesn’t resemble a modern apple pie, calling for apples, figs, pears, raisins, and spices and being cooked within a coffyn, an inedible pastry shell.

The next known apple pie recipe is from “A Proper Newe Booke of Cokerye,” the oldest edition of which can be dated to 1545. This recipe in some way more closely resembles a modern apple pie, with the addition of quince, as well as apples, cinnamon, ginger, and sugar. Building off of these two recipes, I took a little liberty in the development of my own apple pie recipe, hoping to please the modern palates of my roommates for Thanksgiving. Considering that Skyrim is still a fantasy world, and that the Apple Pies found throughout the fictional country resemble a modern latticed apple pie more than a medieval one, I built off of the latter of the two apple pie recipes mentioned with considerations for modern palates and Skyrim imagery.

To start, you will need a double batch of my previous recipe, Grammy’s Butter Crust, chilled overnight as two separate rounds.

Start with 4-5 Honeycrisp apples (4 large apples or 5 medium) and 4 Quince. Peel, core, and slice the apples and quince into 1/4 inch thick slices. You’ll want to wind up with 8-9 cups of sliced fruit. If they start to oxidize and brown a little in the air, it’s fine, they’ll change color in the oven anyway. Add your apple and quince slices to a large bowl and assemble the rest of the ingredients for the filling: 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp ground cardamom, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1/4 tsp coarse kosher salt, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg, 1/4 cup all purpose flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, and 1/4 cup dark brown sugar. Add everything to the fruit and turn with your hands until everything is thoroughly mixed together.

Set aside the filling mix and lay down wax paper over your workspace. Lightly flour the wax paper and roll out the first round of butter crust until it is about 1/6th inch thick. I find flipping the pie dough a few times during rolling and redusting my rolling pin as necessary helps to prevent it from sticking while maintaining an even thickness.

Using the wax paper, flip your pastry dough into a pie pan. Push down along the sides to make sure that the dough fills in any possible bubbles, and use your thumbs to push along the edges. Using a sharp paring knife, cut away any excess dough. Use a fork to pierce the bottom of the crust in several spots to avoid possible air bubbles during baking. For this recipe I used this cast iron pie pan (please note this is an affiliate link) that I have subsequently fallen in love with. It gives a perfect even brown crust every time!

Stir the fruit filling to ensure that the juices that have formed evenly coat every piece of fruit, and pour it into the pie pan. If it domes up a little over the edge of the pie pan that’s totally okay.

Now it’s time to make a lattice top crust with the remaining dough round. If you’ve never made a lattice crust it’s a lot easier than it looks. Start by rolling out the pastry dough on lightly floured wax paper until it is about 1/6th inch thick again. Using a large knife, cut the dough into 1/2 inch strips. Lay half of the strips across the top of the pie facing one direction (imagine window blinds). Fold over backwards every other strip of dough and lay one strip across the middle (as shown in the second photo in the top row). Lay the folded strips back out straight, and fold back the opposing set of horizontal strips. Lay down another strip of dough and keep repeating this alternate weave until you have finished one half of the pie. Then repeat the process working from the middle on the other half of the pie. When you have finished weaving your lattice top, push down with your fingertips along the edge of the pan to form a seal, and use a sharp paring knife to cut away any excess dough. Finally, take a fork and press along the edges to ensure a perfect seal.

Lastly, brush the top of the finished pie with milk, and sprinkle coarse sugar over the top. This will help to brown the top and make it pleasantly sweet as well. If you cannot find sparkling or coarse sugar, demerara or turbinado sugar makes a suitable substitute. Refrigerate the pie for 20-30 minutes, and in the meantime preheat the oven to 400 degrees with a rack in the lower third of the oven.

After 30 minutes, bake the pie at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the pie for 50-60 minutes longer (if using cast iron) or 40-50 minutes (if using an aluminum or ceramic pie tin). Check on the pie about halfway through the baking time to make sure the crust isn’t browning too fast, and if it is loosely tent the pie with tinfoil. You’ll know the pie is done when the inside is bubbling a little bit and the top crust is golden brown. Allow the pie to cool at room temperature for at least two hours before serving. Serve with Black Tea or Metheglin and a sense for adventure. After serving, leftovers can be stored covered in the fridge for up to five days.

This recipe was part of my 2020 Elder Scrolls Thanksgiving Feast. (Held with only the members of my household, all of whom were unable to be home with their families due to the COVID Pandemic).

Skyrim Apple Pie

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: Easy
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A medieval apple pie straight from the food stalls of Skyrim to your Holiday table.


Ingredients

-4 Large Honeycrisp Apples

-4 Quince

-1 Double Batch of Grammy’s Butter Crust (chilled overnight as two rounds)

-1 tsp Cinnamon

-1 tsp Ginger

-1 tsp Cardamom

-1/4 tsp Ground Cloves

-1/2 tsp Freshly Grate Nutmeg

-1 tsp Vanilla Extract

-1/4 Cup Flour

-1/4 Cup White Sugar

-1/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar

-1 Tbsp Whole Milk

-2 tsp Coarse Sugar


Directions

  1. Gather your ingredients. Peel, core, and slice apples and quince into 1/4 inch thick slices.
  2. Mix sliced fruit, spices, vanilla, sugars, and flour in a large bowl with your hands until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
  3. Roll out first round of Butter Pastry Dough over lightly floured wax paper. Transfer into pie pan using the wax paper to lift. Push out any air bubbles and ensure the dough is evenly distributed in the pan. Using fingertips push along the edges to create an even crust. Cut away excess dough using a sharp knife. Pierce bottom of pie in several places using a fork to ensure no air bubbles form.
  4. Stir fruit filling to ensure it is well combined and pour into prepared pie pan.
  5. Build lattice crust (see instructions above).
  6. Brush top of pie with milk, and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
  7. Set pie aside to chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  8. After chilling, bake pie for 20 minutes at 400 Degrees, then reduce temperature to 350 Degrees. Bake for 50-60 minutes if using cast iron, or 40-50 minutes if using an aluminum pie tin. Check midway through and tent with tinfoil if browning too quickly. Allow to cool for at least two hours at room temperature before serving.

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Daedra heart (Gin and Jam Tonic Jelly)

Daedra Heart

“I may have a deal we could work out. I need a Daedra’s Heart. Jarl wants me to cool his new sword in blood.”

-Moth gro-Bagol, Understone Keep (Skyrim)

If you’re looking for a recipe to astound at a Halloween party next weekend, or just looking to appease the Daedric Prince Malacanth, this jelly is sure to cause a commotion wherever it shows up. Gin, Tonic, and Fresh berries lead in with their natural flavors and colourful pop to bring one of the goriest alchemical ingredients in the Elder Scrolls to life. The end result is a visually enchanting edible cocktail that will keep your friends talking for days.

The basis for this recipe is a combination of the classic Gin and Tonic, and the Gin and Jam Cocktails. The recipe itself doesn’t add any sugar to the jelly mold (aside from what occurs in the Jam) to allow the natural botanicals of the gin and the bitterness of the quinine in the tonic to come forward, complemented but not overpowered by the natural sweetness of the berries. If you want something sweeter to serve, you can add up to three tablespoons of granulated sugar without affecting the setting ability of the recipe.

Notes about your ingredients:

  • Tonic Water: Just about any will do, I’ve always been happy with Fever-Tree’s tonic.
  • Kanten, or Agar Agar: I use Kanten, which is a Japanese product that’s very similar to Agar. If you can’t find Kanten at your local Japanese market, Agar will do in a pinch. And if you can’t find Agar, you can substitute the same quantity of unflavored Gelatine. The nice thing about Agar or Kanten is that they’re actually vegan-friendly, if you want to serve your Daedra Heart to someone with dietary restrictions.
  • Gin: Use your favorite Gin for this recipe, but if you’re not a Gin fan you can substitute in the same amount of your preferred Vodka, or any other clear spirit. If you’re looking for a Gin suggestion, I live and die by Suntory Roku Gin.
  • Strawberry Jelly: You’ll want a jelly rather than preserves with large pieces of strawberry in them. I use my homemade strawberry jelly from my Grammy’s recipe, and unlike my Grammy I’ll share the secret with you: It’s the same strawberry freezer jelly recipe that comes packaged with Certo Sure Jell Liquid Pectin, the secret is in using a food processor to puree the strawberries. If that sounds like a lot of work to you, grab whatever you have on hand. This is a surprisingly versatile recipe.
  • Heart Mold: I bought this heart mold from Amazon. While the recipe is certainly no longer a Daedra Heart if you don’t have a heart mold, if you’re interested in the recipe for the recipe’s sake, any 14 fl oz mold or bowl will do. If you do use the heart mold, pick a bowl in advance that will keep it upright in the refrigerator while your jelly sets overnight.

To begin, dice the five strawberries into 1/4 inch pieces. Add the diced strawberries and raspberries to a small mixing bowl and mash together with a fork. The mixture should be a little chunky, not a fine puree. Add three tablespoons of strawberry jelly to the mixture and stir to combine. Reserve 1/2 cup of this sauce in an airtight container and add one teaspoon of sugar, stir and set aside in the refrigerator.

Add one stick of kanten (or agar) to the tonic water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the mixture has come to a boil, stir in the remaining berry mixture and turn off the heat. Set the pan aside to cool for 2-3 minutes. While the pan is cooling, grease your jelly mold: use either vegetable oil and a paper towel, or non-stick spray. Once the mixture is just warm and no longer hot, stir in the gin and pour into your mold, which should be placed into a bowl or vessel to keep it upright. Put the mold, uncovered, in the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning, overturn your mold onto a plate and allow it to sit at room temperature for five minutes. As the jelly warms slightly, it will likely pop out of the mold on its own. If it does not after five minutes, you can gently go over the edges will a dull butter knife, taking care to not cut into the jelly.

Serve with the berry sauce poured over the top for extra gore factor. This recipe will serve 2-4 Alchemists comfortably, but can easily be doubled or tripled to serve more.

Daedra Heart

  • Servings: 2-4
  • Difficulty: Easy
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A gin and jam tonic jelly inspired by the Elder Scrolls.


Ingredients

-One 6.8oz bottle of Tonic

-3.5oz Gin

-6oz Fresh Raspberries

-5 Medium Strawberries

-3 Tbs Strawberry Jelly

-1 Stick (or measured 4g) Kanten or Agar

-1 tsp Granulated Sugar


Directions

  1. Gather your ingredients.
  2. Dice strawberries into 1/4 in pieces. Combine with raspberries in a small mixing bowl and mash roughly with a fork. Add strawberry jelly and stir to combine. Reserve 1/2 cup of berry mixture and combine with 1 tsp sugar, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  3. Heat tonic and kanten in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until lightly boiling. Stir in remaining berry mixture and turn off heat. Set aside to cool for five minutes.
  4. Grease jelly mold with vegetable oil or nonstick spray and place inside a bowl for stability.
  5. Once jelly mixture is no longer hot to the touch, add gin and stir. Pour mixture into jelly mold and store in the refrigerator overnight, or at least 6 hours to fully set.
  6. Overturn jelly mold onto a plate and allow to sit for five minutes to reach room temperature. If jelly does not lift out of the mold on its own, gently run a dull butter knife around the edges to loosen it. Serve with reserved berry sauce poured over the top.

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