A Feast of Thrones: Chapter 1

My good friend Pete has made tradition of having all of us D&D nerds and our significant others over for a dinner party twice a year, coinciding with the change of seasons. He calls it the Geequinox, and it has become a highly anticipated event.

This year, he has decided to present a dinner themed after George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones, served in seven courses in honor of the Seven Kingdoms that serve as the story's setting.


The first course, prepared in Pete's Big Green Egg BBQ/smoker, was an amuse bouche consisting of Dwarf Beef-stuffed Yorkshire Puddings a la Tyrion Lannister.




It turns out that anything your oven can do, a wood burning contraption like this can do even better.



A bit of pastry, a bit of beef, and a pinch of horseradish made for one of the best appies Pete has ever made, and he has made some beauties!

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A Feast of Thrones: Chapter 5

The trout, sigil of House Tully, arrived as our fish course in the form of a ceviche. Had it not been for a small reference in the Archer TV series, I wouldn't have had a clue what I was about to eat.



Ceviche[6] (also spelled cebiche or seviche)[7][8] is a seafood dish popular in the coastal regions of the Americas, especially Central and South America.[3] The dish is typically made from fresh raw fish marinated in citrus juices such as lemon or lime and spiced with chilli peppers. Additional seasonings such as onion, salt, and pepper may also be added. Ceviche is usually accompanied by side dishes that complement its flavors such as sweet potato, lettuce, corn, or avocado.[9][10][11] As the dish is not cooked with heat, it must be prepared fresh to avoid the potential for food poisoning.[12] (from Wikipedia)



Pete is a big fan of sushi, and so am I, so this isn't too much of a culinary stretch in that regard, and again, full marks for presentation! He even made the tortilla bowls himself. OCD never tasted so good!

An intoxicating amalgamation of whitefish, onion, peppers and avocado, this was yet another highlight of introduction.

And the plate principal was yet to arrive!

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A Feast of Thrones: Chapter 6

The main course turned out to both the most tenuous link to the seven kingdoms, and the most delicious.




I'm sure that some house must have a boar as their sigil, but a boar also kills a major character midway through the first book, so Pete served up a platter or pork tenderloin, wrapped in bacon and sided by vegetables roasted in its juices.

At the risk of sounding sacrilegious, pigs are a major part of the reason that I find the idea of a loving creator very easy to believe, so taking the flesh of the pig and surrounding it with even more pig strikes me as nothing short of brilliant.

The herb basted vegetables and potatoes carried a hint of the pork flavor, and the tender meat made for a wonderful end to the savory portion of the meal.

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A Feast of Thrones: Chapter 7

You could summarize the dessert as ice-cream and sauce, but if you did, I can find eight other attendees who would gladly beat you within an inch of your life.

Seven tiny scoops of vanilla Haagen Dazs surrounding a serving of raspberry coulis, contained within a tiny glass made of ice; a Wall of ice, if you will. Wow.






A perfect end to a perfect meal!

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A Feast of Thrones: Chapter 2

In honor of House Greyjoy, whose sigil is the mighty kraken, the soup course consisted of a seafood soup served in a bread bowl, and topped with a tiny crab claw.



Absolutely delicious, brilliantly presented, but not thematic enough for Pete; he also served up a platter of octopus from the Egg.



Terrifying to look at, but not at all chewy, with a bit of smoke and just a bit of char around the edges, it was well worth overcoming the initial uncertainty, even for those who are not big seafood fans.

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A Feast of Thrones: Chapter 3

The salad course was themed for the mountaintop fortress of House Arryn, the Aerie, and was a Japanese bird's nest salad made from ramen style noodles and cabbage.





Because the dressing recipe called for oil, vinegar and soya sauce, this presented Pete with a research issue. The recipe did not specify what type of vinegar, what sort of oil, and whether Japanese or Chinese soya sauce should be used.

It is a testimonial to either Pete's attention to detail or the onset of obsessive compulsive disorder that he took it upon himself to make eight different versions to explore every possible permutation. GRRM also wrote a chess story called Unsound Variations that just came to mind...

I only tried the one he provided us with; nice and light, although with 4 courses to go, I am almost hoping for a delay to occur to insure there is room!

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A Feast of Thrones: Chapter 4

A chicken relleno served as the next course, which involved Pete battering fire blackened peppers which had been stuffed with chicken and dropping them into hot oil.

Pete considered this dish best in show, and with the accompanying tequila lime sauce, as well as a delghtful margarita to wash it down, it is hard to argue with him! Hardly surprising that he lifted the recipe from Emeril Lagasse.




With all this heat, both thermal and spice, it is not much of a stretch to associate this course with the Targaryens and their dragons.



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