Dnd Cookbook - Blog Posts

Delzoun "Tide-Me-Overs"

“While these are customary consumables at Hornmoot, the traditional human-dwarven trading festival that marks the dawn of Spring, there isn’t a holiday on the eventful dwarven calendar that doesn’t feature these scrumptious meats on the menu.” - Heroes’ Feast, p. 90

Personally, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more dwarven food than the good old-fashioned meatball. 

Heroes’ Feast’s Delzoun “Tide-Me-Overs” bring dwarven kitchens to life with these extremely tasty and juicy meatballs! Leagues better than anything you’d buy at the grocery store, I would absolutely suggest making these yourself.

This recipe is also ridiculously forgiving. Once, I doubled nearly all the ingredients by accident, aside from the meat, and they still came out amazing!

If you don’t eat pork, no worries! They’re just as tasty using only beef!

Check out below for tips and tricks when making this yourself! Get Heroes’ Feast here: https://dnd.wizards.com/heroes-feast

Prep: 15 mins            Cook: 1h 30 mins            Total: 1h 45 mins

Ingredients:

¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream*

1 egg

2 slices dark bread (such as rye), crusts discharged, remainder torn into pieces**

3 tbsp. (43 g) unsalted butter

1 small onion, finely chopped

Kosher salt

¼ tsp. (2 g) ground allspice 

8 oz (225 g) ground pork

8 oz (225 g) lean ground beef

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp. (8 g) all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups (350 ml) low-sodium chicken broth

1 tsp. (4 g) light brown sugar

1 ½ tsp. (7 ml) soy sauce

½ tsp. (2 ml) fresh lemon juice

3 tbsp. (12 g) finely chopped fresh dill or parsley

* I’ve used both heavy cream and half-and-half with no issues.

** I used Vienna-style Pumpernickel Bread, cut into standard ½ -inch sandwich slices at the thickest part of the loaf.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cream and egg (top-left).

Add the bread, mix well, and set aside, stirring occasionally, until the bread is softened, about 20 minutes (top-right).

Using a fork or sturdy spoon, mash the bread into a paste and set aside (bottom).

NOTE: Apparently, the bread is not what binds the meat/other ingredients together, but works with the milk to give the meatballs moisture and texture! The eggs are the only binding ingredient.

In hindsight, this makes sense, since in baking eggs are a binder…

Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tbsp. (14 g) of the butter. Add the onion and ½ tsp. (3 g) salt and cook, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes (left).

Add the allspice and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 40 seconds (right).

Remove from heat and let them cool to room temperature. Laying mine in a single layer in the skillet, it took about 10 minutes.

TIP: Don’t be afraid to eat some of the onions to see if they’ve softened enough.

TIP: Cooling my onions in a single layer in the skillet took about 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 475℉ (245℃) with a wire rack in the middle of the oven. Coat a large wire rack with nonstick cooking spray and set it in a large, rimmed baking sheet.

Add the cooled onion mixture, pork, ground beef, baking powder, 1 tsp. (5 g) salt and ½ tsp. (1 g) pepper to the bread paste and, using a large spoon or your hands, mix until well combined and uniform.

TIP: To save yourself time when doing the dishes, line the baking sheet with aluminum foil so you don’t need to scrape any burned bits off.

NOTE: Personally, I didn’t run into this problem while making mine, but it’s important to only mix the meat mixture until everything is just combined. Overmixing will result in stiffer, tougher meatballs.

With moistened hands, form the mixture into generous 1-tablespoon-sized balls (left).

Arrange the meatballs on the rack in the baking sheet and bake until lightly browned, about 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through (right).

NOTE: I had to make double the amount of pork/beef meatballs since 8 oz packages of each ground meat were not available. Expect about half the amount of meatballs that you see here if making this yourself.

NOTE: The meatballs will sag through the wire rack a little bit when placed, this is fine!

NOTE: The ones shown above are the size Heroes’ Feast recommends. I wanted them to be a little bit larger the second time I made them, so I went for golf-ball sized. The cooking time stayed the same, but I found the weight of them might have been a bit too much and they lost way more structure than the smaller ones. 

However, that was also the time I accidentally doubled all the ingredients aside from the meat, so I’m sure there was more at play there. Just something to keep in mind. They still came out great though! In fact, they’re the ones shown in the final picture.

Wipe out the skillet used for the onions to remove any stray onion bits, set it over medium heat, and melt the remaining 2 tbsp. (28 g) butter. Stirring constantly, cook until fragrant and a shade darker, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes (top-left).

Switch to a whisk and, whisking constantly, gradually add the broth. Continuing to whisk often, cook for about 2 minutes (top-right).

Add the brown sugar, soy sauce, lemon juice, and ¼ tsp. (0.5 g) pepper and continue to whisk and cook until thickened, about 2 more minutes (bottom).

NOTE: The Heroes’ Feast “cook’s notes” mentions that the sauce will thicken quickly as it cools, and to add extra chicken broth to loosen the consistency.

They’re absolutely right! It’s more obvious in the next pictures but the sauce thickens a lot. It’s also a lot darker than what’s shown in the preview image in the book, so I’m not sure how much extra broth they had to add, but it seems like quite a bit.

Add meatballs to the sauce and simmer, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 4 minutes (left).

Stir in most of the dill or parsley and taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper, if necessary (right).

Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle with remaining dill or parsley, and serve hot.

Overall, I would give this recipe a 5/5. It was a little daunting since the ingredients list was so long, but once I got started making the meatballs it was actually remarkably simple! They’re really juicy, have great texture, and the allspice-seasoned onions are so tasty!

The sauce is a little awkward to make, but it does add amazing flavour. But, again, the meatballs retained so much moisture you don’t really need a sauce to enjoy them!

Honestly, if you have the time and are sick of store-bought meatballs, definitely give these a try. 

Finally, as I mentioned earlier, you can totally make these with only beef (shown in the final picture above)! They’ll still retain quite a bit of moisture and be super delicious.

Stuffed Egg-Battered Toast

“There’s nothing more comforting to a comfort-obsessed halfling than the warm intermingling scents of vanilla, maple, and walnuts filling their home.” - Heroes’ Feast, p. 120

French toast is a staple of Sunday Brunches everywhere, and it’s easy to see why. This fried breakfast bread is easily customized with whatever you want. Syrup? Eggs? Fruit? It’s all fair game to this tasty toast!

Taking a swing at its own version, Heroes’ Feast’s Stuffed Egg-Battered Toast looks to change it up by putting its toppings inside, rather than on top.

With each slice stuffed with mascarpone, walnuts, and a truly questionable amount of vanilla extract, your kitchen and taste buds are surely going to be treated to that homely vanilla smell that halflings crave so much.

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

Prep: 5 mins    Cook: 25 mins    Total: 30 mins

Ingredients:

4 ounces (½ cup, 120 g) mascarpone, at room temperature

¼ cup (25 g) walnuts, finely chopped

2 tsp. (10 ml) pure vanilla extract*

4 (1-inch-thick) slices of brioche or challah

2 eggs

½ cup (120 ml) whole milk

¼ tsp. (2 g) kosher salt

2 tbsp. (30 g) unsalted butter

½ cup (120 ml) maple syrup

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting**

* That uh… sure is an amount of vanilla for a ½ cup of mascarpone.

** I used chopped strawberries instead.

In a small bowl, stir together the mascarpone, walnuts and vanilla. (I forgot to take a picture of this each time I made it. L.)

Use a thin knife to cut a 2-inch-long slit through the side of each slice of brioche, creating a pocket.

Gently open the pocket and spoon 1 tbsp. of the mascarpone mixture into each slice.

TIP: As mentioned in the “cook’s notes” section, the bread is very delicate and tears easily- so take extra caution when opening and stuffing the pockets.

Alternatively, the notes mention that you could use ½-inch slices and spread the mixture between them like a sandwich. However, I worry about its structural integrity while dipping it in the egg mixture or flipping it in the frying pan.

But, since stuffing each slice is a pain, it might be worth going with the sandwich method.

NOTE: Only stuff the slices if they’re cut 1-inch-thick. ½-inch and even ¾-inch slices are way too thin and will tear.

In a pie dish or shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and salt.

BEFORE DIPPING the slices, melt 1 tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

Dip two stuffed slices into the egg mixture, turning to soak both sides and letting any excess batter drip back into the bowl.

TIP: You only need to let each side soak for a few seconds. Any longer than 5 makes the bread mushy.

Place the sides in a skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Use a spatula to transfer the toasts to a warm plate.

Repeat to cook the remaining two stuffed slices.

Meanwhile, warm the maple syrup in a small saucepan over low heat for a few minutes.

TIP: The “cook’s notes” section mentions that warmed marmalade can be used to replace the maple syrup.

NOTE: I misread the instructions for this step and cooked all four slices at once. To fix the uneven browning, I flipped the lighter parts to the middle of the pan for about 20 seconds after cooking each side.

NOTE: To save on dishes, I chose to not warm my syrup.

Top the toast with strawberries (and/or confectioners’ sugar), drizzle with the maple syrup, and serve.

Overall, this recipe has one thing really working against it: the vanilla extract.

Personally, I found the filling to be inedible with 2 tsp. of vanilla extract in the mascarpone mixture. The alcohol in the extract doesn’t have enough time to cook out and leaves everything with a distinctly alcoholic taste. 

This would be fine if other flavours used in the recipe complimented the taste of the alcohol or if the taste was expected (like an alcoholic french toast). Unfortunately, nothing here works with it and, being a breakfast food, it isn’t expected. So, it ends up overwhelming the toast and making it unappetizing.

My solution to this was to cut back the vanilla extract to ½ tsp. The taste was still a little strong, but there was an improvement. If you’re planning to make this at home, consider cutting the vanilla back even further, or try using vanilla bean instead to skip the alcohol entirely.

It’s also worth mentioning that the mascarpone makes these very rich. Interestingly, I found that the syrup and strawberries really helped cut the richness. You’re still only going to eat one though.

Finally, as mentioned in a previous step, although the structural integrity might be questionable with the sandwich method, it might be worth it just to skip spooning the mixture into the pockets. The mess it creates really makes you wonder if it’s worth it.

All in all, the unaltered recipe gets a 2.5/5, going up to 4/5 when the amount of vanilla extract is reduced. Still losing points for the remaining alcoholic taste and messy and needlessly difficult construction.

"Orc" Bacon

“No, it isn’t made from orcs - but for orcs.” - Heroes’ Feast, p. 156

Until I found this recipe, I’d never thought of trying to dress up bacon. After all, bacon is bacon! However, “Orc” Bacon brings a tasty spin to this popular classic.

Coated with a savoury-sweet glaze and absolutely the easiest thing to make in Heroes’ Feast so far; this tasty treat is a great snack to prepare for a table of hungry adventurers or for yourself when life gets busy!

Try snacking on them with a side of the Yawning Portal Buttermilk Biscuits to really immerse yourself in that tavern vibe!

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: 1 min               Cook: 30 mins*               Total: ~30 mins

* Varies based on how crispy you like your bacon.

Ingredients (serves 4 as a snack):

1 lbs. (450 g) thick-cut bacon*

3 tbsp. (38 g) light-brown sugar

½ tsp. (1 g) freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. (2 g) garlic powder

2 tbsp. (30 ml) orange juice

* I used regular cut bacon instead of thick-cut with no issues.

Start by preheating the oven to 375℉ (190℃) with a rack in the middle of the oven. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Coat a large wire rack with nonstick cooking spray and set it in the foil-lined pan.

Next, arrange the bacon slices on the rack, laying them tight against each other so the entire pound fits (top-left).

Roast the bacon strips until they render some of their fat and shrink a bit, about 12 minutes (top-right).

NOTE: I struggled to fit all of the regular cut bacon onto the rack even after cramming everything as tight as possible (rip those pieces at the top). This may be different for thick-cut but I ended up having three extra slices to spare.

While the bacon renders, in a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, pepper, garlic, and orange juice.

Lightly brush the rendered slices with about half of the brown sugar mixture (top-left).

Continue roasting until the brown sugar adheres to the bacon and the bacon appears glossy, about 7 minutes (top-right).

Using tongs, turn over the pieces.

Lightly brush the slices with the remaining brown sugar mixture and continue roasting until the brown sugar mixture adheres to the bacon and looks glossy, 5 to 7 minutes.

Transfer slices to a serving plate and serve warm.

NOTE: For this last part, feel free to roast the slices for as long as it takes them to your preferred crispness level. The slices above roasted for about 11 minutes.

Overall, I would give this recipe a 5/5. I couldn't personally see myself eating these with eggs in the morning (clashing flavours) but it does make for a nice sweet and savoury snack!

Like I mentioned in the intro, the flavour and ease to throw it together make it a good choice to bring to a D&D session or make as a nerdy snack for yourself when you’re busy, no matter what level your cooking skill is at.

Watch out though! They’re super sticky so make sure to have plenty of napkins on hand.

Traveler's Stew

“This earthy, slow-cooked concoction consisting of beef (or rothé), carrots, potatoes, and onions in a dark beef-infused broth is served in eating establishments everywhere, from the Green Dragon Inn and the Yawning Portal to Ellfate’s Eatery and the Inn of the Last Home.” - Heroes’ Feast, p. 7

The first recipe in Heroes' Feast and certainly deserving of it! Traveler’s Stew makes for a hearty lunch or dinner capable of being customised based on which stout or dark beer you chose.

I’ve tried it with a couple different beers now and so far the almost chocolaty Cowbell Brewing Co. Draught Nitro Stout has been my favourite. Its flavour adds extra depth and richness to the broth without altering how you’d expect a stew to taste too much. Experiment on your own to get the flavour you like best!

The biggest difference between this stew and most that I've had in the past is the broth is much more watery. Personally, I liked the change, but if you prefer a thicker consistency, mash up a couple of the cooked potato chunks and stir them in - the starch will thicken it 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: 2h 50 mins               Total: 3 hours

* Cut down on prep time by chopping up the vegetables while the beef simmers.

Ingredients:

¼ cup (~30 g) all-purpose flour

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 ½ lbs. (1.35 kg) beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch (~2.5 cm) pieces

1 tbsp. (15 ml) vegetable oil, plus more as needed*

1 cup (~240 ml) dark beer**

4 cups (~945 ml) low-sodium beef broth***

1 tsp. (2 g) sweet paprika

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch (~1 cm) rounds

3 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch (~2.5 cm) pieces

¼ cup (15 g) chopped fresh parsley

* I was out of vegetable oil and substituted extra virgin olive oil - no noticeable change in taste

** The dark beer pictured is not the chocolaty stout mentioned and recommended in the intro. The Waterloo Dark will add a licorice-like taste to the broth of your stew.

*** A carton of broth will be short on the amount needed by about ~¼ cup (45 ml). Use extra beer to make up the difference.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, 1 tsp. (6 g) salt, and several grinds of pepper. Add the beef and toss to coat well.

Warm the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add one-third to half of the beef - do not crowd - and cook for about 5 minutes, turning to brown all sides evenly (top-left).

Transfer the browned beef to a plate and repeat to brown the remaining beef, adding more oil, if needed, between batches (top-right).

Pour the beer into the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits.

Return browned beef to the pot and add the broth and paprika. Adjust the heat to low (or 1 on a 10 heat dial), cover, and cook at a simmer until the meat is very tender, 1 ½ to 2 hours.

Add the onion, carrots, and potatoes to the pot and continue to simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Overall, I would give this recipe a 5/5. It was super easy to make, had great flavour, and the broth was a nice change-up from what I was used to.

Definitely do try out different beers to see which background flavour you like best!

Quith-Pa

“The most common variety of elven rations, this vegetarian trail food is made up primarily of dried fruits, but regional variations can include seeds, nuts, legumes, and beyond.” - Heroes’ Feast, p. 57

The best way to describe Quith-Pa from Heroes’ Feast is as a fruit truffle instead of a chocolate one. Packed with refreshing, fruity sweetness, toasty flavours, and no added sugar, it’s a great snack or dessert for those looking to try something new!

Additionally, they're small enough that you can easily pack them into a mini tupperware container and bring them with you for easy snacking on the go!

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: 1h             Total: 1h 10 mins

Ingredients (makes 12 ish):

1 orange

6 ounces (1 cup) (170 g) dried apricots, coarsely chopped

¾ cup (70 g) unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted*

¾ tsp. (4 ml) pure vanilla extract

Kosher salt

* To toast the coconut: spread out the coconut in an even layer in a large, flat-bottom pan on medium-low heat. Stir frequently until almost all of the coconut has reached a toasty golden brown colour, about 8-10 mins.

Using a microplane, grate the orange peel to yield 1 ½ tsp. (8 g, about half the rind of a large navel orange) of finely grated zest. Squeeze the orange to yield 1 ½ tbsp. (15 ml) of juice.

In a full-size or mini food processor, combine the apricots, ½ cup (25 g) of the toasted coconut, the orange zest and juice, vanilla, and a tiny pinch of salt.

Process until the mixture is very finely chopped, uniform, and cohesive, pulsing and stopping to scrape down the sides of the work as necessary.

Put the remaining ½ cup coconut in a wide, shallow bowl.

Roll scant 1-tablespoon (~18 g) portions of the apricot mixture into 1-inch balls, gently pressing as you roll to help them cohere (you should have 15 or 16 balls).

Working with three or four balls at a time, roll them in the remaining coconut, pressing them gently to help the coconut adhere.

Place the balls on a plate and rest them (to firm up and dry out slightly) for 45 minutes.

The balls will keep, stored in an airtight container at room temperature, for about 3 days.

TIP: They will be incredibly sticky while forming them. I recommend pressing the mixture together with your fingers to create the shape of a ball and then gently rolling them between your fingers (not your palms!) to finish shaping them.

You may need to brush off any mixture clinging to your hands a couple times while rolling it into a ball because the remaining stickiness from your hands will cause formed balls to break.

NOTE: If rolling them in a deeper, smaller bowl like I was, you may only be able to work with one or two at a time.

Overall, I would give this recipe a 4/5. Although the taste is great and they make a fantastic sweet snack for anyone trying to avoid added sugar, I feel like the effort/dishes to yield is a little low. Definitely at least double the recipe if you plan on making these yourself.

BONUS picture that didn’t make the cover photo:

Meal’s End

“[...] this refreshing dish is quick to concoct and easy to serve by the bowlful, requiring no baking. While there are subtle variations of “meal’s end” based on region and culture, the version with chopped persimmon or plum in lieu of field berries is quite seasonal and thus recommended.” - Heroes’ Feast, p. 79

Honestly, I'm going to start calling the whipped heavy cream, greek yogurt, vanilla extract combo that creates the base of Meal’s End “better whipped cream”. The rich sweetness of the cream and vanilla is both enhanced and offset by the addition of the greek yogurt in a way I still struggle to describe.

To make it even better, because the meringues melt quickly in your mouth, they add fantastic texture while not disturbing the overall smoothness of the dessert!

Rich without being heavy, Meal’s End from Heroes’ Feast is the perfect light dessert to have after any meal!

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: 10 mins                 Total: 20 mins

Ingredients - serves 4 parfait glasses:

3 cups (430 g) fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled (or a mix of berries)

Sugar as needed

1 ⅓ cups (315 ml) heavy cream

⅓ cup (80 ml) plain Greek yogurt (preferably whole milk) or crème fraîche*

¼ tsp. (1 ml) pure vanilla extract

2 ounces package (50 g/half the package shown) or homemade cocoa or vanilla meringues, coarsely crumbled (about 1 ⅓ cups)

* I used 2% plain Greek yogurt.

Coarsely chop 2 cups of the strawberries. In a bowl, mix the chopped strawberries with sugar to taste. (top-left bowl)

Slice or quarter the remaining 1 cup berries. In a small bowl, mix these strawberries with sugar to taste. (top-right bowl)

Using an electric or handheld whisk, beat the heavy whipping cream until it is softly whipped, adding 1 tbsp. of sugar once the cream has thickened.

This will take 1 to 1 ½ minutes with a stand mixer at high speed.

TIP: To make the cream whisk faster, put the bowl you are using in the fridge or freezer for 10 minutes until chilled. Also, keep the cream cold in the fridge until you’re ready to whip it.

Fold in the yogurt and vanilla just until blended.

Fold in the chopped berries and crumbled meringues.

Divide the mixture among four serving dishes, top with the sliced berries, and serve all at once.

NOTE: Time is not kind to the texture of the meringues. Serve Meal’s End immediately after making it. However, leftovers can be kept covered in the fridge and eaten later.

Overall, I would give this recipe a 5/5. Like I said in the intro, the meringues and berries compliment the smoothness and incredible flavour of the whipped cream mixture perfectly!

I would highly recommend eating this after a fish dinner, but it’s also a great dessert after heavier foods like steak.

Although eating it immediately after making will preserve the texture of the meringues, save any leftovers you’ve got from this! The flavour of the meringues will combine with the whipped cream and make a delicious dessert later too!

Elven Marruth

“Sometimes reductively referred to as “root pies” by dwarves and humans, marruth are incredibly hearty closed-faced canapés that are filled with spiced and herbed mashes of vegetables (carrots, potatoes, and carrots) and then lightly baked in a flaky, buttery crust.” - Heroes’ Feast, p. 64

Eating seasonal foods is a popular option because it helps local growers, tastes fresher, and makes you feel more connected to the season. Now, this is all well and good if you live in a climate with longer or all-year growing seasons; but what can you expect to be growing when you’re knee-deep in snow?

Believe it or not, there are winter seasonal vegetables! (rip fruit, you’ll be missed until spring)

Elven Marruth from Heroes’ Feast is a great use of hardy winter-season produce. The small pastries make for a great snack alongside a warm bowl of soup or, thanks to their nutritious filling, a great meal on their own!

These small pastries also hold a special place in my heart for being the first recipe I ever made from Heroes’ Feast (alongside Underdark Lotus with Fire Lichen Spread on p. 93)!

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: 15 mins + pie crust, if making                 Cook: 2h 30 mins

Total: 2h 45 mins

Ingredients:

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped*

1 small Yukon gold potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped*

2 cups (300 g) packed finely chopped green cabbage*

3 tbsp. (44 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp. (3 g) finely chopped fresh thyme, plus 1 ½ tbsp. (4 g) picked whole thyme leaves**

¾ tsp. (4 ml) soy sauce

¼ cup (4 g) chopped fresh dill

All-purpose flour for dusting

Pastry for 2 double-crust pies, thawed if frozen

1 egg

* To cut down on prep time, roughly chop the onion, carrot, and cabbage and then process them together in a food processor. You’ll need about 15 pulses get them all finely chopped.

** To pick the whole thyme leaves, pinch a stem of thyme and run your fingers down the opposite way the leaves are pointing.

First, preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃) with the racks in the upper-middle and lower-middle of the oven. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick (silicone) liners.

Then, in a bowl, combine the onion, potato, carrots, cabbage, and olive oil and toss to coat the vegetables with the oil (top-left). Add ½ tsp. salt and a few grinds of pepper and toss to distribute (top-right).

Transfer the mixture to one of the prepared baking sheets, spreading it into a thin, even layer (set the bowl aside) (top-left).

Roast the vegetables on either rack until tender, 25 to 30 minutes, stirring and turning the vegetables two or three times (top-right).

NOTE: I misread the instructions so I spread the mixture over both sheets.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven, add the chopped thyme, and stir to incorporate it. Spread out the mixture and allow to cool to room temperature for about 20 minutes.

Leave the oven on for more baking and return the cooled veggies to the now-empty bowl. Stir in the soy sauce, dill, ¾ tsp. salt, and pepper to taste. Adjust the seasoning as necessary, and set aside until needed.

If making the filling ahead of time, turn off the oven, transfer the cooled mixture to a tupperware, and put it in the fridge until needed.

Replace the parchment paper on the baking sheet or wash the non-stick liner and return it to the baking sheet. Have a small bowl of water handy.

Dust a large piece of parchment paper or a clean work surface with flour. Working with one ball of homemade pastry at a time, or one sheet of store-bought pastry, roll the dough into a 12-inch (30 cm) circle (top-left).

Sprinkle half of the whole thyme leaves evenly over the pastry, cover with a piece of parchment paper, and roll lightly to help the thyme stick (top-right).

Flip the pastry over so the thyme leaves are on the bottom, and set aside. Repeat with the remaining pastry and remaining whole thyme leaves.

With a 4-inch (10 cm) round biscuit or cookie cutter, cut at least six circles out of each pastry round.

TIP: To keep the pastry as chilled as possible for maximum ~flakiness~ while baking, work with and cut out circles from one ball of pastry at a time. Place each cut circle on a plate covered with cling film and put in the fridge until needed.

Keep the scraps from the first dough ball in the fridge and combine with the scraps from the second dough ball. Roll out the combined scraps for extra circles.

NOTE: My pie crust recipe gives quite a bit of dough, so you’ll end up cutting out way more than the six asked for by Heroes’ Feast.

Working with as many of the pastry circles as you feel comfortable with to keep the dough chilled, place 1 ½ tbsp. (one slightly rounded tbsp.) of the vegetable mixture in the center of each round, leaving a ½-inch border around the edge.

Working with one piece of pastry at a time, moisten the edge of the pastry circle and fold over the pastry over the filling to make a half-moon shape. Press out any trapped air, press the edges firmly to seal, and crimp the edges using a fork to secure the seal.

Transfer the crimped pastries to a separate plate and keep in the fridge until ready to cook.

Repeat with the remaining pastry rounds and filling.

Once all of the pastries are ready, transfer them onto the prepared baking sheets.

In a small bowl, beat the egg with 1 tbsp. water and brush the tops and sides of each marruth with the mixture (top-left).

Bake until the marruths are light golden brown and crisp, about 25 minutes, rotating the sheets 180 degrees and switching racks halfway through baking (top-right).

Set the baking sheets on wire racks, cool the pastries for about 5 minutes, and serve hot.

NOTE: Despite the recipe only being supposed to make 12, I’ve always gotten somewhere between 18-22 marruths from the filling.

NOTE: You’ll notice the BIG marruth I’ve made on the tray. I was trying to see if I could make a larger version of this recipe since I’d made smaller ones of the Hand Pies (p. 21). However, the consensus was that the smaller ones were better. Expect 4-5 more marruths than shown if not making the big one.

Overall, I would give this recipe a 5/5. I’m usually not a huge fan of vegetable-based dishes, but these veggie turnovers are awesome. I’ve made them for weekend lunches and many a movie night and they’re always a massive hit!

The vegetables really work together with the soy sauce and herbs to create a great flavour with a texture reminiscent of a spring roll. If you’re looking for a more savoury turnover, this one’s for you.

MAKE SURE TO EAT THEM WARM though. It might just be me, but they don’t really work if they’re any colder than room temperature.

I would also recommend making the filling and pie crust on one day and assembling them the next day. It makes the cooking time a lot less daunting and not eat up your free time :)

P.S. You can make these for someone who doesn’t like onion by leaving it out. I’ve made them like this before and they said they were great!

LAST CHANCE TO VOTE before the poll closes for the unofficial 2021 Heroes’ Feast Gingerbread Showcase ft. myself, @afinickyguide​ , Luboffin_ , and Samantha Nahra!!

VOTE: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LHFG8PD

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

Keep reading

LAST DAY TO VOTE in the unofficial 2021 Heroes’ Feast Gingerbread Showcase ft. myself, @afinickyguide , Luboffin_ , and Samantha Nahra!!!

VOTE: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LHFG8PD

Winners will be announced the 24th at 3pm EST!

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

Keep reading

TWO DAYS LEFT to vote in the unofficial 2021 Heroes’ Feast Gingerbread Showcase ft. myself, @afinickyguide​ , Luboffin_, and Samantha Nahra!!

VOTE: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LHFG8PD

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

Keep reading

Here are the cookies I made with the scraps leftover from the house I made for the Gingerbread Showcase (VOTE) ft. myself, @afinickyguide , Luboffin_ , and Samantha Nahra!

I really love how these turned out, especially the reindeer! I think I just found my new Seasonally Appropriate(tm) profile picture

Also, the hot chocolate shown here is the Hot Cocoa Broth from Heroes’ Feast if you’d like to try it for yourself!

Hot Cocoa Broth

“Rumored to be the result when a Halfling mage cast wish to find the perfect fireside beverage, this salty, sweet, and spicy cocoa creation tickles every part of the soul.“ - Heroes’ Feast, p. 188

There’s nothing quite as special as a steaming cup of hot chocolate after an afternoon at the skating rink. Rich and warm - it’s the perfect drink to bring life back to freezing fingers and toes.

Full of chocolaty-deliciousness and a kick of cinnamon, the Hot Cocoa Broth from Heroes’ Feast is like having a Starbucks hot chocolate at home at a fraction of the cost (plus you don’t have to trudge through the snow to get it)!

If you’re looking for a snack to go with it, try out some Gingerbread cookies, Earl Grey cookies, or Cranberry-Banana muffins!

And don’t forget to VOTE in the unofficial 2021 Heroes’ Feast Gingerbread showcase! The winner will be announced on December 24th!

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: 5 mins              Cook: 15 mins                Overall: 20 mins

Ingredients*:

½ cup (50 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed

½ cup (50 g) packed light brown sugar, or to taste

¾ tsp. (2 g) ground cinnamon

½ tsp. (1 g) ground cardamom

pinch of kosher salt

1 cup (240 ml) water

2 ½ cups (600 ml) whole milk

1 tsp. (5 ml) pure vanilla extract

1 ½ cups (360 ml) espresso or very strong black coffee, hot**

* Makes enough for 4 servings.

** For strong coffee, use the same amount of coffee grounds and half the amount of water.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together cocoa powder, brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, salt, and water until smooth.

Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes, making sure the whisk gets to the edges of the pan.

Whisk in the milk and bring to a simmer (do not boil), whisking frequently, about 10 minutes.

The goal here is to scald the milk - keeping the temperature between 180℉ (82℃) and 185℉ (85℃). I used an instant-read thermometer to keep an eye on the temp.

I kept the heat on medium until the thermometer read 180℉ (82℃) and then turned the heat down to medium-low to try to keep the temperature around there until 10 minutes had passed.

If you don’t have a thermometer, you can tell the milk has scalded when frothy bubbles form at the edges of the pan without whisking.

After scalding the milk, whisk in the espresso or strong coffee and vanilla. Taste and adjust the sweetness level with additional brown sugar, if needed. Divide evenly among 4 mugs.

If you want to add whipped cream on top, consider making your own!

Overall, I would give this recipe a 5/5. The base hot chocolate recipe is rich with dark chocolate and easy to adjust to make sweeter if needed. Also, the cardamom and cinnamon add a really awesome flavour - it really is like having your own specialty drink at home!

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

Keep reading

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!

Feywild Eggs

(w/ my favourite add-ins)

[Feywild Eggs are] a delightful presentation of creamed, herbed, and fluffed eggs, completed over even heat for a golden crisp finish. Some have even claimed this simple recipe descended from the leShay, an immortal breed of fey “elves” with incredible, godlike powers. - Heroes’ Feast, p. 58

Eggs are one of the most versatile foods around. Scrambled with cheese, added to rice, mixed with greens - there’s nearly no limit to the variations. Easy to pick up the basics, they make a great introduction food for anyone looking to start their cooking journey. The only trick to these eggs is to make sure you have the proper pan for the job!

The Feywild Eggs frittata in Heroes’ Feast makes a great base for any number of combinations you can think of, anytime of the day. Due to all of the possibilities, I couldn’t possibly cover all options in this post. So, I’ll be covering the base recipe through the post and will discuss my favourite add-ins and how I cooked them in the results section!

For a complete feast, eat them with the Yawning Portal Buttermilk Biscuits (p. 31) and Otik’s Skillet-Fried Spiced Potatoes! (p. 20)

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 Time: 10 mins             Cook Time: 35 mins               Overall: 45 mins*

* Will take longer if you are preparing and cooking add-ins.

For the ingredients:

9 eggs

¼ cup (23 g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

⅓ cup (20 g) finely chopped mixed fresh herbs (ex. parsley, basil, dill, mint, tarragon, lovage, or celery leaves

½ tsp. (3 g) kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp. (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

5 oz., about ½ cup, (140 g) Fontina, Colby, Monterey Jack, Havarti, or Gouda cheese, finely diced*

* If looking to reduce the fat content, feel free to use half the suggested amount of Parmesan cheese and cubed cheese.

Warning: Make sure the skillet you use is oven-safe to 400℉

NOTE: The cook’s note in Heroes’ Feast gives suggestions for veggies and meats to use with the frittata (asparagus, sautéd bell peppers, sliced mushrooms, etc. and cooked crumbled bacon or sausage). The only point of concern is to make sure they have all been seasoned and cooked through in the pan before adding the egg mixture.

First, I preheated the oven to 400℉ (204℃).

Next, I beat together the eggs, Parmesan cheese, herbs, salt, and some pepper until the mixture was uniformly blended.

After combining the egg mixture, I heated my 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and warmed the olive oil until shimmering. Then, I added the onion and let it cook, stirring frequently, until it softened - about 3 minutes.

REMINDER to cook all of your add-in veggies and meats in the skillet before adding the eggs! See the results section for my favourite add-ins and how I cooked them up.

Once the onion softened, I added the egg mixture to the skillet and let it cook, undisturbed, until the edges began to set and bubbles appeared in the center - about 1 minute (upper-left).

Then, I sprinkled the diced cheese evenly over the eggs (upper-right).

After assembling, I transferred the skillet to the middle oven rack and baked the frittata until the center had set and it puffed up - about 14 minutes.

NOTE: The frittata will puff a lot in the oven, so make sure your oven rack is in the middle!

After taking the skillet out of the oven, I ran a flexible nonstick spatula around the edges of the frittata to loosen it for transfer onto a serving plate.

I let it cool for about 15 minutes then cut it into wedges. It can be served warm or at room temperature.

NOTE: Don’t panic when it deflates as you loosen it from the skillet and transfer - it’s meant to do that!

Overall, I would give this recipe a 3.5/5 on its own and a 4.5/5 when you include add-ins. As stated in the introduction, the base Feywild Eggs recipe is a great starting point to build on but really needs the extras to not taste bland.

For my personal favourites, I used Italian parsley, 1 cup (130 g) chopped asparagus, and 1 cup (70 g) sliced mushrooms. Like the original recipe, I mixed in the finely chopped Italian parsley with the eggs. To cook veggies, I heated 2 tbsp. olive oil on medium heat until shimmering and then added the onion, asparagus, and mushrooms at the same time. I seasoned them with salt and pepper in the pan then cooked, stirring frequently, until the asparagus softened and the onions were a translucent golden brown - about 5 minutes.

Vedbread

Traditionally prepared with sharp “ved” cheese and presented with onion butter, these crusty buns are best served warm, [...] this particular recipe comes from Lorren’s Bakery in Faerûn’s Village of Red Larch, and features mushrooms and cheese from local, outlying farms. - Heroes’ Feast, p. 27

Ever since I first started looking through Heroes’ Feast, Vedbread has been one of the recipes I’ve been most interested in trying. Although they may appear a little strange at first glance, the best way to describe them would be a ‘savory cinnamon rolls’. The mushroom filling mixed with the cheesy dough gives the buns an awesome flavour combo!

Delicious and filling, these buns are sure to make an interesting alternative to a typical lunch or midday snack. Not only that, but they’re great for a fall aesthetic as the perfect match for a steaming cup of broth!

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:  15 mins                           Cook:  60 mins                           Overall:  1h 15 mins

For the filling ingredients:

12 ounces (345 g) cremini mushrooms, coarsely chopped*

2 tbsp. (28 g) unsalted butter

2 shallots, finely chopped

Kosher salt

1 tsp. (1 g) finely chopped fresh thyme

¼ cup (23 g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

For the dough ingredients:

2¼ cups (281 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

1 tbsp. (14 g) baking powder

1 tsp. (4 g) sugar

½ tsp. (3 g) kosher salt

6 ounces (170 g) Gruyère cheese, coarsely grated

¾ cup (177 ml) buttermilk, cold

6 tbsp. (85 g) unsalted and butter, melted and cooled

1 egg

Truffle oil for brushing (optional)

* Heroes’ Feast mentions you can substitute the cremini mushrooms with the same amount of shiitake.

For the filling:

First, I pulsed the mushrooms in the food processor until they were very finely chopped (about 8-10 pulses).

Next, I cooked the mushrooms:

I melted the butter over medium heat and cooked the shallots until they began to soften - about 2 minutes;

I adjusted the heat to medium high and added the processed mushroom and ¼ tsp. salt. While stirring I cooked them until all of the liquid from the mushrooms had evaporated - about 9 to 12 minutes (keep an eye on it);

I added the thyme and cooked, stirring, until fragrant - about 1 minute;

I removed the skillet from the heat and stirred in the Parmesan.

After cooking, taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. I found there was enough salt but needed a couple shakes of pepper.

After seasoning, I spread the mixture on a plate to cool for assembly.

Then, I preheated the oven to 425℉ (218℃) and lined a large rimmed baking sheet with a piece of parchment (you could also use a reusable silicone liner).

For the dough:

To prepare the dough, I started by whisking the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl. Then, I stirred in the grated Gryère cheese.

Next, in a small bowl, I whisked together the buttermilk and cooled melted butter. The butter will clump, this is normal.

I added the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and used a wooden spoon to form a chunky dough.

Heroes’ Feast notes that the dough should be sticky at this stage. However, I found it to be rather dry - with bits and pieces of cheese and flour not being incorporated. Don’t worry if your dough turns out similarly. Mine incorporated into a stickier dough while kneading.

After creating a chunky dough, I turned it out onto my breadboard and kneaded until it held together and was mostly smooth - about 4-5 minutes. Take care not to overknead.

After creating the dough ball, I floured the board and under the ball to keep it from sticking to the surface while rolling out.

TIP: The techniques I use for kneading (and a helpful video) can be found on my post about Dwarven Flatbread.

Assembly:

To start the assembly, I rolled out my dough ball into a roughly 12 by 18-inch rectangle. Dust off any excess flour from the surface.

Next, I spread the mushroom mixture over the entire surface. Expect the layer to be thin and patchy.

To roll the vedbread, I started by working with the widest side (18-inch) furthest from me. I then rolled the dough into a very tight, even, compact cylinder towards me.

When I finished rolling, I pinched the seam along the entire length of the cylinder to close it.

Next, using a serrated knife in a sawing motion, I trimmed off the ends of the cylinder to discard and cut the remaining cylinder into 1 ¼-inch pieces.

NOTE: When you make these, you will find it makes about 14. I only have 11 because I misread the dimensions for rolling out the dough.

I arranged the buns cut-sides up on the baking sheet and brushed the top and sides with eggwash - an egg beaten with 1 tbsp. water (above-left).

I cooked them for 18 minutes on the middle rack of the oven until they were golden brown, rotating the baking sheet halfway through. I let the buns cool on the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.

I let the buns cool on the wire rack for a little while before storing them. They are best eaten warm or at room temperature (would not recommend cold).

If using, brush the buns with some before serving.

Overall, I would give this recipe a 4.5/5. If it’s not already obvious from the ingredients list, these buns are very mushroomy.

I would suggest trying these buns both at room temperature and warm out of the oven to see how you best enjoy them. Personally, I found the taste of the mushrooms mellowed when left at room temperature and made them much more enjoyable. On the other hand, my dad, who doesn’t particularly enjoy mushrooms, found them tastier warm. So make sure to try them both ways and see how you feel.

There’s a general tip that it’s best to store baked goods in a paper bag at room temperature to keep the crust harder on the outside and softer on the inside. However, I would advise against this for these buns. The dough is too thin to benefit from this and will just go stale-ish  - like they’d been left uncovered on the counter. Keeping them in an airtight container is the best way to preserve that softness that you get right out of the oven.

Want to enjoy them again later? No trouble! Reheat them at 300℉ (149℃ ) for about 8 minutes to snack on them warm.

Halfling Oatmeal Sweet Nibbles

“Dense with oats, chocolate chips, and butterscotch, these diminutive cookies are perfect for halfling hands… and the stomachs of everyone.”- Heroes’ Feast, p. 128

Whether you’re looking to make tasty treats for yourself or something sweet for a bake sale - cookies are the ultimate go-to. With so much deliciousness packed into something that’s simple to make, they’re the perfect choice!

The chocolate-butterscotch chip cookies from Heroes’ Feast will knock your socks off when you try them! Served at room temperature, these little guys are the perfect combination of crunchy on the outside and soft, chocolaty goodness on the inside.

They’re also the perfect addition to any lunchbox! Their small size makes them easy to nibble on and easier to share! So, why not impress friends, both old and new, with a batch of these bad boys? They’re sure to be a hit!

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 Time: 5 mins               Cook Time: 55 mins               Overall: 60 mins

For the ingredients*:

1 ½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour

2 cups (180 g) rolled oats

1 tsp. (1.25 g) baking soda

½ tsp. (3 g) kosher salt

1 ½ cups (255 g) packed light brown sugar

1 cup (128 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 egg, beaten

2 tsp. (10 ml) pure vanilla extract

1 cup (150 g) semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup (150 g) butterscotch chips

* Heroes’ Feast says that this makes ~45 cookies. I made 40.

First, I preheated the oven to 350℉ (177℃) and lined two large baking trays with parchment paper. You’re going to be baking 2 trays at a time, so move both of your oven racks to the middle of the oven (one in one set of grooves and the other directly below it). It will look like a tight space, but the tray and cookies will fit!

Next, I whisked together the flour, rolled oats, baking soda, and kosher salt in a bowl.

In a large bowl, I started by beating the butter and brown sugar until well combined (upper-left). Then, I added the egg and vanilla extract and whisked until smooth (upper-right).

Once the wet ingredients were combined, I stirred in the dry ingredients (upper-left). Then, added the chocolate and butterscotch chips and mixed until they were well-distributed (upper-right).

To bake the cookies, I scooped rounded tablespoons of batter and placed each one on the baking tray 2 inches apart (upper-left). I baked them for 15 minutes, rotating the positions of the pans halfway through.

Heroes’ Feast advises that smaller cookies will take less time to cook and that reusing trays will significantly cut the cooking time - so keep an eye on later batches.

I misread the directions for the first tray (left tray in upper-left) and rolled the batter after scooping it instead of just placing it on the tray. You can see how they turned out differently in the upper-right picture. They have much more of a smooth “traditional” cookie shape to them as opposed to the cookies on the right tray that look more rustic and bumpy. More about my thoughts on this in the results section.

After the cookies baked, I let them cool on the tray for around 3 minutes and then transferred them to a wire rack. I repeated this process until I ran out of batter.

Overall, I would give these cookies a 5/5. They are incredibly rich and the perfect cure for any sweet tooth. Due to the large amount of sugar in them, I don’t recommend eating them with Hot Cocoa Broth (p.188). Rather, they make a great snack while enjoying a cup of black tea (red rose, earl grey) or coffee.

As mentioned in a previous step, I rolled out the batter for the cookies on one of the trays before placing them. In my opinion, I prefer the ones made this way over just placing them on the tray. Rolling the batter allows for more structure and gives the cookies a nice soft interior.

To keep them fresh, keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They can also be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week - though you’ll want to give them a few minutes to warm up on the counter before snacking!

FUN FACT: These cookies were so popular in my house that I only had five cookies left by the time I took the first and last pictures! (I started with 40!)

Hand Pies

(Includes small, snackable pies!)

“The variety [of hand pies] presented below, made famous at Cuttle’s Meat Pies located in Waterdeep’s Trades Ward, is flavored with bacon and leeks and is extremely popular across the Heartlands, the Dales, and even the Savage Coast of Faerun, where hungry adventurers simply can’t get enough of them.” - Heroes’ Feast, p. 21

I think we can all agree that pie is one of the best foods ever (take that cake lovers). But, why should its awesomeness only extend to fruit, pudding, or whatever olden times had going on?

The Hand Pies in Heroes’ Feast are a great, filling meal to close to a long day. Packed with awesome carbs, proteins, and spices, they’re hard to resist! 

I was really interested to see if there was a way to turn the traditional, larger pies into snackable finger foods that could be brought to school or made for a party. After a little bit of testing, I found that they could! Since my main goal for this post was to create the snackable ones, I will be incorporating my process into the main body of my review instead of just keeping it to the notes after each step.

Although not the fastest meal to make, there are several ways to speed up the process and give yourself less work!

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 Time: 20 mins               Cook Time: 2h 40 mins                  Overall: 3 h

* See results section for how to cut down vegetable prep time

** Prep time will increase if you’re making your own pie crust

For the ingredients:

6 slices thick-cut bacon*

1 large (about 8 ounces) Yukon gold potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces

2 leeks, white and light green parts, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

1 tbsp. (3 g) finely chopped fresh thyme

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 pound (500 g) ground beef**

2 tbsp. (16 g) all-purpose flour

⅔ cup (160 ml) low-sodium chicken broth

¼ cup (60 ml) chopped fresh parsley

Pastry for 2 double-crust pies (about 1 ½ pounds), thawed if frozen

1 egg

Ketchup, grainy mustard, or steak sauce to serve (optional)

* I couldn’t find any thick-cut bacon at my grocery store, so I used double the amount of regular cut bacon instead.

** I used medium ground beef.

Preparing the Filling:

I cooked the regular cut bacon in batches in order to avoid crowding the pan. Because I was using thinner bacon, I had to cook the bacon all the way until crispy instead of just slightly browned.

I didn’t have enough rendered fat after cooking for the 2 ½ tbps. required in the next steps. To make up for it, I supplemented the missing amount with a neutral-tasting oil (like vegetable, canola, safflower, and grapeseed).

For the vegetable mixture, I first cooked the potatoes in 1 ½ tbps. of the reserved fat over medium-high heat. This took about 7 minutes, stirring frequently (above-left image).

Next, I added 1 tbsp. reserved fat, leeks, thyme, and ½ tsp. salt to the potatoes and cooked them for about 4 minutes. Then, I added the garlic and stirred it in until fragrant - about 1 minute.

Finally, I transferred it to a bowl, wiped out the pan, and returned it to medium-high heat.

For the beef mixture, I cooked the ground beef until it started to lose its pink colour (4-5 mins). You want to make sure you’re breaking up any large clumps as it cooks.

Next, I turned down the heat to medium and added the flour, stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes. After, I added the broth and ¾ tsp. salt, scraping the skillet to dissolve anything that got stuck to the bottom. The above-right image is what the beef mixture looked like after cooking it for 2 minutes. It shouldn’t be super liquidy.

Above is what the hand pie mixture looked like when I combined the vegetable and meat mixtures. After combining, I allowed the mixture to cool for about 20 minutes (barely warm).

When the mixture cooled, I incorporated the crumbled bacon and parsley. Finally, I covered it with cling wrap and put it in the fridge.

NOTE: To adjust the seasoning at this point, I would recommend only using pepper. I found the mixture was plenty salty.

Constructing the Pies:

First, I preheated the oven to 375℉ and lined two baking sheets with parchment paper. You could also use nonstick silicone liners.

Since I was using a homemade pie crust, I divided my dough into quarters then rolled them out on a lightly floured work surface until I could see the surface through the dough. I lightly floured the top of the dough and my rolling pin to keep the dough from sticking to it. Follow the same method if using store-bought dough.

To prevent the dough from breaking while chilled: start by rolling it out a little in one direction, rotate 90°, roll it out a little, and repeat. This way, you’re not just stretching the dough in one direction.

As you work with the dough, try not to let it get too warm! The chilled butter is what gives the pie crust a flaky texture. If you feel the dough start to warm up too much as you work with it, cover it with a clean, damp kitchen or damp paper towel and place it in the fridge for a few minutes before continuing.

If you notice any tears appear while you roll out the dough, overlap a bit of the dough in that area and roll over it using the rolling pin. If the tear is too large to do this, patch it up with some dough scraps and roll over it to seal it.

To create envelopes for the filling, I used a stencil to create 10 by 8-inch ovals for the large ones and used a ~3 ¾-inch diameter circular cookie cutter.

From my dough, I was able to get two large pies and 15 smaller ones (not using all the dough scraps will net you about 12).

NOTE: A bench scraper and/or a thin metal spatula is your friend while working with the dough. To make the pies easier to fold and transfer, make sure to go around and lift up all of the dough from the work surface.

For the large pies, I placed one cup of filling on the bottom third of the dough and left ~1 ½ inches for the border (above-left).

For the small pies, there are a few changes I would make with how I constructed them (above-right). Although using only a ½ tbsp. of filling made them easier to handle, you should absolutely use between ¾-1 tbs. instead. You may not get as clean of a seam, but it will help the pies stay juicy and have a better dough-to-filling ratio.

Also, I would consider using a slightly larger cookie cutter (4-inch diameter) and shaping the dough to be more like an oval. I think this would help with the difficulties when using more filling.

Finally, be mindful of how much filling you’re making/using. The amount of filling called for in the recipe is great when making four large pies but significantly less is needed when constructing the smaller ones. Out of the 15 made, adjusting for the recommended increase in filling would mean just barely 1 ½ cups is needed!

To ensure minimal food waste when only making the mini-pies, either make 2.5 times the amount of dough or make ¾ the amount of filling.

Put the filling for the little ones on the bottom half of the circle/oval leaving room for sealing and crimping.

To seal the pies, I started by dipping my finger in water and going around the seam to moisten it. Next, using my bench scraper, I folded the dough over the meat filling. Finally, I used a fork to crimp the edges closed.

If you notice any breaks in the dough while you’re folding/crimping, don’t worry! Use any spare scraps of dough to cover the tears. If a tear appears when crimping the edges, cover it with scrap dough and crimp it down.

Each regular-sized hand pie took about 8 mins to assemble from rolling it out to sealing it. So, it will take you around half an hour to do all four (at least the first time).

The snack-sized pies took about 8 minutes for 4 of them. Therefore, it will take you just under half an hour to make 12 of them. When I put together all of my dough scraps for the little ones, I was able to make 3 extra snack pies - 15 in total.

Always use your bench scraper or flat metal spatula when working with or picking up the pies.

TIP: Because each pie takes time to construct and because we want the pie crust to stay cool, place each fully constructed pie in the fridge after sealing it. For the smaller ones, place each batch of 4 in the fridge as you finish them.

TIP: If you’re running out of space in your fridge for the baking sheets, use a cooling rack to place one tray on top of the other.

TIP: Wait until the pies have chilled in the fridge to score the X. It’s much easier to cut into the firm dough than the softer one.

Above is what the pies looked like before and after baking in the oven for about 40-45 mins. Be generous with the egg wash to give each pie a nice golden brown colour.

Above is what the pies looked like as they cooled - about 5 to 10 mins. Be mindful when transferring the large ones to the wire rack. They are very easy to break.

Overall, I would give this recipe a 4.5/5. Both the regular and the snack sized hand pies were delicious. Although, I would recommend eating the larger pies with a fork. They were a bit too flimsy to be eaten by hand. However, the filling to pie crust ratio was perfect.

As mentioned in the filling step, the only changes I would make to make the snack pies better would be to use a slightly larger cookie cutter and use more filling. Other than that, they were amazing. Everyone in my house agreed that they would make for great appetizers or finger foods for a party because “you can eat them and just feel like you’re snacking”. You can even turn the assembly into a fun activity (or pass off the work to guests who like to arrive early)!

I would highly recommend not making this a one-day event. As the longest hands-on recipe so far, I would split up the work as follows: 

Make the filling the day before

Make the pie crust and construct the pies the day of

Not only will this division of work make the recipe less daunting but it will allow the filling to chill completely - making it much easier to handle.

TIP: Although the prep time seems a little daunting, you can save time by completing certain parts of it while cooking. For example:

Cut up the potatoes and leeks while the bacon cooks

Chop up the thyme while the potato chunks cook

Dwarven Flatbread

According to folklore, these tasty flat loaves weren’t created in the kitchen, but rather at the forge as ever-industrious, hungry dwarven craftsmen utilized the only materials they had available: flour, oil, water, salt, a hearth, and a hammer.” - Heroes’ Feast, p. 103

I've been interested in making flatbread for about a year now but always felt strangely intimidated by it. It wasn’t until I found this recipe and saw how quickly and simply it could be done that I decided to give it a shot.

Simple yet absolutely delicious, this wonderfully seasoned flatbread has just enough of a spice kick for it to stand out on its own or when eaten with the Fire Lichen Spread (p. 93) or a tzatziki dip!

Previously attempted by @afinickyguide, this review looks to take their suggestions to heart while also adding some of my own!

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 time: ~5 mins           Cook time: ~40 mins           Overall: ~45 mins

For the ingredients:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

1 ½ tsp. kosher salt*

2 ½ tsp. dried herb blend (such as Italian seasoning, herbes de Provence, or za’atar), crushed **

3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

⅔ cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt or whole milk***

¼ cup neutral-tasting oil, such as vegetable, canola, safflower, or grapeseed

* This is way too much salt. Use half of this amount (¾ tsp.).

** I didn’t have any Italian seasoning, so I used ½ tsp. each of dried basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram as well as ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes (modified from here)

*** I used 2% plain greek yogurt.

I use the following conversions in my cooking:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour = 188 g

1 ½ tsp. baking powder = 6 g

½ tsp. baking soda = 4 g

1 ½ tsp. kosher salt = 8 g

½ tsp. dried rosemary = 1 g

½ tsp. dried basil = 0.5 g

½ tsp. dried oregano = 0.5 g

½ tsp. dried thyme = 0.5 g

½ tsp. dried marjoram leaves = 0.25 g

¼ tsp. red pepper flakes = 0.5 g

3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil = 44 ml

⅔ cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt = 158 ml

¼ cup neutral-tasting oil = 60 ml

Above shows the dry ingredients whisked together with a well in the center for the greek yogurt and olive oil.

Again, when I made these the first time 1 ½ tsp. kosher salt was way too much. I made them again using half the amount (¾ tsp.) and they tasted much better.

Above is what the dough looked like after combining it with a wooden spoon and then working it by hand to create a shaggy dough.

The dough will be very dry and have lots of crumbly bits. Don’t worry! As you knead it into a smooth ball, the dough will become wetter and everything will incorporate nicely.

Above is what the dough looked like after kneading to make it smooth - about 5-6 minutes. You’ll know the dough is ready when it springs back after lightly pressing into it.

Although the dough will become tackier as you knead it, try not to add any more flour. Dough, in general, will absorb any extra flour you give it and though it might make it slightly easier to handle, the bread will become denser as a result.

Personally, I found the dough didn’t stick much to my bread board and when it did it was easy enough to handle with just a bench scraper.

The following link is a great resource to develop your technique for kneading bread. With the first technique, you use the heel of your hand to press into the dough, then fold it back into itself, turn it, and repeat. Using the second technique, you roll the dough with the heel of your hand in a “heart” motion.

Above is what the dough looked like after being divided into 8 equal portions and left to rest for 15 minutes under a clean kitchen towel. The smooth dough weighed around 400 g and divided nicely into 50 g portions.

Although you will notice the dough has expanded after resting, don’t expect as drastic a change as yeasted dough.

With the amount of dough in each portion, rolling it to 7 inches in diameter turned it into paper and gave it “cracker-like results” according to @afinickyguide‘s post. So, I opted to roll them to 5 inches in diameter and just under ¼ of an inch thick.

If you’d really like some larger flatbread, I would recommend taking @afinickyguide‘s suggestion and doubling the recipe to create 8 larger portions that could be rolled into 7-inch circles.

I found the cooking times in Heroes’ Feast to be way too long. When I originally tried frying it for 2.5 minutes, it turned out super burned when I flipped it - and that was before the pan had accumulated heat!

I would suggest the following cooking times for this recipe (using flatbread rolled to 5 inches in diameter):

While the pan is heating up, cook the first flatbread for ~90 secs on the first side and 60 secs on the other

For the second, cook for 30 seconds on the first side and 20 on the other

For each one after, cook for 15 seconds on the first side and 10 on the other

Also, don’t replenish the pan with 1 ½ tsp. oil for each flatbread if following my instructions! There was so much oil left after each one that it’s much better to swirl around and reuse the leftover oil in the pan. Only add ~½ tsp. more if you notice the oil level running low.

NOTE: I used a cast-iron skillet to cook my flatbread. Timings will vary based on the type of pan you use.

Overall, I give this flatbread a 5/5. After the adjustment of the salt content, these were delicious to eat both on their own, with a tzatziki dip, or with the Fire Lichen Spread (p. 93).

Although I can’t comment on how they would taste with store-bought Italian seasoning, the one I used (listed in the ingredients section) worked amazingly!

For best freshness results, wrap in plastic wrap or store in a reusable sandwich back and keep in the fridge. They will last up to a week in the fridge. To reheat, either leave them on the counter for half an hour before using or microwave them for 10 seconds at a time until soft.

Bytopian Shepherd's Bread

This spiced bread, served in thick slices, is made from grains imbued with grated carrots and rich chunks of almond [...] If you ever find yourself in possession of the rare herb known as shiftspice, sprinkle a liberal pinch into the batter to ensure that each loaf yields an unexpected flavour. - Heroes’ Feast, p.176

Carrot cake is something that many of us have grown up with one variation or another. Whether it’s a recipe passed down from your grandmother or a slice you pick up at your local coffee shop, this staple has a place in heart and home.

The Bytopian Shepherd's Bread in Heroes’ Feast certainly lives up to the legacy of this treasured treat. Amazingly spiced and not overly sugary, it is sure to be the perfect loaf to serve at breakfast or for dessert!

As a bonus, check out the results section for a delicious quick-and-easy cream cheese icing recipe to go with this carrot cake!

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 Time: ~20 mins Cook Time: ~1h 45min (15 mix. + 1h 15 cook + 15 cool) Overall: ~2h 05 + cool to room temp

For the ingredients:

2 cups. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

1 tsp. kosher salt

½ cup currants

3 eggs

¾ cup packed light brown sugar

¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

⅓ cup buttermilk

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 lb. carrots, peeled and coarsely grated (about 3 cups)

½ cup slivered or sliced almonds

* I found that a ½ cup of sliced almonds was way too many. ⅓ cup will most likely be enough.

I use the following conversions in my cooking:

1 cup all-purpose flour = 125 g

1 tsp. baking powder = 4 g

1 tsp. baking soda = 8 g

1 tsp. ground ginger = 2 g

1 tsp. ground cinnamon = 3 g

1 tsp. ground nutmeg = 2 g

1 tsp. kosher salt = 6 g

¾ cup light brown sugar = 150 g

¼ cup butter = 57 g

⅓ cup buttermilk = 80 ml

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract = 5 ml

1 lb carrots = 500 g

½ cup sliced almonds = 46 g

TIP: If you do not have access to currants, you can substitute them for yellow raisins without altering the flavour of the loaf too much.

Above is what the dry ingredients looked like after whisking them together and then stirring in the currants.

TIP: Coating fruits/nuts in a bit of flour, or mixing them into the dry ingredients, before adding them to the wet ingredients allows for an even distribution through the loaf instead of them all sinking to the bottom!

Above is what the progression of the wet ingredients looked like as they were combined.

Picture 1: whisked the eggs and light brown sugar until well combined

Picture 2: whisked in the melted butter until well combined

Picture 3: whisked the buttermilk and vanilla extract until well combined

Picture 4: Stirred in the carrots

The batter will get progressively lighter as more of the wet ingredients are added.

TIP: I would highly recommend using an electric hand mixer to whisk the ingredients together and not just a regular whisk. Although it is possible, it will take a lot more time and energy to achieve the same result!

Above is what the batter looked like when the wet and dry ingredients folded until just combined. This will be a very liquidy batter, so don’t be too alarmed.

Do not overmix the batter! The more you mix the batter, the more the gluten in the flour will develop. If too much gluten develops, you will end up with a dense, rubbery loaf.

TIP: When folding batter, you’re essentially creating a “J” motion with your spatula around the bowl. To fold, first, scrape ~⅕ of the side of the bowl with a flexible spatula. Then, move it towards the middle of the bowl like you’re “folding” the batter. Finally, rotate the mixing bowl by the amount you scraped so that you’re always folding the batter towards you. Repeat the process until everything is combined!

Above is what the batter looked like topped with almonds before and after cooking.

I found the 55 minute cook time recommended was not enough time. The batter was very wet and although it was edible after 55 minutes, there were areas that were way too undercooked for comfort. On the other hand, it was the perfect amount of time to get the almonds to a nice golden brown.

So, how to keep the loaf cooking while not burning the almonds? First, bake as directed in Heroes’ Feast: 55 minutes on 350°C, turning halfway through. Next, tent a piece of aluminum foil shiny-side in over the pan. This will stop the top of the loaf from cooking while retaining the heat needed to cook the inside. Then, leave the loaf in the oven for another 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

TIP: To allow for easy release, cut a piece of parchment paper to fit lengthwise in the pan. This will allow you to lift the loaf out of the pan. See the pics above and below for how it looks.

Above is what the loaf looked like after removing it from the pan.

Cool the loaf as directed in Heroes’ Feast: cool the loaf pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes then remove it from the pan and allow it to cool to room temperature.

Although the cooking time in the book may have been a little bit off, only a small tweak was needed to fix it. Overall, I would give this recipe a 5/5! Everyone in my house loved this loaf and one of my housemates even said it was the best carrot cake they’d ever eaten - which I can’t say I disagree with.

This was the longest recipe so far, but like the potato leek soup, don’t be discouraged! Most of the time is hands-off baking and the taste of this cake alone is worth the time.

For best freshness results, wrap in clingfilm and store on the counter or in the fridge. Lasts up to 7 days when stored in the fridge.

BONUS: Cream cheese frosting recipe

Two of my housemates said the cake on its own was a 4.5/5 and that a cream cheese frosting would make a 5/5. So, below is a delicious yet easy-to-make cream cheese frosting to go with it!

It’s a great base and the page provides details on how to alter it so it can be used with other baked goods! Find out more here: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/favorite-cream-cheese-frosting/

Ingredients for frosting:

8 ounces full-fat block cream cheese, softened to room temperature

½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

3 cups confectioners’ sugar, plus an extra ¼ cup if needed

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

⅛ tsp. salt

The following conversions are provided for the ingredients:

8 ounces full-fat block cream cheese = 224 g

½ unsalted butter = 115 g

3 cups confectioners’ sugar = 360 g

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract = 5 ml

⅛ tsp. kosher salt = 1 g

NOTE: Be sure you are using a full-fat block of cream cheese! Not low-fat or from a tub. As the recipe points out:

The #1 reason bakers end up with runny frosting is because they’re accidentally using cream cheese spread instead of a block.

If using from a tub, there’s a good chance your frosting will be thin and runny!

Above is what the frosting looked like after creaming together the cream cheese and butter and then beating in the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla.

If you want your frosting a little thicker, beat in the extra ¼ cup of confectioners’ sugar.

For best freshness results, store in a tupperware in the fridge. Lasts up to 5 days in the fridge.

Underdark Lotus with Fire Lichen Spread

Sometimes called “fungus two ways,” this zesty duergar essential is sure to rouse the taste buds of even the most spiced-crazed tiefling. - Heroes’ Feast, p. 93

I’ve always found hummus to be a very interesting snack food. With countless possible flavour combinations, you would be hard-pressed to grow tired of this nutritious spread!

Eccentric in both name and origin, the Underdark Lotus with Fire Lichen Spread is sure to satisfy your hunger and delight your taste buds. Between the sweet taste of the carrots and the savoury taste of the cumin, it really is the perfect snack food for spring, summer, and fall!

Fun fact: this hummus has become so popular in our house during hang-out sessions that it’s one of the few recipes I’ve got memorized!

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

Note: The terrible lighting in this post is brought to you by me moving back into my student house from my parents’ home.

Prep Time: ~15 mins Cook Time: ~35 mins (25 roasting + 10 misc.) Overall: ~45 mins

For the ingredients:

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 lb. carrots (about 4 large), peeled and chopped

¾ tsp. cumin seeds or sweet paprika

1 tsp. cayenne

3 tbsp. olive oil, plus more for drizzling

⅔ cup cold water, plus more as needed

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

¼ cup tahini*

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Radishes, sliced cucumbers, romaine lettuce leaves for dipping*

* I substituted the tahini for the same amount of 2% greek yoghurt.

** Use any of your favourite veggies/dippables! I used radishes, sliced cucumbers, any kind of sweet pepper, and flatbread (naan).

I use the following conversions in my cooking:

1 lb. carrots = 500 g

1 tsp. cumin seeds = 2 g

1 tsp. sweet paprika = 2 g

1 tsp. cayenne pepper = 1.8 g

3 tbsp. olive oil = 44 ml

⅔ cup water = 160 ml

¼ cup fresh lemon juice = 1 large lemon, juiced

¼ tahini/greek yoghurt = 60 ml

NOTE: I would caution against using bottled lemon juice instead of fresh lemon juice in this recipe. I found using bottled lemon juice gave the hummus an unpleasant bitterness compared to a freshly juiced lemon.

NOTE: I would caution the amount of cayenne pepper called for in this recipe. Even for the spice junkies in my house, 1 tsp. was A LOT of cayenne pepper. I would recommend starting with a little bit less than ¼ tsp. (~0.4 g) and increase it from there each time you make them.

Above is what the veggies looked like before and after roasting. Make sure to toss the carrots, chickpeas, 2 tbsp. olive oil, and spices together first. Then, sprinkle the salt and a generous amount of pepper overtop. I chopped the carrots into slices about a ½ inch (~1 cm) thick.

Although they aren’t a staple in many kitchens, I would highly recommend using cumin seeds for the hummus instead of the paprika - even if you need to buy them. They add an incredible taste to the hummus that makes them worth the extra price.

NOTE: Although Heroes’ Feast states to process the veggies right after coming out of the oven, I’ve had no problem with the flavour when storing them in the fridge and processing them cold.

Above is what the roasted veggies, lemon juice, water, greek yoghurt, and olive oil looked like in the food processor.

TIP: I highly recommend investing in a food processor with built-in side scrapers like the one above. Not having to stop the food processor to scrape down the sides of the bowl is a great time-saver!

TIP: Roll the lemon like a rolling pin before cutting it to maximize the amount of juice it contains.

Above is what the hummus looked like after being processed. Although Heroes’ Feast says to process it until smooth, I found the coarser consistency created a more rustic feel that was a better fit for a D&D setting.

To get it to this texture, I processed it on the lowest setting, continuously scraping down the sides, for 20 seconds. I then added ~1 tsp. more water and repeated the same process for another 20 secs.

Overall, I would give this recipe a 5/5. Everyone in my house thoroughly enjoyed it and it has become a staple during Monday movie nights!

For best freshness results, store any extra hummus in a sealed tupperware container in the fridge. It will keep for about a week or until the greek yoghurt is set to expire.

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 Heroes’ Feast here: https://dnd.wizards.com/heroes-feast

Prep Time: ~30 mins            Cook Time: ~1h 30 mins            Overall: ~2 hrs

For the ingredients:

2 slices thick-cut bacon*

3 leeks, white and green parts, thinly sliced

3 celery stalks, chopped

2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

2 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream**

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

* I substituted the bacon for smoked turkey.

** I substituted the 35% heavy cream for 18% table cream.

I use the following conversions in my cooking:

1 lb. russet potatoes = 500 g

4 cups chicken broth = 900 ml chicken broth + 50 ml water

1 cup heavy cream = 240 ml

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.

TIP: 4 cups of chicken broth is ~950 ml (~33 fl oz.) and a carton of chicken broth contains ~900 ml (~30 fl oz.). Don’t bother buying another carton of chicken broth for the extra 50 ml (~2 fl oz.)! Use up one carton and make up the difference with water.

I didn’t use bacon for this recipe, but still wanted to infuse the broth with the flavour. Luckily, smoked turkey has an extremely similar taste and texture to ham! Just be sure to use extra smoked turkey because it doesn’t release as much fat - which is needed for the flavour.

Above is what the smoked turkey looked like after cooking for 15 minutes (flipping halfway through). It won’t get as crispy as the bacon, but it will still have all of those awesome flavours.

NOTE: Like turkey bacon, smoked turkey doesn’t have enough fat to fry itself. Make sure to add a little bit of neutral-tasting oil to the saucepan, like vegetable, canola, safflower or grapeseed oil, to fry it.

The fried smoked turkey will not crumble like the bacon would. To sprinkle it onto the soup, I diced it into small cubes.

Above is what the vegetables looked like before and after they softened. This will take ~5 mins and they will take up around half of their original volume in the saucepan.

Above is what the soup looked like after cooking. Letting the potatoes simmer on low heat to soften will take forever. Instead, bring the soup to a boil on high heat then turn it back down to medium to simmer. 

It will take about 10 minutes to bring the soup to a boil and it will need to cook on medium for 30 minutes in order for the potatoes to soften enough to blend.

Above is what the soup looked like after blending. I used a magic bullet since I don’t have a proper blender. It took 7 batches filled slightly less than halfway to get through all of it.

Be careful when using a magic bullet to blend the soup - it will be extremely hot! Use a kitchen towel to hold the magic bullet when opening it to avoid burning yourself.

Also, you will need to rinse off the blade attachment each time you blend a batch of soup. The extra soup will prevent a proper seal from forming.

Above is what the soup looked like after I added the cream. I found that 5 minutes was plenty of time for it to thicken.

Overall, I would give this recipe a 5/5 - my grandmother even asked me to teach her how to make it! It has easily put itself on the rotation of dinner meals.

Also, don’t get discouraged by the time it takes to make! Most of the cooking time is hands-off and the prep time can easily be halved if you have someone helping you.

VEGETARIAN: Forego the bacon and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. The taste will be more vegetable-heavy but it doesn’t take away from the tastiness of the soup.

Otik’s Skillet-Fried Spiced Potatoes

[...] the recipe featured below is widely thought to be the closest that one can come to the feeling of sitting atop the famed vallenwood tree tavern with one of his homebrewed dark ales in hand. - Heroes’ Feast, p. 20

Hashbrowns are one of my all-time favourite breakfast side dishes but usually have a large time component or an uninteresting flavour. After trying numerous recipes, I was beginning to wonder if I would ever find one that I would enjoy. Then came Otik's Skillet-Fried Spiced Potatoes! The first time making these for my house, we were all blown away by how great they were! 

Seasoned to perfection with a kick of spice, these skillet fried potatoes have become a staple at our Saturday morning breakfast table. They’re amazing whether eaten the day-of or heated up later. Try the ultimate breakfast trio and eat them with the Yawning Portal Buttermilk Biscuits (p. 31) and the Feywild Eggs (p. 58).

Want to eat them but aren’t a morning person? No problem! These fried potatoes also make an amazing base for a fun lunch or dinner meal. Just add some sausage and chopped green pepper and voilà!

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 Time: ~15 mins        Cook Time: ~40 mins        Overall: ~55 mins

For the ingredients:

2 tablespoons neutral-tasting oil

1 large yellow onion

1 tsp. kosher salt ( ½ tsp. for onions, ½ for spicing)

1.5 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed or peeled, cut into ¾-inch pieces

1 tbsp. salted butter

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tsp. sweet paprika

1 tsp. cayenne*

½ tsp. garlic powder

2 tbsp. minced fresh chives

*See ingredients notes

I use the following conversions in my cooking:

1 lb. potatoes = 500 g

½ tsp. garlic powder = 1.5 g

1 tsp. cayenne pepper = 1.8 g

1 tsp. sweet paprika = 2 g

½ tsp. kosher salt = 3 g

Although they may seem inconsequential, I would consider the chives a necessity with this recipe. The fried potatoes are amazing on their own but pairing them with the chives really makes them shine.

I have made these fried potatoes both with and without the onion due to differing tastes in my house. I would suggest using a little more garlic powder than what’s called for if leaving out the onion.

TIP: To save yourself time in the morning, cut up the onion and the potatoes the night before. Keep fresh by submerging the cubed potatoes in cold water and covering the onions in cling wrap and storing them in the fridge.

NOTE:  I would 100% recommend using a non-stick skillet for this recipe if you have access to one. I tried making these in a stainless steel pan with the recommended amount of oil: the skins stuck to the bottom instantly and the pan was a nightmare to clean.

NOTE: I would caution the amount of cayenne pepper called for in this recipe. Even for the spice junkies in my house, 1 tsp. was A LOT of cayenne pepper. I would recommend starting with a little bit less than ¼ tsp. (~0.4 g) and increase it from there each time you make them.

Above is what my onions looked like after I fried them up. I did my best to achieve the “browning with brown edges”. 

Don’t skip the salt on this step, it helps the onions brown!

NOTE: With a properly heated pan, I’ve found that 4 minutes on medium-high and 4 minutes on medium were too generous for time. Once you’ve gotten the oil shimmering, they’ll need only 3 minutes on each.

Above are the potatoes after they were softened in the microwave. 

Heroes’ Feast mentions this, but do make sure to drain any water the potatoes have released. Skipping this will mess with the development of the skins and cooking time.

TIP: To save time, put the potatoes in the microwave when you start cooking the onion.

Above is the progression of what the potatoes looked like as they were cooking. 

Pic 1: Potatoes when just put into the pan

Pic 2: First flip after 6 minutes

Pic 3: Second flip after 6 minutes

Pic 4: Third flip after 4 minutes

Not shown: I flipped them once more after 4 minutes right before stirring in the spices and onion

Altogether, the potatoes were fried for 20 minutes.

TIP: If you don’t only have unsalted butter to combine with the oil, add a small pinch of kosher salt to the pan.

NOTE: Remember to never overcrowd the pan when cooking! However, if you find that you have, it’s fixable. Simply make sure that you’re always moving the potatoes on the outside edges in when you flip them and cook the potatoes for as long as it takes for the biggest pieces to have softened.

Above is what the potatoes looked like after stirring in the spices and the onion.

TIP: To keep the onions from cooking more when you return them to the pan, mix in the spices first then take the pan off the heat for ~30-45 seconds before adding them in. They’ll still cook a little, but there’s less risk of them burning.

Overall, I would give this recipe a 5/5. Like the Yawning Portal Buttermilk Biscuits, they’ve quickly become a weekend brunch staple in our house!

Additionally, these go great with a homemade (or store-bought!) hollandaise sauce or when eaten as a side for the Feywild Eggs. The richness and flavours combine to create an amazing taste that’s sure to liven up your morning!

For best freshness results, store in a sealed container in the fridge. Keeps for up to 4 days.

NOTE: Consensus in our house: Those who enjoy onion give them a 5/5 with onion and a 4/5 without. For those who don’t, they’re a 5/5 without onion. So, overall, you really can’t lose! Just remember to adjust the spices (especially the cayenne pepper!!) if you’re making a smaller side batch for someone who doesn’t like onions. Learned that the hard way...

Yawning Portal Buttermilk Biscuits

While the inn’s undisputed main attraction is the cavernous portal that descends straight into deadly Undermountain dungeon, these famed biscuits are a close second. - Heroes’ Feast, p. 31

I’ve always wanted to make biscuits, but was never motivated enough on a Sunday morning to take the time to prep and clean my bread board to knead dough. So, it was a wonderful surprise  when I saw this no-knead recipe for biscuits in Heroes’ Feast!

Crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, these biscuits are so melt-in-your-mouth delicious that you’ll throw away any other recipe you have.  Whether eaten warm, at room temperature, or a day or two later, they are an amazing on-the-go breakfast snack that pairs well with any jam.

To really spice up your morning, try them with a side of Otik’s Skillet-Fried Spiced Potatoes!

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

Prep Time:  ~20 mins         Cook Time: ~50 mins (30 bake, 20 cool)        Total Time: ~1h 10min

For the ingredients:

12 tbsp. unsalted butter (2 tbsp. at room temp. 10 tbsp. chilled)

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

1.25 tsp. kosher salt

1 ½ tsp. sugar

1 2/3 cups buttermilk

I use the following conversion in my cooking:

1 cup all-purpose flour = 125 g

1 tbsp. butter = 14 g

1 tsp. sugar = 4 g

1 tsp. baking powder = 4 g

1 tsp. baking soda = 8 g

1 tsp. kosher salt = 6 g

TIP: If you don’t have unsalted butter, lower the salt content by ~1/3 tsp (2 g).

Above is what the dry ingredients looked like after I broke up the chilled cubed butter into pea-sized pieces.

TIP: Cut your butter into cubes and store it in the fridge until you add it to the dry ingredients. The colder the butter is (without freezing!), the better the pockets of buttery-goodness will turn out.

Above is what the dough looked like after adding the buttermilk. Be aware, it will be a very sticky dough.

Sometimes, you might find that there’s a little bit of flour at the bottom of the bowl that won’t mix in.  This is okay! Just put in in the baking dish with the rest of the dough.

Heroes’ Feast mentions doing this, but I want to reinforce that it is very important to grease the spatula before scoring the biscuit dough. The dough is incredibly sticky and will be a nightmare to deal with if using an ungreased spatula.

I don’t have my 8 x 8 pan with me right now, but I do have a 7 x 11 x 2 glass dish. To account for both the dough being shallower and the baking dish being made of glass, I decreased the cooking time by 6 minutes.

While making these, I found that you don’t need to flour your hands and push the dough to the corners of the pan. If you have a strong enough silicone spatula, you can easily grease it and move the dough around that way. No need to get your hands dirty!

Don’t forget to rotate the baking dish halfway through cooking!

Above is what the biscuits looked like after they came out of the oven and were brushed with butter.

TIP: To remove the biscuits from the baking dish with as little hassle as possible, place a large cutting board over the baking pan and invert it onto the board. The biscuits will slide out easily and you can transfer them to the cooling rack from there.

Overall, I would give these biscuits a 5/5. They’ve quickly become a Sunday morning staple and I always have to stop my family from eating them before they cool-down!

If you’re planning on having them with jam, I’d recommend not adding any more butter. The butter content is so high that they don’t need any more of it.

For best freshness results, store them in a paper bag on your kitchen counter. They will keep for 2-3 days.