Human Cuisine - Blog Posts

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!

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!

Reminder to vote in The Unofficial 2021 Heroes’ Feast Gingerbread Showcase featuring myself, @afinickyguide, Luboffin_ (Luna), and Samantha Nahra!

Check out the gingerbread recipe and how I made mine HERE!

Voting closes December 23rd at 11:59pm EST. The winner will be announced on December 24th at 3pm EST!

VOTE here! : 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

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

* Includes time for dough to chill

Ingredients for the dough:

3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour

¾ cup (75 g) dark brown sugar

1 tbsp. (8 g) ground ginger

2 tsp. (6 g) ground cinnamon

¾ tsp. (5 g) baking soda

¾ tsp. (4 g) kosher salt

¾ tsp. (2 g) dried mustard powder

½ tsp. (1 g) freshly grated nutmeg

⅛ tsp. (.3 g) ground cloves

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

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

3 tbsp. (44 ml) whole milk

½ tsp. (3 ml) pure vanilla extract

Ingredients for decorations:

1 ⅓ cup (175 g) confectioners’ sugar

1 egg white

¼ tsp. (2 ml) pure vanilla extract

kosher salt

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

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

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

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

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

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

Making regular gingerbread cookies

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

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

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

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

Making a gingerbread house

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

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

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

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

Dimensions

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

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

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

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

Making a 3D Christmas tree

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

Making regular gingerbread cookies

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

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

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

Making a gingerbread house

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

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

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

Decorations

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To decorate the house, I used these Wilton products:

#16 decorating tip (open star)

#2 decorating tip (round)

4 piece, quick twist coupler system

16-inch featherweight decorating bag

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy Holidays everyone and thanks again to:

@afinickyguide

Samantha Nahra

Luboffin (Luna)

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

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

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.

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

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.