Christmas Special Drink & Nibbles: Skyrim – Black-Briar Mead, Grilled Leeks & Elsweyr Fondue

Everyone knows cold weather demands a warming drink and something to nibble on, preferably in front of a roaring fire. For the start of my Gourmet Gaming Christmas feast I thought taking a trek back to Skyrim might be worth while due to a lot of requests and let’s not forget its cold, snowy, Nordic landscape. Someone managed to source me some authentic Norfolk mead (thank you!) which I’ve used as my base for creating the infamous Black-Briar brew. I didn’t want it to be just a plain old mead; I felt that spices and fruits available around Skyrim could be added to create a more hearty drink. I’ve also been in enough bars in Skyrim to know that you can’t drink mead without some grilled leeks, why not dip them in a Kajiit’s favourite - Elsweyr Fondue?

This recipe serves 4-6.

Black-Briar Mead

What you will need: Large pot, a sieve and a serving jug/bottle.

Ingredients:

200ml / 1 Cup Mead

200ml / 1 Cup Dry Cider

200ml / 1 Cup Cloudy Apple Juice

2 Tablespoons Honey

3 Star Anise

1 Teaspoon Cloves

1 Cinnamon Stick

1. Add all the ingredients to a pot and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Sieve the mixture into a clean bowl or serving jug. Can be enjoyed warm or chilled.

Grilled Leeks

What you will need: A pot, a bowl, and a griddle pan.

Ingredients:

Leeks

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

1 Clove Garlic

1. Slice the leeks vertically in half and wash thoroughly in cool water. Pop the halved leeks in a large pot of water and bring to the boil. Cook for 4 minutes or until cooked about half way through, then drain and instantly submerge the leeks in a bowl of ice cold water to stop them from cooking any further.
2. Dry the leeks in some paper towels then season with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and garlic. Warm a griddle pan on a medium heat.
3. Lay a few leeks at a time, open side down on the pan. Try to keep them intact so they still have their shape. Turn them gently every few minutes to prevent from burning. Once cooked, lay on a plate or tray to serve.

Elsweyr Fondue

What you will need: A fondue pot/a heavy pot and a grater.

Ingredients:

200ml / 1 Cup Ale

110g / 1 Cup Mature Gruyère (Grated)

110g / 1 Cup Emmental (Grated)

1 Tablespoon Flour

¼ Teaspoon Nutmeg

1 Teaspoon Sugar

1. If you have a fondue pot with a heater than use that. If not – you can also use a heavy pot to melt your ingredients.
2. In the pot heat the Ale on a medium heat – do NOT allow it to boil.
3. Mix the grated cheeses with the flour until it is lightly coated. Add the cheese a little at a time to the ale, stirring gently. Reduce heat to low.
4. Once the cheese has melted, add the nutmeg and sugar and mix gently. Grate over a little more fresh nutmeg and serve.

The original recipe calls for black-market “Moon Sugar” which we know is used to make Skooma, so I had to do some research on what this could be. I instantly thought of nutmeg; it’s seasonal and is a traditional spice to serve with Swiss based fondues. It also has psychoactive and toxic effects if consumed in large amounts, causing sickness and hallucinations – not unlike the in-game drug. Skooma: Not Even Once, Elsweyr Fondue: Delicious. Try dipping in chunks of fresh bread or fruits and eating with savoury preserves or chutneys.

Like this? You might also enjoy the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Sweet Rolls.

The Sims - Mac and Cheese

I’d been wanting to do something from The Sims for a really long time. I’ve been a life long fan and have probably spent too much time with the virtual versions of my family than the real thing (I like them more, I can make them do whatever I want…). I love that there’s so much scope and as the series has gone on the amount of food you can cook just keeps increasing as does the relationship between food and the Sims in-game; you can have a vegetarian or someone who will only eat burnt hamburgers over a sink. So it was hard to pick an iconic food until someone mentioned that mac and cheese was, for them, the thing they remembered most about The Sims. It’s the one main meal you can cook from the very beginning and for most Sims will probably be their staple food until the Grim Reaper comes for them. It’s a well known fact that I’m completely addicted to mac and cheese, I probably eat it at least once a week (sometimes three) and I blame this addiction on the fact that I couldn’t eat cheese for years until finally some smart people figured out how to remove the lactose from the cheese (thank you, food scientists, I owe you my happiness). This is a family recipe that I’ve improved on over the years and it’s always perfect when you just want to gorge on something and get that ‘warm-fuzzies’ feeling.

This recipe serves 2-4.

What you will need:

A non-stick pot, a large pot and a deep tray or casserole dish, baking paper or tinfoil.

Ingredients: 

250g Macaroni

40g Butter

2 Tablespoons Flour

350ml - 500ml Milk

120g Cheese(s) - I use a mild cheddar

½ Teaspoon English Mustard

Salt & Pepper

Breadcrumbs

Making the Mac and Cheese:

1. Prep your tray or casserole dish by lining it with baking paper or tin foil - this will save you tears when it comes to washing up. 
2. Boil some water in a large pot and cook the macaroni for about 6-8 minutes. 
3. Once cooked, remove from the water, strain, pour into the prepared tray/dish and set aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 200C.
5. Melt the butter in a non-stick pot on a high heat. Once melted add the flour a spoonful at a time and mix until the mixture comes together and it no longer sticks to the sides - the pot should look clean.
6. Slowly add the milk, about 25ml at a time, and stir continually so as not to burn the sauce. You might not need all the milk or you may need more - once it is runny but still a little thick it’s perfect.
7. Reduce the heat to medium and add the cheese (chop it into small pieces of grate it in and feel free to use as many cheeses as you like). Mix well until the cheese has melted.
8. Add the mustard, season well with the salt and pepper and stir once again.
9. Pour the mixture over the macaroni and mix until all the pasta is coated. Sprinkle on the breadcrumbs and put in the oven for around 20-25 minutes or until it is golden and crispy on top.

I like to demolish this dish with some home-made garlic bread so I recommend you do the same, seriously the only thing I can write is: NOMNOMNOM. Screw ambrosia, I’m sure it’s actually mac and cheese that’s the food of the Gods so getting your cooking skill to level 10 is such a waste of time. Spend it doing more constructive things like rooting in your neighbours trash can or playing a game (within a game - so meta).

Like this? You might also enjoy the Sims - Goopy Carbonara.

L.A. Noire - Parnell’s Leek & Potato Soup

“Reefer Madness” was released a few weeks ago as a DLC case for the epic and wonderful L.A Noire (which I was lucky enough to be a focus tester for). “Reefer Madness” along with “The Consul’s Car”, sadly a PS3 exclusive, are two of my favourite cases in the whole game - I personally found the DLC for LAN had some of the best cases that had the best personality - they really channelled the advanced story-telling of the game. But enough about that - drugs in soup cans you say?! I was a little confused over which soup to make; The drug dealing house is filled with boxes of tomato, but the deal in the paper they have is about minestrone, then out back the ‘reefer’ is hidden in a can of tomato and a can of leek and potato (both of which you have to open if you want an achievement) and then Parnell’s factory is just rammed with all sorts of vegetables! But when a little bit of fabulous merchandise came my way my mind was made up on which recipe to go for and I suppose in the end it does fit better with the gameplay anyway.

This recipe serves 2-4.

What you will need:

Large pot and a hand blender.

Ingredients:

1 Large White Onion

2 Medium Leeks

2 Medium Potatoes

500ml Chicken or Vegetable Stock

2 Tablespoons Butter

Salt and Pepper

Olive Oil

To Garnish:

Cream

Fresh Parsley (Chopped)

Making The Soup:

1. Finely chop the onion, slice the leeks and potatoes.
2. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a pot then add the onions, sweat them with the lid on for about 15 minutes - stirring occasionally. 
3. Add the leeks and butter and sweat for a further 10.
4. Next add the potatoes and the chicken/vegetable stock, bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft and cooked.
5. Once simmered, using a hand blender, liquidise the soup and season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve with a swirl of cream and sprinkle with fresh parsley.

I couldn’t find an in-game shot of the can! If anyone has one please send it to me!

I’ve eaten a lot of soup - soup from a can, packet soup, cuppa soup, soup from a carton… I was apprehensive about making leek and potato, it’s normally salty and over powering and usually repeats on me for hours after but once again home-made proves a winner! It was quite a light and refreshing soup, even if I did eat my weight in a poppy seed bloomer with it (which was oh my, so delicious - how do people not eat carbs?) I’ve heard you can also eat this type of soup cold with a lot of cream and I can imagine that would be rather good! So no need to check your notebook and debate over the evidence, I’m maintaining eye-contact and not shifting around, so you can confidently choose Truth on this one, boyo.

Like this? You might also enjoy the Metal Gear Solid - Rations.