Welcome back, Geeky Gluttons, to another episode of Munchies & Minis!
For those just joining us, Munchies & Minis is a live Twitch cooking show where I make a tabletop or Dungeons & Dragons-inspired snack and then paint a miniature. To kick the first season off, I decided to start @RaineRysa‘s #52WeeksofDnD fanart challenge. Two weeks ago, we made a Sausage Platter fit for a blacksmith for the challenge word “Profession” This week’s challenge word was “Elf.”
For this challenge, I once again consulted PowerScore’s “Great List of D&D Food and Drink” for some insight into elvish cuisine. We’ve made an elvish savory dish before, a vegan “greenspear” and leek stew over a campfire. This time I wanted to make some dessert.
Elvish desserts listed include “mint jelly” and “tarts made of various berries, sweetened with a mash of berry juices.” Fruits eaten include “roseapple,” “Aelfyngrape,” rhubarb, and “many sorts of berries.” To keep things simple, I chose two berries often found growing in the wild: raspberries and blackberries.
I also found a “mintnut cheese” in the list of trail food, so I made a cheese, rosemary, and mint mixture to seal in all those delicious berry juices and further carry the forest flavor. I left out the nuts for a shorter ingredient list, but crushed almonds or hazelnuts should go nicely with this pie if you desire.
Want to learn how to make some Elvish Mint & Berry Pie for your adventuring party? Watch the video or find out how to get the recipe card below!
Elvish Mint & Berry Pies
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Elvish Mint & Berry Pies
Equipment: Mixing bowls, cutting board, chef’s knife, oven, baking sheet, parchment paper, clean paintbrush, pastry brush, and aluminum foil.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup plus 2 Tb of sugar
- 1/4 cup softened cream cheese
- 1/4 cup ricotta cheese
- 12 oz. blackberries
- 12 oz. raspberries
- 2 Tb cornstarch
- 1 Tb white wine vinegar
- 2 pinches of kosher salt
- 1, 17.5 oz box of puff pastry, thawed.
- 1 Tb dried mint
- 1 Tb dried rosemary
- 2 Tb olive oil
- 2 Tb water
- 1/4 tsp mint extract
- 4 drops green food coloring
Instructions:
- Place 1 cup of blackberries and 1 cup of raspberries in a small mixing bowl and stir in two tablespoons of sugar. Set aside.
- Mix 1/2 cup of sugar with the cornstarch and a pinch of kosher salt in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in the remaining berries and white wine vinegar, then set aside to macerate 30-40 minutes.
- Blend the cheeses in a small dish with a pinch of salt and two tablespoons of sugar. Crush the dried mint and rosemary with your fingers, then fold it into the cheese mixtures. Refrigerate until needed.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Unfold a sheet of puff pastry on your cutting board. Slice off the corners on all sides to make a hexagon. Scoop half of the cheese mixture into the center and spread it until there is a 1.5″-2″ border of dough surrounding it. Scoop half of the cornstarch berry mix onto the cheese.
- Lightly dampen the dough border with water, then fold over the edge of the filling, crimping as you go. Transfer the pie to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and refrigerate. Repeat steps 5 and 6 with the remaining dough sheet, cheese, and berry-cornstarch mixture
- Cut leaves out of the remaining dough triangles and paint them with a mixture of water, mint extract, and green food coloring. Attach them to the pie crusts with a light touch of water.
- Brush the whole crusts with olive oil and dust with 1/2 tablespoon of sugar. Cover the pies with foil and bake in the oven 20-25 minutes or until the crust is a light golden brown.
- Cool the pies completely, then top with the sugared berries. Feel free to garnish with additional ricotta and fresh mint leaves before serving.
I hope that this episode inspired you to start a culinary campaign of your own. Later this week I’ll be tackling the #52WeeksOfDnD challenge word “Prophecy” with some Prophetic Tea-Smoked Mushrooms!
Make sure to join me live Wednesday on Twitch from 7 pm – 9 pm EST. OR you can catch the archived episode on YouTube.
