Pathfinder Kingmaker | Shambletus & Cheese Crostata

It is the month of Calistril (at least in Pathfinder: Kingmaker’s Golarion), and cold days call for meals as warm as the First World. And while we’re on it, why not try some fey flavor in a recipe blending cheese with those suspicious-looking purple ‘shrooms from extraplanar portals? I’m talking about a Shambletus & Cheese Crostata, and this is my attempt to translate this fantasy dish into the material plane.

Click here to skip to the recipe for Shambletus & Cheese Crostata.

Into the Stolen Lands…

Pathfinder is a fantasy tabletop roleplaying game similar to Dungeons & Dragons for those unfamiliar with anything I just said. Pathfinder: Kingmaker is a computer game that uses the same system and story setting. This top-down RPG sets your character into the Stolen Lands — a territory plagued by bandits and monsters — on a mission to establish peace and order with a barony as the prize. 

Part adventure-RPG, part kingdom simulator, this game has you slaying trolls and appeasing politicians or the other way around if you so choose. And guess what? They also have a cooking mechanic that provides advantages to your party after each time you set camp. Baked Spider Legs will boost your fortitude saves. Owlbear Egg Omelet will make you harder to hit. And Cheese Crostata with shambletus is a six-hour energy shot on long journeys.

Shambletus & Sorcery

So what is Shambletus? The Stolen Lands host several portals to the First World — home of the fey and drawing board to the gods. Saturated with magic, mist, and monsters, this land grows technicolor flora and fauna. Shambletus, an edible mushroom that looks like a chanterelle but purple, grows here.

What does it taste like? I have no idea. I hate using food coloring, though, so I simmered a mix of mushrooms in port wine to get that nightly hue. I used a combination of shiitake, button, and chanterelle. Most mainstream grocery stores now carry the first two or a “gourmet mix” of some kind.

The in-game recipe only lists cheese and flour as the other two ingredients. A store-bought pie crust is ideal for this dish, though. I decided to mix hard and soft cheese, though, as swiss provides fat, and the chevre gives it a tangy spike.

Otherwise, you can find herbs just about anywhere in Golarion, so I went with ones that grow well wild: sage and rosemary. It also gives that foresty flavor that immerses your adventuring party into the story.

Though far be it from me to tell you exactly how or when you should eat this dish. My suggestion, though? Make at least two. These cheesy morsels can disappear just as quickly as the Stolen Lands’ kingdoms!

Sing for your Supper!

If you plan to cook the recipe off the site, keep scrolling. However, while access to recipes on the blog will always be free, I now have printable PDF recipe cards and thematic cook-along Spotify playlists as rewards for those who choose to support the blog.

The printable recipe card and playlist for Shambletus & Cheese Crostata will be available as a $2 donor reward on my Ko-Fi page until the next post goes up.

-OR-

You can instead join my Patreon community at the “Sing for your Supper” level ($1/month) for access to the playlists or the “It’s All in the Cards” level ($5/month) or higher for access to ALL of my blog recipe cards and playlists. Patrons of all reward tiers will even receive a welcome gift of my Lord of the Rings recipe cards and playlists from January 2019 to get you started.

A Hearty Meal