Welcome back, Geeky Gluttons, to another episode of Munchies & Minis!
For those just joining us, Munchies & Minis is my tabletop RPG-inspired live cooking show. Once a week, I make a snack or meal to pair with a side of dice rolls. You can catch me on Twitch (unless indicated otherwise on social media) Wednesday nights at 7 pm EST.
In our last video, we fried up some crispy-skinned salmon inspired by D&D’s Helm & Cloak Inn. This week we stay a little bit longer in Baldur’s Gate’s bastion of hospitality with a recipe for orange-glazed stuffed fowl.
Luxurious Alcoves
As I described in my post for the Helm & Cloak’s lemon fish, this inn prides itself in good food and refined service. We’re talking elegance without pretentiousness — with perhaps the exception of not serving any ale. That’s right, as any one of their employees will tell you, the Helm & Cloak is NOT a tavern. If wine is more your element, they have it in spades. Just about every vintage in Faerun is available to either fill your glass or flavor your food.
To requote the Bard Volo in his Guide to the Sword Coast, “Food at the Helm means jellied eels, fresh fish in hot lemon sauce, glazed and stuffed fowl, and fried and candied meats. The fried onion-and spiced-tubers stuffing is especially delectable. It’s all cooked in wine, served by the platter, and is uniformly fine.” Stuffed fowl and onion-potato stuffing sounded delicious, so I thought I’d give that a try.
Like the lemon fish, I wanted to give a little bit of a French take on this dish. So that’s why as with the last dish, I included some Poudre fort (strong powder), a French medieval spice blend of common warming spices like black pepper and cinnamon. I mixed this into our stuffing, as well as the vermouth and marmalade glaze.
Admittedly I got the idea for a marmalade glaze off the classic French dish Duck a l’Orange. Granted, my “stuffed fowl” here are cornish game hens because they are less expensive than duck and easier to find raw year-round.
Historians believe Duck a l’Orange was a Tuscan recipe imported by Catherine de Medici after marrying Henry II of France. The belief her arrival marks the gradual blending of French and Italian cuisine also stands. You might also remember from my last video where I mention this pair of influences in Provencal France’s cuisine.
Like the traditional recipe, I used thyme in my glaze. I also take many shortcuts by using marmalade rather than starch, sugar, and orange juice. Either way, it crisps up nicely in the oven and tastes marvelous paired with the buttery french bread, red onion, and golden potato stuffing.
Helm & Cloak Stuffed Fowl
Sing for your Supper!
This video will always be around to cook along with. But I also have the printable PDF recipe card available for my Ko-Fi and Patreon supporters.
This week, my blog post and Munchies & Minis recipe cards are available in exchange for a $2 donation on my Ko-fi page.
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If you join my Patreon community at the “Kitchen Twitch” ($5/month) level or higher, you will not only get access to ALL of my Munchies & Minis recipe cards. You’ll also get blog-post Spotify-playlists, community-polls, random digital and physical-swag surprises, AND a welcome gift of my Lord of the Rings recipe cards and playlists.
I hope that this episode inspired you to start a culinary campaign of your own. Next week, I’ll continue the third season of Munchies & Minis with a recipe chosen by my Patreon subscribers!
Make sure to join me live Wednesday on Twitch from 7 pm – 9 pm EST. OR you can catch the archived episode on YouTube.
