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 made caramelized onion and mushroom-stuffed Yorkshire puddings inspired by D&D’s Feldpost Inn. This week we venture northeast to Sembia and the Dalelands for some beer-batter cream puffs inspired by The Blackwater Stout Tavern.
Curiously Sweet and Wry
Blackfeather Bridge, home of The Blackwater Stout, lies shoved slightly north of the Featherdale and Sembian border. According to the bard Volo in his Guide to the Dalelands, it is the “busiest bottleneck in the Dragon Reach lands” for its placement along Rauthauvyr’s Road and “black-painted bridge thrown up across the Ashaba” river. Only a year old when Volo writes his review, The Blackwater Stout attempts to cater to both the Featherdarren farmers and Sembian merchants with a varied drink selection, exotic fashion shows, and semi-refined finger food.
With that, the best way I can describe this tavern would be to mash a gastropub and dance club together. Take that, then throw it into a medieval European setting. The fare at the pub includes its signature ale, Blackwater Stout, “salted nuts and roasted almonds plus chilled shrimp and for a last twist, cream puffs!”
Sure, I could give you a simple choux pastry cream puff recipe and call it a day. The name of the pub, though, needs homage, so I made a beer-based cream puff. Volo describes the Blackwater Stout ale as “curiously sweet and wry in taste, as if someone had taken a strong stout and mixed in melted licorice.” So with that, I mixed up my eggy choux pastry with a nice dark stout. Anise extract is not always that easy to find in grocery stores. So I opted for some Chinese 5-spice powder that contains star anise.
Since almonds and salted nuts grace the Stout’s menu, I flavored my sweet cream filling with almond extract and sea salt. Salt actually helps sweeten bitter flavors. And it also provides a nice counterpoint to the stout-based batter.
Want to learn how to make some Blackwater Stout Cream Puffs for your adventuring party? Watch the video or find out how to get the recipe cards below!
Blackwater Stout Cream Puffs
Sing for your Supper!
This video will always be around to cook along with. But I also have the printable PDF recipe cards 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.
-OR-
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.
