Welcome back, Geeky Gluttons, to another episode of Munchies & Minis!
Munchies & Minis was my tabletop RPG-inspired live cooking show for those just joining us. In this show, I make a snack or meal to pair with a side of dice rolls. You can catch this and all my other previously streamed episodes on Twitch and YouTube. However, new content (Season 5 – Episode 6 and beyond) is in shorter, edited videos on YouTube.
In our last live-streamed video, we made The Singing Sprite’s Trio of Trumpets from D&D’s Volo’s Guide to the Sword Coast. In this episode, we continue southeast to Faerun’s Hill’s Edge for some cheese and leek-smothered French toast bites from The Happy Hippocampus.
Cold Nights and Hot Bites
Hill’s Edge, a city on the Sunset Vale in west Faerun, is a place to profit. Between the local iron mines, monster-filled mountains, and treasure-laden Netherese ruins, you can pretty much buy or sell anything. This is probably why the shadowy Zhenetarim continues to seek power here.
That said, in places where money is to be made, there are plenty of other places to spend it. You can buy custom-painted armor from The Knight in Morn — or an exotic monster pet from A Handful of Eyes. As for me? I’m heading to The Happy Hippocampus for a luxurious room and a plate of Hot Bites.
Ignore what I say about The Happy Hippocampus being a hole-in-the-wall kind of place at the beginning of this video. Think of it more as one of those luxury boutique hotels with complimentary small plates and butler service. Volo describes this inn as “one of the best in west Faerun” with “large rooms that feature curtained, canopied beds (…) thoughtful human staff [that] anticipates most guests’ needs, a rooftop garden (…) safe storage to guests’ valuables, an impressive wine cellar, and large, defensible pantries.”
Volo goes on to describe the Hippocampus’s food as “the usual roasts and fowl dishes with flair, along with marvelous gravies and sauces. The soups are delightful, and I especially liked the appetizers known as hot bites.” He then goes on to post a recipe for these cheesy treats:
As you can guess, the wine likely reconstitutes stale bread while adding some tanginess. Since I was streaming this episode, though, I didn’t want us to sit around while waiting for soaked bread to dry. So, with that, I decided to do a French toast treatment — dipping the bread briefly in spiced chardonnay, then coating it in beaten eggs before frying. I also topped my bites with fresh mozzarella before melting under the broiler.
Want to learn how to make some of The Happy Hippocampus’s Hot Bites for your adventuring party? Watch the video or find out how to get the recipe below!
The Happy Hippocampus’s Hot Bites
Get the Recipe!
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The Happy Hippocampus's Hot Bites
Equipment: Oven, stovetop, saucepan with lid, mixing bowl, small bowl, baking sheet, aluminum foil, large skillet, paper towels, and cooking spray.
Ingredients:
- 1 loaf of french bread, cut into 24 one-inch-thick slices
- 1 leek, white and light green parts sliced into half-moons
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups white wine
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup stone-ground mustard
- 24 slices fresh mozzarella or 6 slices sandwich mozzarella (quartered)
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- dried basil
- olive oil
Instructions:
- Pour the wine, lemon juice and zest, and ground cardamom into the saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then cover. Turn off the heat and let steep for at least 15 minutes.
- Preheat the skillet over medium heat for three minutes, then drizzle in some olive oil. Once hot, add the leeks and a pinch of kosher salt. Stir-cook until softened and lightly browned before transferring to a mixing bowl to cool.
- Pour a half-inch of olive oil into the skillet and let heat over a medium flame until steaming. Hold a piece of bread for 5 seconds on each side in the wine mixture, then coat in egg. Slide the bread carefully into the hot oil and fry for a minute on each side before transferring to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with the remaining bread.
- Line the baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray. Arrange the fried bread on the sheet and slather the top with mustard. Distribute the cooked leeks on top, then cover with slices of mozzarella.
- Set the baking sheet under a low broil in the oven to the desired level of melting and browning.
- Top with dried basil, black pepper, and more leeks, if available. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
I hope this episode inspired you to start a culinary campaign of your own. Stay tuned for the next episode! Archived episodes are on YouTube — like and subscribe for new content.
