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 Sour Cherry Soup inspired by The Savage Vine from Pathfinder‘s Rule of Fear. In this episode, we continue our journey through Ustalav to the university town of Lepidstadt and the famous pub, The Brazen Skull, for some cheesy bar snacks.
Late Nights & Sword Fights
Welcome to Lepidstadt, a Ustalavi college town with a general vibe of Renaissance-era Eastern Europe blended with Lovecraft’s Miskatonic University. A school of “mortal sciences,” Lepidstadt’s University “espous[es] the ability of medicine, mathematics, and the sciences to unveil wonders rivaling the miracles of magic.” Expertise in medicine and anatomy also proves helpful in Lepidstadt’s best-known extracurricular activity: Dueling. And what better thing to do after (or before, depending on boldness or stupidity) dueling other than drinking? This is where you might share a pre- or post-duel pint at the Brazen Skull.
Pathfinder’s Rule of Fear describes the Brazen Skull as follows:
A favorite pub of members of the university’s dueling fraternities, the Brazen Skull holds the rapiers of famed alumni in places of honor upon the taproom walls, arranged in ranks like deadly tally marks. Above the hearth’s forest of trophies hangs the blade of owner Kaysia Cazynsik and a bronzed stone giant skull said to shed a single tear every time a member of one of the university’s dueling brotherhoods dies.
Considering this description, I wanted to create a shareable comfort food dish fitting for a gothic Transylvanian college bar. It had to be carb-dense to temper alcohol consumption. And it also had to leave one’s fingers relatively clean should the random duel break out.
Luckily, a dish like that already exists. Bulz, also known as urs de mămăligă, is a Romanian dish of grilled or baked polenta balls stuffed with cheese. Traditionally, they use feta cheese and caşcaval cheese, a Romanian semi-firm cheese with a flavor profile similar to white cheddar. Since I’m extra, I also added rosemary and dill to the polenta. I then created a dipping sauce combining two regional sauces – one black pepper and raspberry with fish sauce, the other a garlic and yogurt sauce called Mujdei. In the video, I used fresh raspberries. However, after tasting it, I changed it to raspberry jam to better balance the rest of the flavors.
Want to learn how to make some of The Brazen Skull’s Bulz & Sauce for your adventuring party? Watch the video or find out how to get the recipe below!
The Brazen Skull’s Bulz & Sauce
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The Brazen Skull's Bulz & Sauce
Equipment: Stovetop, oven, large saucepan, wire whisk, oven, baking sheet, aluminum foil, small saucepan, and a wooden spoon.
Ingredients:
Bulz:
- 2 cups water
- 2 Tb unsalted butter
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- 3 oz white cheddar cheese, grated
- 2 tsp dried dill
- 1 Tb chopped rosemary
- 3 oz feta crumbles
- 1 and 1/2 cup cornmeal
Sauce:
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 Tb raspberry jam
- 1 dash fish sauce
- 1 Tb unsalted butter
- 2 tsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt
- 1-2 Tb honey
Instructions:
Make the polenta:
- Bring two cups of water to a boil in the large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add a pinch of kosher salt, the rosemary and dill, and two tablespoons of butter.
- Once the butter melts, quickly whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and stir clockwise with a wooden spoon for 3-5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and blend in the cheddar and yogurt a little bit at a time until absorbed. Spread the polenta on a foil-lined baking sheet.
Bake the bulz:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F while waiting for the polenta to cool.
- Transfer the foil containing the polenta to your workspace and re-line the baking sheet with foil. Coat the foil with baking spray.
- Place a bowl of water at your workstation. Wet your hands, then fill a 1/3 cup measuring cup with polenta. Flatten the portion in your hands, then add a little feta cheese to the center. Squish and roll the piece into a ball, then place it on the foil-lined sheet. Repeat.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes while making the sauce.
Make the sauce:
- Melt the butter in the saucepan over medium heat, then add the garlic. Cook for 60 seconds, then stir in the flour and black pepper.
- Blend in the fish sauce, jam, and 1/4 cup of water. Simmer until the jam melts, then reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Stir in the yogurt and let simmer for 5 minutes before blending in the honey. Transfer to serving dishes and serve warm with the bulz.
