Republic Day (19/10) - Jaezred
Oct 20, 2022 19:36:40 GMT
Delilah Daybreaker, Velania Kalugina, and 2 more like this
Post by Jaezred Vandree on Oct 20, 2022 19:36:40 GMT
Macaroni with Red/Blue Cheese
By Lord Jaezred Vandree
INGREDIENTS:
• 18 ounces of macaroni
• 3 ½ ounces of aged red cheddar or blue cheese
• 1 ½ ounces of butter
• 1 ½ ounces of flour
• 2 ½ cups of hot milk
• 1 tablespoon of Cormyrian golden mustard
• 2 teaspoons of sea salt
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 12 turns of milled black pepper
• A pinch of freshly-ground nutmeg
• Olive oil
• Breadcrumbs
• Grated Nrav’Garat harvest cheese (for red cheddar) or crumbled Za’Suulan blanc (for blue cheese)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Infuse the hot milk with the garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and ground nutmeg. Leave for 10 minutes.
2. Melt the butter in a pan on a low heat, add the flour, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
3. Pour the infused milk mixture little-by-little into the flour and butter mix, stirring all the time, on low heat.
4. Add the sea salt and pepper and bring to a slow simmer for 5 minutes (still at a low heat), stirring constantly, before adding the mustard and the cheese of your choice.
5. Take the pan out of the fire and pass the sauce mixture through a fine sieve and into a bowl. Cover the bowl.
6. Cook the macaroni in boiling water to al dente, then drain with a sieve. Refresh in cold water, drain again, and leave to drip dry.
7. Mix the sauce into the macaroni, place in a deep dish, and sprinkle with olive oil, breadcrumbs, and grated Nrav’Garat harvest cheese/crumbled Za’Suulan blanc on top.
8. Bake in a hot oven for 15 minutes or until golden. Serves 3-6, or an adventuring party.
AUTHOR’S NOTES:
A rather unusual recipe for this week: in this one, I present to you the choice of two very different cheeses to use in this warm, comforting dish:
a) aged red cheddar — sweet and mellow with a slight nuttiness (and gratings of Nrav’Garat harvest cheese, a herb-and-pepper-encrusted goat cheese, on top to balance out the flavours),
or
b) blue cheese — sharp, salty, and with a distinct palate (plus crumbles of the soft, sweet, and fresh-tasting Za’Suulan blanc on top, also to balance out the flavours).
The choice is in your hands! (And if you like a bit of meat with your macaroni cheese, feel free to add small strips of bacon, ham, or ground beef.)
This idea came to me after attending the Republic Day autumnal ball in Zot Goran, held on the roof of the illustrious Senate building. Whilst it is tradition to wear red and gold to the ball to represent the changing of seasons, some belonging to the political faction now called Purists had elected to wear the national colours of blue and gold instead — a subtle denouncement of K’ul Goran’s dark past that we Dawnlanders are quite familiar with… After all, red and gold, the Purists said, were the Vanguard’s colours. This bold bucking of tradition obviously caused quite a stir with the more conservative senators (“Optimates”, they call themselves), who have been encouraging their countrymen to look inward and take pride in the history and traditions that made K’ul Goran an advanced civilisation.
So which will it be — red cheddar or blue cheese? Both are quality exports from K’ul Goran but, as I have stated, the choice is entirely up to you, so I shall refrain from giving my opinion. Although, I will say that blue may be more palatable to us than red.
THANK YOU to Priestess Amala Lovesong for helping me come up with this recipe.
One very particular copy of this recipe found its way, curiously, into a stack of reports meant for Queen Nicnevin, attached to two other slips of parchment. Under the Witch-Queen’s gaze, the true message written underneath the innocuous recipe with illusory script is revealed to her:
Inspired by this macaroni cheese recipe.
By Lord Jaezred Vandree
INGREDIENTS:
• 18 ounces of macaroni
• 3 ½ ounces of aged red cheddar or blue cheese
• 1 ½ ounces of butter
• 1 ½ ounces of flour
• 2 ½ cups of hot milk
• 1 tablespoon of Cormyrian golden mustard
• 2 teaspoons of sea salt
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 12 turns of milled black pepper
• A pinch of freshly-ground nutmeg
• Olive oil
• Breadcrumbs
• Grated Nrav’Garat harvest cheese (for red cheddar) or crumbled Za’Suulan blanc (for blue cheese)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Infuse the hot milk with the garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and ground nutmeg. Leave for 10 minutes.
2. Melt the butter in a pan on a low heat, add the flour, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
3. Pour the infused milk mixture little-by-little into the flour and butter mix, stirring all the time, on low heat.
4. Add the sea salt and pepper and bring to a slow simmer for 5 minutes (still at a low heat), stirring constantly, before adding the mustard and the cheese of your choice.
5. Take the pan out of the fire and pass the sauce mixture through a fine sieve and into a bowl. Cover the bowl.
6. Cook the macaroni in boiling water to al dente, then drain with a sieve. Refresh in cold water, drain again, and leave to drip dry.
7. Mix the sauce into the macaroni, place in a deep dish, and sprinkle with olive oil, breadcrumbs, and grated Nrav’Garat harvest cheese/crumbled Za’Suulan blanc on top.
8. Bake in a hot oven for 15 minutes or until golden. Serves 3-6, or an adventuring party.
AUTHOR’S NOTES:
A rather unusual recipe for this week: in this one, I present to you the choice of two very different cheeses to use in this warm, comforting dish:
a) aged red cheddar — sweet and mellow with a slight nuttiness (and gratings of Nrav’Garat harvest cheese, a herb-and-pepper-encrusted goat cheese, on top to balance out the flavours),
or
b) blue cheese — sharp, salty, and with a distinct palate (plus crumbles of the soft, sweet, and fresh-tasting Za’Suulan blanc on top, also to balance out the flavours).
The choice is in your hands! (And if you like a bit of meat with your macaroni cheese, feel free to add small strips of bacon, ham, or ground beef.)
This idea came to me after attending the Republic Day autumnal ball in Zot Goran, held on the roof of the illustrious Senate building. Whilst it is tradition to wear red and gold to the ball to represent the changing of seasons, some belonging to the political faction now called Purists had elected to wear the national colours of blue and gold instead — a subtle denouncement of K’ul Goran’s dark past that we Dawnlanders are quite familiar with… After all, red and gold, the Purists said, were the Vanguard’s colours. This bold bucking of tradition obviously caused quite a stir with the more conservative senators (“Optimates”, they call themselves), who have been encouraging their countrymen to look inward and take pride in the history and traditions that made K’ul Goran an advanced civilisation.
So which will it be — red cheddar or blue cheese? Both are quality exports from K’ul Goran but, as I have stated, the choice is entirely up to you, so I shall refrain from giving my opinion. Although, I will say that blue may be more palatable to us than red.
THANK YOU to Priestess Amala Lovesong for helping me come up with this recipe.
One very particular copy of this recipe found its way, curiously, into a stack of reports meant for Queen Nicnevin, attached to two other slips of parchment. Under the Witch-Queen’s gaze, the true message written underneath the innocuous recipe with illusory script is revealed to her:
19th Marpenoth 1499
Republic Day 1499 was unlike any other in K’ul Gorani history. The political landscape of the Dawnlands’ closest ally has changed significantly since the Avernus War — the revelation of the country’s dark history and civil conflict with the Vanguard has shaken many to the core and led to nation-wide soul-searching. Two factions emerged with contrasting ideas on how to move forward: the Optimates, who wish to cultivate a strong sense of national identity by uplifting old traditions, and the Purists, who call for reform and distancing from the bloody past.
The most prominent figure in the Purist faction is young Sen. Marius Warborn, son of Admiral Antonius Warborn, who was executed for high treason for his allegiance to the Vanguard. (No voice was as loud as Marius’s in condemning Antonius and the Vanguard, and he also accused his mother and sister of knowing of the Vanguard plot during his father’s public trial.) The Optimates are led by the older and sterner Sen. Kyra Stuurm.
Adventurers of the Dawnlands and, by proxy, the Aegis Accords have unfortunately caught a stray arrow from the Optimates’ conservative rhetoric; despite many Dawnlanders giving the ultimate sacrifice for K’ul Goran during the Avernus War, they harbour a distrust for foreign mercenaries. The Purists, on the other hand, give proper credit to the adventuring community for stopping the infernal threat.
Nevertheless, three adventurers — myself, the recently resurrected Miss Silvia, and Miss Beets “the Beetle” — were invited as guests to the autumnal ball to represent the Dawnlands. As I stated in my recipe notes, the Purists chose to wear blue in opposition to the Optimates’ (and neutral individuals’) traditional red. Save for a couple minor faux pas that were quickly forgotten, us Dawnlanders made a good impression during the long, physically exerting dance and might even have made Sen. Stuurm change her tune about adventurers at least a little bit.
Though I must wonder if it was anywhere near enough. Sen. Stuurm called this new factionalism a “family dispute”, but both sides spoke as if the other were about to do something big, something drastic, and voices in the middle expressed concern of yet another conflict. And across the channel, I doubt the Dawnlanders would appreciate the Optimates’ low-key hostility towards them; many in Daring Heights would not hesitate to remind them of how the Crimson Fist knights fought to the death for their country. This Republic Day felt to me like the calm before the storm.
In any case, my new contacts in Zot Goran will inform me of further developments and I shall continue to monitor the situation from a distance.
Republic Day 1499 was unlike any other in K’ul Gorani history. The political landscape of the Dawnlands’ closest ally has changed significantly since the Avernus War — the revelation of the country’s dark history and civil conflict with the Vanguard has shaken many to the core and led to nation-wide soul-searching. Two factions emerged with contrasting ideas on how to move forward: the Optimates, who wish to cultivate a strong sense of national identity by uplifting old traditions, and the Purists, who call for reform and distancing from the bloody past.
The most prominent figure in the Purist faction is young Sen. Marius Warborn, son of Admiral Antonius Warborn, who was executed for high treason for his allegiance to the Vanguard. (No voice was as loud as Marius’s in condemning Antonius and the Vanguard, and he also accused his mother and sister of knowing of the Vanguard plot during his father’s public trial.) The Optimates are led by the older and sterner Sen. Kyra Stuurm.
Adventurers of the Dawnlands and, by proxy, the Aegis Accords have unfortunately caught a stray arrow from the Optimates’ conservative rhetoric; despite many Dawnlanders giving the ultimate sacrifice for K’ul Goran during the Avernus War, they harbour a distrust for foreign mercenaries. The Purists, on the other hand, give proper credit to the adventuring community for stopping the infernal threat.
Nevertheless, three adventurers — myself, the recently resurrected Miss Silvia, and Miss Beets “the Beetle” — were invited as guests to the autumnal ball to represent the Dawnlands. As I stated in my recipe notes, the Purists chose to wear blue in opposition to the Optimates’ (and neutral individuals’) traditional red. Save for a couple minor faux pas that were quickly forgotten, us Dawnlanders made a good impression during the long, physically exerting dance and might even have made Sen. Stuurm change her tune about adventurers at least a little bit.
Though I must wonder if it was anywhere near enough. Sen. Stuurm called this new factionalism a “family dispute”, but both sides spoke as if the other were about to do something big, something drastic, and voices in the middle expressed concern of yet another conflict. And across the channel, I doubt the Dawnlanders would appreciate the Optimates’ low-key hostility towards them; many in Daring Heights would not hesitate to remind them of how the Crimson Fist knights fought to the death for their country. This Republic Day felt to me like the calm before the storm.
In any case, my new contacts in Zot Goran will inform me of further developments and I shall continue to monitor the situation from a distance.
Inspired by this macaroni cheese recipe.
