A Feast for a Jarl: Skyrim Dinner

My boyfriend Zak and I are avid fans of the Elder Scrolls series, and we often play Skyrim together. I'm a newcomer to the series while he has been a fan since Morrowind. In the midst of a new DLC that was to be released, Dawnguard, I decided to throw him a feast fit for a Jarl. I cooked him a delicious beef and butternut squash stew, baked potatoes, roasted vegetables, and sweetrolls! Yes, I decided to tackle the infamous desert that the Whiterun guards like to joke about. Let me guess, someone stole your sweetroll. My boyfriend actually did steal one of the sweetrolls from my plate and quipped that little line with the silliest smirk on his face. What a butt. The recipe I used for the sweetrolls is from Gourmet Gaming, a food blog with recipes based on videogame food. The sweetrolls were perfectly soft, light and deliciously sweet, and the cinnamon-sugar glaze inside was perfect to bite into, and the cinnamon-cream cheese frosting added an extra sweetness to the airy rolls. Luckilly, I had a bundt cake cupcake pan, so I didn't have to create my own holes or mold the cake into the classic sweetroll shape.

The roasted vegetables were butternut squash, onions, carrots and asparagus, and the baked potato was simple with butter and some Montreal steak seasoning sprinkled on top. I love Montreal steak seasoning; top anything with it and it's addicting and delicious with a little kick. The stew was amazingly delicious and hearty, and I was surprised at how well butternut squash complimented the beef. I ended up adding some of the baked potato and roasted veggies to the stew for extra flavor.
              


Beef and Butternut Squash Stew
Recipe adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 pounds stew beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup Marsala wine
1 pound butternut squash, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
3 to 4 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley

3 tablespoons olive oil

1. Heat 3 tbs of olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan, and add the onions, thyme, rosemary and garlic. Saute until the onions are tender. 

2. Toss the beef in flour, salt and pepper and add to the pot, turning the heat up to medium high. Cook until the beef is browned.

3. Add the Marsala wine and stir up all the bits and goods at the bottom of the pan with a spoon.

4.  Add the squash and sun-dried tomatoes, stir, then add the beef broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for an hour. Season with salt and pepper. Top with parsley and serve!

Boeuf Bourguignon

I have been waiting for days to make this, and I finally got the chance to do so! When I first saw Julie & Julia, in the scene where Julie makes this stew, I knew then and there that I had to make this dish. I am so glad I did! The smell cascaded through my house while it cooked, and my mother and grandmother loved it! I could taste the red wine in the sauce, the beef was tender, moist and delicious, and the onions were soft, smooth and cooked to perfection. Truly an amazing stew. Thank you, Julia!


Boeuf Bourguignon 
Adapted from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1

• 6-ounce chunk of bacon (I used bacon bits from my pantry since the bacon was too expensive)
• 9-10 inch fireproof casserole 3 inches deep
• 1 tb olive oil/cooking oil (I used extra virgin olive oil)
• slotted spoon
• 3 lbs. lean stewing beef cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1 sliced carrot
• 1 sliced onion
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 Tb flour
• 3 cups of a full-bodied, young red wine
• 2-3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon (I used beef stock)
• 1 tb tomato paste
• A crumbled bay leaf
• The blanched bacon rind
• 18-24 small white onions, brown braised in stock (see recipe)
• 1 lb. quartered fresh mushrooms sauteed in butter (I omitted these since my mother hates mushrooms)
• Parsley sprigs

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. 

Dry the beef with paper towels, or else it won't brown. Saute the beef in the oil a few pieces at a time, don't crowd them. I used two saute pans to cook the beef, since I didn't have enough room. Cook until browned on all sides, then add it to the casserole.

In the same fat, brown the onion and carrots. I added bacon bits to the oil. Pour out the fat.

Return the beef to the casserole and toss with salt and pepper, then add the flour and toss again to coat the beef. Place the casserole uncovered in the middle position of the oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat again and return to the oven for another 4 minutes. Remove the casserole and lower the oven to 325 degrees.

Stir in the wine and stock so the meat is barely covered, then add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove.

I used a red wine from the local winery here in Clermont :)

Cover the casserole and place in oven. Let it simmer slowly for 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easilly.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. I didn't include mushrooms as my mother dislikes them, but kept the pearl onions. In a skillet, heat 1 1/2 tb of oil and butter. Peel the onions and add them to the oil and roll them about so they brown as evenly as possible. Brown the onions for 10 minutes, then pour in 1/2 cup of beef stock, salt and pepper, and a bouquet of thyme, basil and a bay leaf. Cover and simmer slowly for 4-50 minutes.

When the meat is tender, add the pearl onions to the stew, and serve!

 

My mother baked some potatoes to go alongside the stew :)