Glazed Mini Cakes

Posted October 19, 2023 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 2 Comments

Today I’m bringing my EMILY WILDE’S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FAERIES menu to a close with the iconic mini cakes the Ljoslanders serve throughout the story. This dainty dessert is sometimes described as being spiced and sometimes as being glazed, but it’s ALWAYS delicious. What’s most intriguing to me is that both the humans and the faeries eat variations of this dish, making it a regional delicacy that spans species and dimensions.

I couldn’t find any recipes for mini cakes specific to Ljosland (or Norway, where Ljosland is located), but I did find recipes for Swedish mini almond cakes. I combined recipes from Food and Journeys and Adrian Roselli to make the cakes below, topping them with a simple powdered sugar glaze to make them true to the story.

These cakes were a fun new experience for me. I had never used almond paste in a cake batter before, but I love the effect it had on the final product. The cakes were fluffy and soft in the middle with a firmer exterior, very nutty, and delicately sweet.

Needless to say, my kids gobbled these up. They’re great for feeding a crowd if you want something a little different from standard cupcakes or cookies. They’re also an amazing gift if you want to thank a professor for reviving the ancient tree in which you’ve made your faerie home. 😉

Poe’s Incredibly Soft White Bread

Posted October 5, 2023 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

In EMILY WILDE’S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FAERIES, a brownie named Poe gifts Emily with bread in exchange for her help. But this isn’t just any bread. This is faerie bread made with magic! Emily describes it as “perfectly golden and soft,” a welcome delicacy when she accidentally offends the nearby villagers, who start giving her burned bread and seaweed relish to eat. Poe’s bread appears frequently throughout the story, so I knew I had to try my hand at this magical loaf.

Almost every time Emily mentions Poe’s bread, she reminds us of how soft it is. This in mind, I hunted for the softest bread recipe I could find and decided on this Asian Milk Bread from A Day in the Kitchen. The recipe requires making a roux, but don’t let that scare you. The dough is still relatively easy to make, doesn’t require hand-kneading, and makes a delightfully soft and fluffy bread. I was nervous when I started, but I found the recipe easy to follow and pretty forgiving.

My kids LOVED this, especially my son, who is a major bread enthusiast. He ate a whole mini loaf for breakfast and ate another for a snack. I think I did Poe proud!

Ulfar’s Norwegian Stew

Posted September 21, 2023 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

“Oh, WOW! This broth is unreal!” These are the words that flew out of my mouth after tasting this stew for the first time—a rich, hearty Norwegian stew inspired by EMILY WILDE’S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FAERIES.

In the story, an innkeeper named Ulfar is best known for his dark, meaty stew, which Emily Wilde eats throughout the story. The book doesn’t describe the ingredients of Ulfar’s stew in detail, so I had lots of room to get creative.

Since the story is set in Norway, I made a stew inspired by fårikål, Norwegian lamb and cabbage stew. However, what we’re making today isn’t true fårikål, which consists almost exclusively of lamb, cabbage, and seasoning. For one thing, my stew uses beef, since none of my local grocery stores have lamb on hand at the moment. I also added some extra ingredients, drawing inspiration from the groceries Emily picks up at the supply shop: carrots, leeks, and cabbage.

I browned the beef, cooked the leeks until soft in the remaining beef fat, and threw everything together to simmer until the veggies grew tender. As is my habit with soups and stews, the broth was my favorite part. I couldn’t believe how rich it was! I’ve already made it a second time, and I think a third batch is in my near future. 😀

Bambleby’s Marinated Mushrooms

Posted September 7, 2023 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

I finished reading EMILY WILDE’S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FAERIES a couple months ago, and guys. GUYS. It’s sooo good! If you’re a fan of JONATHAN STRANGE & MR. NORRELL, you’ll love this book. It’s my favorite read this year, and I think it’s made dark academia/historical fantasy my new favorite genre combo. Once I finished it, I knew I had to make a menu for it.

Wendell Bambleby is definitely my favorite character. He’s a comfort-loving, clutter-hating dandy who finds himself increasingly dragged into acts of heroism, much to his chagrin. He reminds me so much of Howl from HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE, and the curmudgeonly Professor Emily Wilde is 100% the Sophie to Bambleby’s Howl. I love them both so much! So today we’re starting our menu off with Bambleby’s Marinated Mushrooms.

In EMILY WILDE, the villagers give Bambleby a giant basket of mushrooms when they aren’t sure how to thank him for his help. He isn’t thrilled by the gift, but I doubt he’d let good food go to waste. Instead, I think our ease-loving Bambleby would find the simplest way to prepare them, and nothing’s easier than tossing some mushrooms in some seasoned olive oil!

For today’s post, I drew from recipes from three different sources (No Spoon Necessary, Cooking LSL, and Dish ‘n the Kitchen), cobbling them together to create something new. I loved the flavor of the finished mushrooms—herby and garlicky with a meaty texture—but I’ll admit I didn’t care for them cold. I think they would be perfect warmed up just a little, especially as a side for steak!

Swedish Krem and Berries

Posted August 17, 2023 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

Today’s dessert from RONIA THE ROBBER’S DAUGHTER is the perfect ode to summer. After all, what could be more summery than fresh berries and cream? Ronia often mentions wild blueberries and strawberries during her rambles through Matt’s forest, so when it came time for me to plan this menu, I went hunting for a berry-themed dessert.

I chose a recipe for Swedish krem (cream) and berries I found on The Kitchen Magpie, which ties in beautifully with the book’s Scandinavian setting. Swedish krem is a breeze to make and SO delicious! The cream is rich and just sweet enough, while the berries offer a touch of tartness. I’m definitely making this next time I cook for a crowd. It’s the perfect make-ahead treat for a party!

Roasted Leg of Lamb

Posted August 3, 2023 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 2 Comments

In the book RONIA THE ROBBER’S DAUGHTER, there are plenty of hearty meat dishes, but the one that stood out to me most was the leg of lamb. . . maybe because Matt the robber chief flings it across the room in a fit of fury when he learns Ronia has made friends with his arch enemy’s son! 😆 At the time when I read RONIA, I only knew one lamb recipe (lamb stew with dried plums from THE HUNGER GAMES), so I relished the idea of adding something so impressive as leg of lamb to my repertoire. Plus, Father’s Day was coming up, and I knew there was nothing my husband would love more than a giant roast as a present.

Today’s dish is a combination of two recipes I found online. The first is from Damn Delicious, which I chose because I liked the simplicity of the method and the shorter cook time (lots of recipes I saw called for cooking the meat for hours and hours). I also drew from a Norwegian method I found on Nordic Provisions, which calls for inserting garlic slices into the meat. I liked the idea of including some Scandinavian influence, since RONIA THE ROBBER’S DAUGHTER is set in a fantasy version of Scandinavia.

This is the biggest piece o’ meat I’ve cooked in a LONG time, and boy was it impressive when it came out of the oven! It was also ultra juicy and fragrant, with just the right amount of garlic and rosemary. Of course, a roast like this isn’t something you’d make every day, but I could 100% see myself making it Easter or Christmas to serve a crowd . . . or if I need to feed a fort full of robbers! 😉

NovelTea Tins: A Review

Posted July 27, 2023 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Teas / 0 Comments

*This post is sponsored by NovelTea Tins. I was given four free teas in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts and opinions are my own.*

I’m almost as passionate about tea as I am about books. Whenever I sit down to read, I simply MUST brew myself a cuppa first, which means tea has fueled my free time for most of my life. When I discovered NovelTea Tins, a company that develops tea blends inspired by classic books, I was intrigued and asked them if they would like to sponsor a post. It’s not often that I reach out to companies, so you can imagine my excitement when they said YES!

Within a week, I had in my possession four of their teas: Pride & Peppermint, Anne of Green Tea Gables, Pippi Oolongstocking, and a premium tin of Anise in Wonderland. I love that they sent me a good variety, since this allows me to give you a better sense of their quality and selection. Of course, I was most excited about the Wonderland tea, which I think is why they very thoughtfully sent it in a tin. I’m super excited, so let’s get started! Time to review some teas! 😀

Sunnmørsbrød: Norwegian Rye Bread

Posted July 20, 2023 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

NOTE: I usually post my recipes for each menu in the order you’d eat them during an actual meal (appetizer, entree, side dish, and dessert). I’m doing things a little different this week, since I have something special planned for the entree, but it’s not ready yet. So today we’re doing the side dish instead. On with the show!

One of the great things about food blogging is that it gives me a chance to experiment with with variations on common foods. Loads of classic books prominently feature bread, so I make it all the time. Of course, I don’t want to repeat recipes, which means I’m always on the hunt for a new kind of bread to make. This has led to some delightfully unique bread making experiences. I’ve made Swiss braided bread, Missouri bacon cornbread, and even Brimstone Bread inspired by DRACULA! Since RONIA THE ROBBER’S DAUGHTER is set in a fantasy version of Scandinavia, today I’m trying my hand at sunnmørsbrød, Norwegian rye bread!

Scandinavia boasts many unique, traditional breads like knäckebröd (Swedish crispbread) and rugbrød (a distinctively angular Danish bread). In RONIA THE ROBBER’S DAUGHTER, Ronia’s mother Lovis makes amazing bread, but the book doesn’t say what kind. The only clue is that it’s always referred to as a loaf, which disqualifies all the Scandinavian crispbreads and flatbreads. Luckily, that still leaves lots of yeasted rye breads, so I chose a recipe from the Sunnmøre region of Norway, which I found on Arctic Grub.

This recipe is super easy. It’s also really flavorful, since it uses oat AND three types of flour: white, whole wheat, and rye. It takes on a delightful nutty flavor when toasted. Perfect for slathering in butter and dipping in Lovis’s chicken soup!

Norwegian Chicken Soup with Dumplings

Posted July 6, 2023 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 3 Comments

One of my favorite reads so far this year is RONIA THE ROBBER’S DAUGHTER by Astrid Lindgren, the author of PIPPI LONGSTOCKING. It’s such a delightful children’s book, complete with a brave heroine, fierce friendship, and an enchanting yet perilous fantasy world. It’s exactly the sort of book that would have become my entire personality if I’d read it when I was 10 years old! I’ll definitely read it to my own kids when they’re old enough. For now, I’ll content myself with making some of the delicious food from the story. Today, we’re making the tasty chicken soup made by Ronia’s mother, Lovis. Let’s get started!

Since RONIA is set in a fantasy version of Scandinavia, I sought out authentic Scandinavian recipes for this menu. Today I’ll be using a slight variation on a Norwegian chicken soup recipe I found on The Norwegian American. It starts with a rich, homemade stock using roasted chicken bones and lots of aromatics. Then it goes on to add carrot, onion, shredded chicken, and rutabaga (a new-to-me addition, which I loved). In the last ten minutes, you spoon in some quick, from-scratch batter to make dumplings.

I gotta say, I LOVED the final product. I think the rutabaga was my favorite part. I was nervous about it at first, but it has this starchy, lightly sweet quality that I found really pleasant. I think I like it better than potato as a soup add-in, since it doesn’t get grainy or mushy when reheated.

So if you’re huddled up in Matt the Robber’s fort with a storm raging outside and harpies screeching in the sky, just hunker down with a comforting bowl of this Norwegian chicken soup with dumplings! Enjoy!

Poppy Eyebright’s Wedding Cake: Hazelnut Honey Cake, Elderflower Whipped Cream, and Fresh Strawberries

Posted June 22, 2023 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

Guys, this may be the most delicious thing I’ve ever made. I’m not even kidding. Poppy Eyebright’s wedding cake was my biggest motivation for making a Brambly Hedge menu to begin with, seeing as it’s the most iconic food in all the Bramby books. I’m SO glad I made it. It turned out amazing!

I feel like whenever anyone talks about Brambly Hedge food, we can’t help but gush about Poppy’s cake: three tiers of sponge cake interspersed with layers of cream and strawberries. I think we all imprinted on this cake because it’s simple yet decadent and highlights fresh, comforting flavors. It’s the physical embodiment of all things Brambly!

Interestingly, the description of Poppy’s wedding in the Brambly Hedge book SUMMER STORY doesn’t contain a description of her cake. Instead, we see several illustrations that include a cake fitting the description above. There is a larger, fancier cake in the illustrations as well. However, it hasn’t achieved the first cake’s level of fan recognition. This might be because it’s more formal, making it less emblematic of Brambly Hedge’s cozy cottage aesthetic. I like to imagine the larger cake was for the guests, while the smaller one was a bride and groom cake for Poppy and Dusty.

With that in mind, I decided to make mine a 6-inch cake. Since the book gives no description of the flavor, I decided to take my inspiration from another Brambly Hedge book. SPRING STORY describes Wilfred Toadflax’s birthday cake as “hazelnut cake with layers of thick cream,” which fits well with the illustrations of Poppy Eyebright’s wedding cake.

To start, I took the sponge recipe from the Honey Clementine Cupcakes in my new cookbook, A LITERARY PICNIC, and subbed in ground hazelnut for some of the flour. I was afraid it wouldn’t rise properly, but it turned out incredible. It’s quite possibly my best sponge recipe ever. It’s a lovely golden brown on the outside, and inside it has a texture that is somehow delicate and substantial—like if cake and banana bread had a baby.

For the cream layers, I whisked some elderflower liqueur into whipped cream, which added a lovely floral sweetness. To balance the richness of both the cake and the cream, I dotted fresh strawberries between the layers and added whole strawberries on top for decoration.

Could this be my magnum opus? It’s definitely one of my proudest culinary moments, and the pictures turned out amazing too (I had some perfect weather for outdoor photos!). So grab a plate and take a slice of this masterpiece out for a relaxing snack in the sunshine. It begs to be enjoyed with fresh air and greenery!