Episode 102: Fantastical Feasts

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What is the role of food in worldbuilding? Most characters have to eat to stay alive, but food is also culture and if you're creating a fantasy culture, food will be an expression of those values. Chefs Chelsea Monroe-Cassell and Jenn de la Vega discuss the recipes they created based on fantasy worlds. Authors Fran Wilde and Elizabeth Bear break down the tropes and cliches around SF foods. Chef and author Jason Sheehan talks about his favorite dystopian food. And writer Scott Lynch reveals the fantasy beverage he's always wanted to try.
Transcript of Fantastical Feasts
MUSIC LIST
  • The Zeppelin by Blue Dot Sessions​​
  • Observe the Cosmos by Sono Sanctus
  • ​Lake George by Sono Sanctus
  • Cast of Pods by Sono Sanctus
  • Vittoro by Blue Dot Sessions
Pears & Sausage in Oil - Jenn de la Vega

"When Locke joined the Gentlemen Bastards gang, his welcome dinner is a double portion of pears and sausage in oil. You can substitute the sausages with fresh chorizo or longaniza. Slightly under ripe pears are preferred because they roast up like potatoes. It isn’t mentioned in the book but I added arugula and szechuan peppercorn to the dish. They both have unique peppery qualities that I think would resonate with Locke. When the Thiefmaker punishes Locke at Shades Hill, he forces him to drink fire oil, a sensation that he remembers later on as he drinks a ginger scald."

2 Anjou pears
2 hot Italian sausages
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon Szechuan peppercorn
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup broth
1 cup of arugula

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F.
Peel and core the pears.

Heat a cast iron pan on high heat.
Add the oil to the pan and sear the sausages for a minute on each side.
Add the pears to the pan and cook for another minute.
Turn off the stove and transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 10 to 12 minutes.
Turn off the oven.
Place the arugula in a heat-safe bowl or platter.
Transfer the pears and sausage to the arugula platter.
Put the pan juices back on the stove on low heat.

Whisk the flour into the juices. If there aren’t any sausage juices, add a pat of butter.
Whisk the broth and peppercorn into the juices to make a gravy.
Strain the gravy and serve alongside the pears and sausages.
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Episode 103: Theater for the Mind

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Episode 101: D&D Revisited