Years in the making (because I kept putting it off out of fear), the Lord of the Rings Special is finally upon us. And it's in two parts instead of three - you know, a trilogy. Babish, you're a dumbass sometimes. Anyway we're diving into the make-ahead recipes for this seven-course feast, covering all the major hobbit food groups, and getting into the heavy stuff.
Ingredients
Salted Pork Ingredients:
5 cups kosher salt
1 cup sugar
Handful peppercorns
Pork belly
Lembas Bread
840g all-purpose flour
240ml water
1 tsp kosher salt
Honey Cakes Ingredients:
120g unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
100ml honey
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
1 lemon, zested
500g all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp kosher salt
Sprinkle turbinado sugar
Slivered almonds (optional)
Honey Glaze Ingredients:
200g powdered sugar
45g honey
Skim milk
Minced Pie Ingredients:
700g dried fruit
1 apple, finely chopped
8 Tbsp butter, melted
200g muscovado sugar
1 lemon
½ tsp ground cinnamon
⅛-¼ tsp ground clove
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp nutmeg, grated
200 g flaked almonds (optional)
Sherry brandy or cognac
350g all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp sugar
Kosher salt
225g butter, cubed
80 ml water
Turbinado sugar
Seed Cake Ingredients:
170g all-purpose flour
¾ tsp baking powder
½ tsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp caraway seeds
50g ground almonds
170g unsalted butter, room temperature
170g granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Apple Tart Ingredients:
180g all-purpose flour
65g sugar
½ tsp kosher salt
180g salted butter, melted
10 large honeycrisp apples, cored, peeled, and chopped
3 Tbsp butter, melted
½ cup apricot preserves
2 Tbsp apricot preserves (for the syrup)
Tea Loaf Ingredients:
400g bread flour
40g granulated sugar
10g instant yeast
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
60g unsalted butter, room temperature
120ml whole milk
120ml water
25g cranberries
25g raisins
60g glazed cherries
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 oranges, zested
200g confectioners sugar
45g low fat milk
Salmon & Dill Quiche Ingredients:
350g all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp sugar
Kosher salt
225g butter, cubed
80ml cold water
1 leek, sliced
1 ½ Tbsp butter, melted
2 large eggs
½ cup half & half
1 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped
Salmon of choice (to top the quiche)
Rib Rack Roast Ingredients:
4 Bone Tomahawk Rib Roast
Kosher salt
Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Onion
2-3 cloves garlic
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups dry red wine
Rosemary (optional)
Thyme (optional)
Bay Leaves (optional)
Brace of Coneys Ingredients:
1 whole rabbit
1 bowl wild mushrooms, sliced
Kosher salt
2 small shallots, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken stock
1 sprig thyme
4 medium parsnips, peeled and chopped.
1 ½ lb yukon gold potatoes
¼ cup butter, melted
¼ cup half & half
Freshly ground pepper
Method
Salted Pork Method:
Start by making a cure of 5 cups kosher salt to 1 cup sugar along with a couple of handfuls of peppercorns (or juniper berries) and mix together.
Remove the thin layer of skin off the pork belly and cut into manageable pieces.
Into a food-safe container start to layer the salt and pork - making sure every square inch of pork is covered and packed into the salt mixture. Refrigerate for at least 4 days.
After 4 days, remove the pork from the container, brush off the salt, and cover with cold water to desalinate and place back in the fridge overnight.
Remove from fridge and prepare as desired.
Lembas Bread Method:
Into a large bowl goes 840 grams of all-purpose flour, 240 milliliters of water, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Mix together until it forms a thick dough.
Place the dough onto a well-floured surface and roll out thin, dust with additional flour if necessary, and trim off the edges.
Cut the dough into squares, then place shallow X shape cuts in the squares.
Once all cut and shaped, place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and place into an oven at its lowest temperature for 2-3 hours.
Honey Cakes Method:
Into a stand mixer bowl, combine 120 grams of unsalted room temperature butter, 2 large eggs, and 100 milliliters of honey. Cream on medium speed for 3 minutes until nice and smooth. Pause only to add 1 ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract and the zest of 1 whole lemon. Cream together for an additional minute.
In a separate bowl, combine 500 grams of all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon of baking powder, ¼ teaspoon of baking soda, and ½ teaspoon of kosher salt.
After mixing together, dump the dry ingredients into the stand mixer and mix on medium-low speed for 1-2 minutes until it forms a cohesive dough.
After the cohesive dough has formed, remove from the mixer and form the dough into two evenly separate logs.
Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with a beaten egg and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Put the logs into a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes until lightly blonde and beginning to crack.
Once the logs have cooled enough to handle, take off the parchment paper and slice into pieces.
Return the cakes to the parchment-lined baking sheet and continue to bake, but this time at 300°F for an additional 20 minutes until lightly toasted firm. Flip once halfway through baking.
After fully baking, place onto a wire rack to cool before topping with the honey glaze and optionally garnishing with slivered almonds.
Honey Glaze Method:
In a large bowl combine and whisk 200 grams of powdered sugar, 45 grams of honey, and little splashes of skim milk until the desired consistency is reached.
Minced Pie Method:
Into a bowl combine 700 grams worth of dried fruit and 1 small cored, peeled, and finely chopped baking apple.
In a large saute pan, melt 8 tablespoons of butter before adding in the apples and dried fruit along with 200 grams of muscovado sugar, the zest and juice of 1 lemon, ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon, ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon of clove, ½ teaspoon of ground ginger, and ½ teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg.
Add in 200 grams of the desired nuts (flaked almonds in this case) before mixing, covering, and simmering for 10 minutes.
Once the fruit has softened and the liquid has thickened, kill the heat and allow it to cool completely before adding a splash of sherry brandy (or cognac). Mix to combine.
Place into an airtight container and let rest at room temperature up to 6 months.
For the crust, in a food processor combine 350 grams of all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and a pinch of kosher salt. Pulse until thoroughly combined before adding in 225 grams of cubed butter.
Pulse the mixture together until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs then dump it out into a large bowl and top with 80 milliliters of cold water.
Gently toss together using fingers and a wooden spoon until it starts to clump together at which point turn it out onto a non-floured surface, kneading until a cohesive ball of dough is formed.
Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, ideally 2 hours.
Remove the dough from the fridge onto a well-floured surface and pound it out with a rolling pin. Then roll out the dough until it’s 6 millimeters thick.
Using a pastry cutter, cut the dough into separate round pieces and place into a muffin tin. Optional - cut flower shapes to decorate the tops. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking.
After 30 minutes, place about a tablespoon of the minced meats into each muffin tin, pat it flat, and top with the decorative flower. Brush with egg yolk and a sprinkle of turbinado sugar.
Place into a preheated 400°F for about 15 minutes before popping out of the muffin tins and letting cool completely on a wire rack.
Seed Cake Method:
Into a small bowl goes 170 grams all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon of baking powder, ½ teaspoon of kosher salt, 2 tablespoons of caraway seeds, and 50 grams of ground almonds. Whisk together.
In the bowl of the stand mixer, add 170 grams of room temperature unsalted butter and 170 grams of granulated sugar. Beat together for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in 2 large eggs and 1 ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Once beaten to a relative smoothness, add in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until a thick batter forms.
Generously butter a loaf pan and line with parchment paper. Add the cake batter then smooth it out before topping with extra caraway seeds and flaked almonds.
Place into a 375°F oven for 50-60 minutes until it emerges slightly cracked, golden brown, and a toothpick inserted to its thickest point emerge clean.
Let it cool off in the pan for 10 minutes before removing it onto a wire rack and allowing it to cool completely.
Apple Tart Method:
Into a large bowl goes 180 grams of all-purpose flour, 65 grams of sugar, and ½ teaspoon of kosher salt. Whisk to combine. Add in 180 grams of melted salted butter.
Mix with a rubber spatula until crumbly dough forms.
One-piece at a time, pat out into a 20-centimeter tart pan.
Once the dough has been pressed into every crack and crevice and the top edges have been trimmed off, dock the pastry using a fork all over the surface.
Put on a rimmed baking sheet and place in a 350°F oven for about 30 minutes until golden brown.
Peel and core 5 large Honeycrisp apples. Quarter and cut those quarters in half and each of those halves in half…making 4 evenly sized slices. Rinse and repeat with the remaining apples.
In a large saute pan with 1 tablespoon of melted butter, add the sliced apples. Cover and cook over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally until flexible and translucent.
Remove from the heat and place onto a rimmed baking sheet. Allow to cool completely.
Peel and core 5 more large Honeycrisp apples. Quarter and cut those quarters into slices and then chopping those slices into 1” pieces.
In a large saute pan with 2 tablespoons of melted butter, add the chopped apples. Add in ½ cup of apricot preserves and mix until evenly distributed.
Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the apples are soft. Mash the apples into a mash then cook for an additional 5 minutes until nice and thick.
Dump the apple mash directly into the prepared tart shell and smooth it out so the surface is nice and even.
Begin to decorate with the apple slices starting from the outside, with the wider side facing up and layering the apples on top of each other, working towards the middle until they resemble a flower.
Place onto a rimmed baking sheet and put in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes until the apples are completely soft.
While the tart is cooking, in a small pot heat up 2 tablespoons of apricot preserves until runny, then straining out the solids into a small bowl.
After removing the tart from the oven, give it a nice brush of the apricot syrup. Once generously coated, place back into a preheated broiler for about 5 minutes, rotating frequently.
Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
Tea Loaf Method:
Into the bowl of a stand mixer goes 400 grams of bread flour, 40 grams of granulated sugar, 10 grams of instant yeast, 1 ½ teaspoon of kosher salt, 60 grams of unsalted room temperature butter, 120 milliliters each of whole milk and water.
Fix a dough hook to the stand mixer and knead on medium speed for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the dough and stretch into a smooth, taut ball then place back into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to proof at room temperature for 60-90 minutes or doubled in size.
For the filling, into a medium bowl combine 25 grams of cranberries, 25 grams of raisins, 60 grams of glazed cherries, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and grate in the zest of 3 whole oranges. Mix to combine.
Dump the berries mixture into the bowl with the dough, then lift and drop the dough on top of itself in order to incorporate the fruit.
Once the fruit is fully incorporated into the dough, turn the dough out onto a non-floured work surface and pat into a rectangle, folding onto its messiest side.
Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with oiled plastic wrap and rest at room temperature for 1 hour or doubled in size.
Once risen, place into a 425°F oven for 25-30 minutes or until deeply brown, and its deepest point registers 200°F. Set on a wire rack to cool.
For the icing, add and whisk together 200 grams of confectioners sugar and 45 grams of low-fat milk.
Make sure the loaf is completely cooled before coating with icing. Spread over top and let the icing naturally drizzle down the sides.
Salmon & Dill Quiche Method:
In a food processor combine 350 grams of all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and a pinch of kosher salt. Pulse until thoroughly combined before adding in 225 grams of cubed butter.
Pulse the mixture together until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs then dump it out into a large bowl and top with 80 milliliters of cold water.
Gently toss together using fingers and a wooden spoon until it starts to clump together, at which point turn it out onto a non floured surface and knead until a cohesive ball of dough is formed.
Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, ideally 2 hours.
Remove the dough from the fridge onto a well-floured surface. Pound it out with a rolling pin and then roll it out until it’s 6 millimeters thick.
Unravel the crust onto a 9” tart pan then gently lift and drop the dough, pressing into the corners, trimming off the edges, and leaving a 1” overhang. Dock the dough using a fork. Line with aluminum foil and fill with pie weight of choice.
Place into a 375°F oven for 30 minutes, then trim off most of the overhang. Place back into the oven for another 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
For the filling, cut 1 leek in half and thinly slice before sautéing in 1 ½ tablespoon of melted butter for about 10 minutes, tossing frequently and cover if necessary until nice and soft, but not brown.
For the egg filling, in a large bowl goes 2 large eggs, ½ cup of half & half, and 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh dill.
Beat together before adding in the cooled cooked leek slices, season with freshly ground pepper, and a generous pinch of kosher salt before mixing gently.
Pour the mixture into the bottom of the prepared tart crust. Place into a 375°F oven for 20-25 minutes. The center should firm to the touch yet still jiggly. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
Cut strips of salmon and lay them on top of the quiche.
Tomahawk Rib Roast Method:
Start by removing the meat from the rib rack and generously season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
Place back on top of the rib rack set in a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drippings. Place in the fridge overnight.
The next day, remove from the fridge and let rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
Tie the roast to the rib rack using butcher’s twine.
To catch all of the drippings of the roast, in a roasting pan lay down a layer of roughly chopped onions, a few cloves of garlic, and cover with 2 cups of chicken stock and dry red wine with a few optional sprigs of rosemary and thyme, as well as a couple of bay leaves.
Place the roast and rib rack onto the roasting pan and place in a 300°F for 3-5 hours until its thickest point registers 120°F. Place onto a wire rack to cool.
Strain out the drippings from the roasting pan into a large bowl and allow the fat to rise to the top which should take 15 minutes.
Skim off all of the fat into a separate bowl that can be saved and used later as beef tallow. What remains should be a roast beef jus.
Cover the roast beef with aluminum foil and let rest for at least 30 minutes and up to 90 minutes before slicing and serving.
A Brace of Coneys Method:
Start by trimming any excess fat off the rabbit and cut into stew size chunks, leaving the bones intact. Seasoning lightly with kosher salt.
In a pot, saute the rabbit scraps for a few minutes until a few tablespoons of liquid fat appear. Remove the scraps of fat from the pot.
Brown the separate pieces of the rabbit in the pot. Sear on each side until lightly golden brown. Do this is in batches - it’s easier.
After searing the rabbit pieces, remove from the pan. Dump in a bowl of sliced wild mushrooms and season generously with kosher salt and saute. Stir occasionally.
Once the mushroom liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms begin to brown, add in two small chopped shallots and saute for 2 additional minutes.
Add 4-5 crushed cloves of garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Deglaze with 1 cup of dry white wine, 4 cups of chicken stock, a sprig of thyme, and 4 medium parsnips, peeled and chopped.
Nestle in the seared pieces of coney into the stew, bringing the whole thing to a simmer and letting it stew for 90 minutes, until the rabbit is tender.
For the potatoes, cut 1 ½ lb of Yukon gold potatoes into 1” pieces (leave the skin on). Dump them into a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Add a generous pinch of kosher salt.
Bring to a boil and cook for 15-20 minutes or until completely tender.
Drain the potatoes, then add in ¼ cup each of melted butter and half & half. Then season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper and mash with a potato masher.
Taste for seasoning before serving the stew with the mashed potatoes on the side.