Dungeons and Dinners

[Antioch]

Hey folks, I'm a DM who really likes to cook. It's become a group tradition that our campaign pauses around supper time and we dig in to some big meal or another after they find a lull in what's usually their penultimate combat encounter of the session, if I've done my pacing correctly.

With that in mind, I also really love making food that's somewhat thematically appropriate for the campaign setting -- having mead and shepherd's pie goes a long way towards assisting the ambiance of a tavern scene.

Do you guys have any recipes you'd like to share? Alternatively, would anybody be interested in my recipes? Unfortunately, I've only recently joined the forum, so I'm not able to link my Google Docs recipe book, but I can elaborate on various meals in posts below if anyone requests.

Things I've Made For The Party:

• Beef and mushroom shepherd's pie w/ black lager gravy
• Slow-cooked coffee brisket and swiss sliders w/ french onion soup
• Breadcrumb pork cutlets and curry over rice
• Leek, cheddar, bacon and potato stew
• Deep-dish cast-iron pulled pork barbecue pizza
• Skillet beer brats with bell pepper, onions, potatoes, and mushrooms
• Honey rum ice cream

I'm trying out new things every week and this tradition is still relatively new, so I'll come back and expand this list now and then. It seems to be going over well.

[JAL_1138]

I'm not much of a cook, and typically stick to take-out pizza for home games or food-court Japanese food at the game store, but I've cooked a few things over the years.

*Bratwurst boiled in beer or grilled
*barbecued pork ribs
*grilled deer or elk steaks
*breaded and pan-fried slices of deer tenderloin with a thickened variant of redeye (coffee) gravy
*red wine braised elk
*Stewed venison
*grilled striped bass with lemon, dill, and vegetables

Haven't killed a deer or elk in quite a while and haven't been fishing in even longer, and I tend to play at a game store or somebody else's house now, so I haven't cooked for a group in a long time.

[Antioch]

I'm not much of a cook, and typically stick to take-out pizza for home games or food-court Japanese food at the game store, but I've cooked a few things over the years.

*Bratwurst boiled in beer or grilled
*barbecued pork ribs
*grilled deer or elk steaks
*breaded and pan-fried slices of deer tenderloin with a thickened variant of redeye (coffee) gravy
*red wine braised elk
*Stewed venison
*grilled striped bass with lemon, dill, and vegetables

Haven't killed a deer or elk in quite a while and haven't been fishing in even longer, and I tend to play at a game store or somebody else's house now, so I haven't cooked for a group in a long time.

Hot damn. Thanks for reminding me it's venison season. I'll make a big old cauldron of venison stew and some fresh bread.

[JAL_1138]

Hard to go wrong with a good stew. You can even say it's the same kind they're serving at the inn the party all meets up at

[Hoosigander]

An interesting place to look at for ideas is the James Townsend and Sons youtube channel. It's a sutler (a company that sells goods for reenactors) and their channel has lots of videos about 18th century recipes. They do use period items, techniques, and ingredients, but it could be source of ideas. And of course some of them will be easier to adapt to a modern kitchen than others.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...ojksc0mRsqx0Kn
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...7A0227C741A096
https://savoringthepast.net/

[weckar]

Being a vegetarian myself makes this whole thing a little trickier, especially seeing your lists (I'd kind of hate to be a player at your table ). That said, I do think an appropriately decorated falafel dish can really help the atmosphere of a palace scene.

[Efrate]

I would go more location based for food.

Underdark/long dungeons: dishes featuring mushrooms and root vegetables. Earthly flavors. Chicken Marsala is a personal favorite, or stroganoff, with your your choice of meat (venison, beef, elk, bison all work well). Served with rice (maggots), or a nice ragu of turnips, potatoes, carrot, radish, etc.

Elfy places: Any game, preferable fowl, and light and airy flavors. Savory crepes with a light sauce.

Forests/gnomey: Venison, boar, bear, elk. Things you find in the woods. Simple, nothing fancy, prepared with minimal additions. Fresh greens/salad to pair and cut the heaviness. Keep it simple though.

Maritime: Fish, shellfiish, a lot of japanese flavors. Incorporate kelp or seaweed if possible. Depending on climate Mediterranean or Caribbean dishes. Fresh citrus flavors. Orange and swordfish pair extremely well, or any citrus and any firm fleshed whitefish.

Drawfy places: Think October fest. Sausage, beer, schnitzel, heavy cheeses. Serve with dark hardy drinks, or for non-boozy alternatives just do any espresso based drink. May want something to help with the heaviness, maybe alchemical brews for your not as hardy as they think they are non-dwarf adventurers (tums).

Plains/halflings: Steak. Nice big pieces of steak. No filet mignon, bone-in ribeye, sirlion, NY strip. Its a long trip, cows are like a gold in game at best, bring your own mobile trail rations. Make jerky to take home after if you so desire and have the time. Pork works as well, a nice bone in chop on the grill is a fine thing, and pigs can be raised most anywhere.

That comfy welcoming farmhouse/village: Italian. When I think warm, welcoming and tasty I think italian. Cream sauce of choice and pasta, possibly with chicken, crusty herbacious bread, white cheeses. Dishes with milk or cream based sauce always scream home, and mama's cooking to me at least. Fetuccine Alfredo and Linguine Carbonara are my go tos at home.

[kraftcheese]

Being a vegetarian myself makes this whole thing a little trickier, especially seeing your lists (I'd kind of hate to be a player at your table ). That said, I do think an appropriately decorated falafel dish can really help the atmosphere of a palace scene.

I guess for a group where some players don't eat meat you an always make a really good bean stew, stuffed roasted peppers with cheese (vegan cheese if people don't eat animal products as well), lentil patties instead of steaks, etc. for tasty, hearty bases for meals; I guess it all depends on what people like though.

Tbh I have a mushroom "meatball" recipe that I think I like more than any actual meatball I've ever made...

[Professor Chimp]

Sauce Chasseurs, aka Hunter's Sauce.

Easy to make, hearty and goes well with a wide variety of meats.

[Antioch]

An interesting place to look at for ideas is the James Townsend and Sons youtube channel. It's a sutler (a company that sells goods for reenactors) and their channel has lots of videos about 18th century recipes. They do use period items, techniques, and ingredients, but it could be source of ideas. And of course some of them will be easier to adapt to a modern kitchen than others.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...ojksc0mRsqx0Kn
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...7A0227C741A096
https://savoringthepast.net/

Ah, man, this looks great. Thanks for the resource.

Being a vegetarian myself makes this whole thing a little trickier, especially seeing your lists (I'd kind of hate to be a player at your table ). That said, I do think an appropriately decorated falafel dish can really help the atmosphere of a palace scene.

I have a few recipes adapted for my vegan friends, but that's a circle that runs outside of my D&D group. I'm definitely with you there on the praises of falafel. Come to think of it, hummus and pita would be a really good during-the-game snack that actually suits the setting reasonably well.

I would go more location based for food.

Oh, man, this is thematically awesome. I love these suggestions, and it's a great opportunity to broaden the spectrum of food I'm comfortable with cooking. You rock.

Sauce Chasseurs, aka Hunter's Sauce.

Easy to make, hearty and goes well with a wide variety of meats.

Definitely. I'm hoping to give a jagerschnitzel a try, but I'm waiting for a session to spring that on the party when it suits their location. Shouldn't be long, so long as they don't dawdle where they are now.