Olran’s Cookbook

as transcribed by RJ Borton

Olran’s cookbook is hand written in an old, flowing form of Airthurian Common which I cannot read.  The following recipes were written by me based solely on watching Ralph the Rover preparing them. They are as accurate as I can record them. However, in Ralph’s words, “there is always room for improvement” and “experimentation leads to discovery”. Feel free to modify and substitute ingredients as your taste dictates. These recipes are provided for the exclusive use of Venturers of Airth® members. Please, respect the copyright(s) as NONE of the recipes are in the Public Domain.  RJ Borton

Please note: Ralph is an avid traveler and loves the outdoors. He often travels with groups of friends, craftsmen, and traders. When he is on the road, he provides numerous baked treats for the entire party. His favorite tool for this is a heavy, lidded, round iron pot with short legs (like a 12″ Dutch Oven). He places about 8 very hot coals in a circle under it and covers the top with about 16 more for most baking (approximately 350 degrees). Occasionally, he will cook an entire dinner using several iron pots heated with coals from the fire; stacking the pots and coals 3 or 4 high.

This cookbook and its recipes are a continuous ‘work in progress’ and WILL be updated, modified, expanded, included or deleted as development and inspiration dictate.

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Olran always used the freshest raw ingredients. He also had a few ‘Special’ ingredients that he prepared himself.  Click HERE for information on his Special Ingredients.

 

Apple Cake

This children’s delight is Olran’s basic Apple Cake recipe. Ralph prepares many variations depending on his clientele and his mood. For children, he uses only apple cider throughout. For discriminating adult Ladies (every lady!) he soaks the raisins in apple brandy. For Venturers, he soaks the raisins in rum and replaces half of the apple cider with additional rum.  For small crowds he makes a larger Bundt cake and serves slices. The possibilities are endless.

 

 

Ralph’s Dwarven Influenced Apple Pie

(image coming soon)

This sweet pie-like apple dessert is a favorite of a lovely Dwarven Lady – the Princess Tkgronski. When Ralph spent three weeks in the dwarven homeland helping set up an efficient military cooking operation with her father, he also spent many animated hours with Princess Tkgronski’s personal chef, Ms. Szarchloe. They enthusiastically traded recipes (including this one), secret ingredients, and techniques.
At the Lodestar Inn, after receiving numerous praises from the young adults visiting the Inn, Ralph added this recipe to Olran’s cookbook. Ralph prepares this treat only for a few of his more discerning guests. They especially like the sugar cookie-like bottom crust and his apple filling with Rummed Raisins and Cranberries

Tavern Bread

This dense, white bread is excellent to soak up gravy or wrap around the meats and cheeses of your choice. When it is baked every morning as a daily staple at the Lodestar Inn, Ralph uses a circular loaf pan to ensure a consistent loaf size of about 12 ” in diameter, and exactly scores the top prior to baking into 4 equal sections. He sells each section as a Daily Portion.

Deep Apple Pie

This solid, zesty apple pie is a hit with all Inn patrons, local and venturer alike. Ralph follows Olran’s tradition of serving it whenever fresh apples are available. Ralph has also been known to reconstitute dried, preserved apples in apple cider and apple brandy and serve it as a treat to visiting children at any time.

Olran’s mini Breads

This is Olran’s basic mini bread shown with an optional topping. It is so easy and fast that Ralph can quickly make many trays of mini loaves to satisfy a crowd of unexpected guests. Toppings are added based on his mood and the clientele. The possibilities are endless.

Roasted Large Fowl

Ralph’s recipe for large fowl, birds such as turkey, ostrich, emu, and cassowary, is based on Olran’s original recipe but modified for the inn’s expanded clientele and cooking equipment.

Gruff used his dwarven abilities to construct a large, cylindrical oven, per Ralph’s direction, which attached to a heavy spit and allowed for roasting up to 100 pounds of meat within a rotating, self-basting chamber. Below is Ralph’s modified recipe, but I had to substitute tinfoil for the dwarven made, rotating oven.

Ralph’s Tiramisu

Ralph added this exquisite after dinner treat to Olran’s cookbook. He first created it as a gift to a Special Young Lady whose charming personality brought a joy that felt like a touch of sunlight to all she encountered.
Now, he makes it for small celebrations and for gatherings of special friends.

 

Ralph’s Cold Weather Hot Drinks

When the air is frigid and snow covers the land, Ralph serves patrons of the Lodestar Inn drinks he enjoyed from his days as a Venturer and wanderer. The pirates of the Mare Periculosus taught him the potent ‘Rum Raider’ and the Ladies, as THEY call themselves, of Doran gave him the bourbon rich, ‘Lovely Lady’.

Olran’s Imperial Chai

This exquisite ‘Imperial Chai’ requires skill and patience, but it is well worth the effort. Olran made it first as a special gift to Her majesty Queen RitaAnn when she visited with her husband, King Robert. Ralph only serves it to Very Special guests.

Olran’s Fall Festival Hot Cider

Olran created this hot cider drink for the yearly Fall Festival soon after he purchased the Inn. It has been a favorite on cold fall and winter evenings ever since. From the time of the first leaf dropping until the winter solstice, Ralph maintains an iron pot of it on the hearth for his many regular patrons who request it.