So we just got the new Hero’s Feast official Dungeons and Dragons cookbook and it DELIVERED! So far I’ve tried 2 of the listed recipes. They are things we know well like hot chocolate or meatballs but they have such a wonderful twist of spices and techniques. This makes the recipes more fresh and interesting to try. Before starting I will say: this is not sponsored in any way. I bought the book for personal use and am simply giving my opinion on the recipes and style.
The book is separated into sections for the different species in Faerun. It starts with Human cuisine, then Elven cuisine, followed by Dwarven and Halfling cuisine. they are detailed and immersive in their explanations. Many are dishes referred to before in the stories about Faerun.
I first made the Chocolate Broth, from the halfling section of the book, it is a rich velvet as it goes down. Very smooth and the spices cooked in during the making process provided such a rich nuance in the drink. It brought back all those memories of being a kid and snuggling on those dark days with a nice steaming cup of cocoa. The halflings really know their stuff. I added my own flair by topping off the drink with lucky charms marshmallows. They were so colorful and their sweetness added a little compliment to the drink. I even had enough for iced cocoa the next day and it was still delicous!
For the next recipe I needed the help of my husband, who is also our table’s DM. This recipe was for the “Delzoun’s Tide Me Overs”. He is a professional chef and I used his expertise to make this dish. I will note that we wanted to have more so we adjusted the recipe to make double the serving size. We also made the meatballs bigger. The first step required us to soak bread in a mixture of egg and cream.
Then came the meat mixture of pork and beef plus spices along with the soaked bread.
It was my job to make the gravy, so I made a rue and went from there.
While that was bubbling away like the proverbial witch’s cauldron, we started cooking the meatballs.
We poured the gravy into the pan and let it simmer for a few more minutes. We also made sure we followed proper temperature control for the meat. The end result was an explosion of flavor and decadence in our mouths! They definitely earned the name “Tide me Overs”. They are enough to make you feel full without being too heavy. We even had leftovers for a separate meal. For this second meal we added bacon Brussel sprouts poached in butter. I call them “Fat Sprouts” in keeping with the theme of the cookbook.
Overall, the dishes were amazing! I’ve seen many comments online about how the book is unoriginal or just renames Earth dishes to fit in but even just one ingredient change can make a dish completely different. I think these recipes are easy, fun and relatable to food and D&D afficionados like. Let me know what you think in the comments below and if you like this blog, subscribe, so you can see new posts as they come.
The Adventure Begins: Stories from the Wife of a Dungeon Master 