Lois’s answer to “My book club will be reading "Cordelia's Honor" in a few months! I'm very excited. It's a potluck b…” > Likes and Comments
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Groats. Bowls of groats.
Maybe something with a maple glaze in honor of the Vorkosigan district?
Or just anything Ma Kosti has EVER made.
A salad with shrimp, mangos, and candied pecans, ala Komarr (and I feel like Ma Kosti serves something similar to Ekaterin and Miles in A Civil Campaign?) That has always sounded delicious to me.
Aw, but you *have* to serve oatmeal and blue cheese dressing! Maybe separately, leaving it up to the truly adventurous (or truly hungry) to combine them? Also, maple butter: like honey butter, but made with maple syrup.
Groats, of course! You could make a lovely pilaf with the kasha rather than a breakfast porridge. I like to sauté some mushrooms and onions, maybe some carrots, and use chicken broth instead of water to cook it all. Fast, cheap, and TASTY!
Only one choice. Jello mold! Guess what shape.
Anything with cherries in it - cherries are very popular in Russian cuisine. Or you could do a marinated salad with bulgur and veggies in it (make sure you add tomatoes - also popular in Russia). And an old-style Russian dessert would be any kind of custard, particularly with chopped walnuts or sliced almonds as a topping.
Rum raisin ice cream, a la Ma Kosti's maple mead ice cream?
I was definitely going to suggest oatmeal and blue cheese dressing. Maybe think of a way to do it Ma Kosti style in a homage to the later books!
So many of those suggestions come much later in the series so would they make sense to first time readers? I think oatmeal cookies and a salad with blue cheese dressing.
Love this. I did notice Cordelia eating sandwiches a lot in Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen. So you can't go wrong with that. But I do agree with Maria about something Russian, perhaps serve two dishes/snacks Betan and Barrayaran.
Buckwheat groats of course! A friend and I are both huge fans of the series, and have been known to take up a fair amount of Facebook bandwidth comparing our favorite buckwheat (kasha) breakfast combos--personally I'm a fan of blueberries and butter or cream on top. Commander Vorpatril's breakfast of champions!
No question - oatmeal and blue cheese dressing. Maybe to be kind to the guests, Scottish oatcakes with blue cheese?
Maybe Greek food. Ivan brought some for Tej and Rish when they were all still on Komarr, and they all enjoyed it.
Yes, Barrayaran Greeky is easy and pleasant. Pastries, too.
Carol Cooper, I was thinking this!! Plus, a beef or venison roast--didn't Aral and Cordelia eat something he hunted? And there are some nice maple syrup based cocktails.
So fun to read these comments. I'm not a cook so have nothing to contribute.
To refer specifically to the books in question, I would second the oatcakes (savoury) with with blue cheese on the side. Thinking of the series in general and bug butter specifically, the ambrosia served at the Emperor's wedding is sounded just like what my grandmother would serve on special occasions: vanilla ice cream with real maple syrup. Maple butter is also delicious.
All the above but don't forget the Maple Mead!
I've always thought that one of the reasons Crodelia knew that Aral had not ordered the fleet to fire on Komarr was the way his men treated his prisoners. This included the cook who gave her decent food and was gratified when she liked it - it was stew with bread. Cordelia and Aral also ate shish-kebab when they were on the trail (as well as oatmeal and blue cheese dressing).
Groats and Ma Kosti are not really relevant to Cordelia's Honor - remember, the first half is on not-yet-named Sergyar, and the second half is Vordarian's Pretendership. They haven't met Kosti yet, never mind his mom. (Not sure, but I think Kosti is not even *born* yet.) I don't recall any remarkable mentions of food in Barrayar - raw cabbages are an ingredient, not food. In Shards of Honor, there's the instant oatmeal and fake blue cheese dressing (the "instant" and "fake" are important parts!), the undersalted and "I think it had better be well-done" hexapod, and the stew made by the underappreciated cook. Oh, and there's the hooch Aral is slowly killing himself with before Cordelia arrives, which I gather is maple-based?
In terms of how to translate all this into a party, well, make up some oatmeal (instant if you're truly dedicated, but regular rolled oats will do). Provide the usual fixings, including butter and maple syrup (what, those aren't the usual fixing in your house? you're missing out), but also provide blue cheese dressing, preferably something commercial that was shown some blue cheese a long time ago. (Optional: make a salad to go with the dressing for the less-adventurous.) Also make some roasted meat of some sort (but be kind to your guests: don't actually overcook it, and season it appropriately). And lastly, make some sort of hearty stew with meat and vegetables. (Maybe look up some Russian and some Greek recipes for stew-like foods, and then come up with your own crossover interpretation - Russian ingredients with Greek spices, or vice-versa.) For drinks, since you're unlikely to find maple mead or maple brandy (Aral's hooch), perhaps you could look for cocktail recipes that involve maple syrup?
I've always pictured greek pastries as fitting the universe. Given you are starting with Cordilia's Honor, camp food seems appropriate? Smores, foil packet dinners, or if that is too roughing it, think tapas / small bites with bread and curry?
I might go with a veg plate and blue cheese dressing, or a cheese plate and have oatmeal cookies for after.
How about vegetable soup? It'd be in reference to the soup Cordelia ate once she and Aral finally made it through the planet to the Barrayaran base and the Yeoman stuck on kitchen duty was so happy someone finally enjoyed his cooking...and she says, "' 'S delishesh" " 'S wonderful"? which always made me wonder if that was a tip of the hat to George Gershwin?
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Erin
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Jun 25, 2020 08:57AM
Groats. Bowls of groats.
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Maybe something with a maple glaze in honor of the Vorkosigan district?Or just anything Ma Kosti has EVER made.
A salad with shrimp, mangos, and candied pecans, ala Komarr (and I feel like Ma Kosti serves something similar to Ekaterin and Miles in A Civil Campaign?) That has always sounded delicious to me.
Aw, but you *have* to serve oatmeal and blue cheese dressing! Maybe separately, leaving it up to the truly adventurous (or truly hungry) to combine them? Also, maple butter: like honey butter, but made with maple syrup.
Groats, of course! You could make a lovely pilaf with the kasha rather than a breakfast porridge. I like to sauté some mushrooms and onions, maybe some carrots, and use chicken broth instead of water to cook it all. Fast, cheap, and TASTY!
Only one choice. Jello mold! Guess what shape.
Anything with cherries in it - cherries are very popular in Russian cuisine. Or you could do a marinated salad with bulgur and veggies in it (make sure you add tomatoes - also popular in Russia). And an old-style Russian dessert would be any kind of custard, particularly with chopped walnuts or sliced almonds as a topping.
Rum raisin ice cream, a la Ma Kosti's maple mead ice cream?
I was definitely going to suggest oatmeal and blue cheese dressing. Maybe think of a way to do it Ma Kosti style in a homage to the later books!
So many of those suggestions come much later in the series so would they make sense to first time readers? I think oatmeal cookies and a salad with blue cheese dressing.
Love this. I did notice Cordelia eating sandwiches a lot in Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen. So you can't go wrong with that. But I do agree with Maria about something Russian, perhaps serve two dishes/snacks Betan and Barrayaran.
Buckwheat groats of course! A friend and I are both huge fans of the series, and have been known to take up a fair amount of Facebook bandwidth comparing our favorite buckwheat (kasha) breakfast combos--personally I'm a fan of blueberries and butter or cream on top. Commander Vorpatril's breakfast of champions!
No question - oatmeal and blue cheese dressing. Maybe to be kind to the guests, Scottish oatcakes with blue cheese?
Maybe Greek food. Ivan brought some for Tej and Rish when they were all still on Komarr, and they all enjoyed it.
Yes, Barrayaran Greeky is easy and pleasant. Pastries, too.
Carol Cooper, I was thinking this!! Plus, a beef or venison roast--didn't Aral and Cordelia eat something he hunted? And there are some nice maple syrup based cocktails.
So fun to read these comments. I'm not a cook so have nothing to contribute.
To refer specifically to the books in question, I would second the oatcakes (savoury) with with blue cheese on the side. Thinking of the series in general and bug butter specifically, the ambrosia served at the Emperor's wedding is sounded just like what my grandmother would serve on special occasions: vanilla ice cream with real maple syrup. Maple butter is also delicious.
All the above but don't forget the Maple Mead!
I've always thought that one of the reasons Crodelia knew that Aral had not ordered the fleet to fire on Komarr was the way his men treated his prisoners. This included the cook who gave her decent food and was gratified when she liked it - it was stew with bread. Cordelia and Aral also ate shish-kebab when they were on the trail (as well as oatmeal and blue cheese dressing).
Groats and Ma Kosti are not really relevant to Cordelia's Honor - remember, the first half is on not-yet-named Sergyar, and the second half is Vordarian's Pretendership. They haven't met Kosti yet, never mind his mom. (Not sure, but I think Kosti is not even *born* yet.) I don't recall any remarkable mentions of food in Barrayar - raw cabbages are an ingredient, not food. In Shards of Honor, there's the instant oatmeal and fake blue cheese dressing (the "instant" and "fake" are important parts!), the undersalted and "I think it had better be well-done" hexapod, and the stew made by the underappreciated cook. Oh, and there's the hooch Aral is slowly killing himself with before Cordelia arrives, which I gather is maple-based?In terms of how to translate all this into a party, well, make up some oatmeal (instant if you're truly dedicated, but regular rolled oats will do). Provide the usual fixings, including butter and maple syrup (what, those aren't the usual fixing in your house? you're missing out), but also provide blue cheese dressing, preferably something commercial that was shown some blue cheese a long time ago. (Optional: make a salad to go with the dressing for the less-adventurous.) Also make some roasted meat of some sort (but be kind to your guests: don't actually overcook it, and season it appropriately). And lastly, make some sort of hearty stew with meat and vegetables. (Maybe look up some Russian and some Greek recipes for stew-like foods, and then come up with your own crossover interpretation - Russian ingredients with Greek spices, or vice-versa.) For drinks, since you're unlikely to find maple mead or maple brandy (Aral's hooch), perhaps you could look for cocktail recipes that involve maple syrup?
I've always pictured greek pastries as fitting the universe. Given you are starting with Cordilia's Honor, camp food seems appropriate? Smores, foil packet dinners, or if that is too roughing it, think tapas / small bites with bread and curry?
I might go with a veg plate and blue cheese dressing, or a cheese plate and have oatmeal cookies for after.
How about vegetable soup? It'd be in reference to the soup Cordelia ate once she and Aral finally made it through the planet to the Barrayaran base and the Yeoman stuck on kitchen duty was so happy someone finally enjoyed his cooking...and she says, "' 'S delishesh" " 'S wonderful"? which always made me wonder if that was a tip of the hat to George Gershwin?
