The Two Princesses of Bamarre Recipes

Book

The Two Princesses of Bamarre
by Gail Carson Levine

On her journey to find the cure to the Gray Death, Addie is given a magical tablecloth that gives her food to eat whenever she wants. Say the magic words - “Good tablecloth, please set thyself” - to start your feast, and “Good tablecloth, I thank thee for a fine meal” to finish. (Make sure to say “please” and “thank you” to your parents, too.)

Enjoy a magical meal of Cool Sweet Pea Soup, Mulberry Pudding, and Blueberry Tart with Addie.

Then finish your own quest to find the cure to the Gray Death, and once you’ve found it, drink Mount Ziriat’s Enchanted Water.

Cook

Cool Sweet Pea Soup

Complexity: Moderate, involves chopping, stove work, blender, and whipping cream.
Time: 30 minutes cooking plus 15 minutes chilling.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup coarsely chopped shallots
1 teaspoon minced garlic
4 cups fresh shelled peas (3-1/2 to 4 lb. unshelled) or frozen peas
2 cups lower-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch granulated sugar (optional)
1/2 cup heavy cream
Finely grated zest of one-half medium lemon

Directions

Melt the butter in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until very soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat if necessary to avoid browning shallots and garlic.
Add the peas, broth, half of the mint, and 2 cups water. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer vigorously until the peas are very tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
In batches, purée the soup in a blender until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in sugar if peas are not sweet enough for your liking.
Pour the heavy cream into a medium bowl and whip it to soft peaks with a hand mixer. Fold in the lemon zest and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Ladle the soup into serving bowls and top with lemon cream and remaining chopped mint. If you choose to serve the soup cold, chill it in the fridge but take it out 15 minutes before you serve. Adjust the seasoning if necessary before serving.

Cook

Mulberry Pudding

Complexity: Easy mixing.
Time: 10 minutes prep plus 35 minutes baking.

Ingredients

4 cups mulberries
1⁄3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons butter
1⁄3 cup brown sugar
1⁄3 cup flour
3⁄4 cup oatmeal

Directions

Place mulberries in a 1-1/2 quart baking dish.
Sprinkle with sugar and lemon juice.
Cream shortening and brown sugar.
Blend in flour and oatmeal; spread over berries.
Bake in 325 degree Fahrenheit oven for 35 minutes.

Cook

Addie's Blueberry Tart

Complexity: Involves making (or buying) pastry dough, mixing filling, and shaping and baking tart.
Time: 25 minutes prep, 1 hour chilling, and 55 minutes baking.

Ingredients

Dough Ingredients:

1 to 1 ¼ cups flour
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into pieces
⅛ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons ice water

Filling Ingredients:

6-3/4 oz. (1-1/2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
5-1/2 oz. (11 tablespoon) cold, unsalted butter
1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons whole milk

Directions

Dough directions

Place 1 cup of flour, the butter, and the salt in a food processor. Process just until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, 10 seconds. Add the ice water and pulse just until the pastry begins to hold together, about 6 to 8 times. Do not let it form a ball.
Place the dough on a sheet of wax paper. Flatten the dough into a disk. If the dough seems too sticky, sprinkle with additional flour, one tablespoon at a time. Wrap the pastry in the wax paper and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes to keep it from cracking when you assemble the tart. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12 to 14-inch circle and place on a large cookie sheet with sides. Place back in the fridge while you make the filling.

Filling and baking the tart

Preheat the oven to 350. Put the blueberries in a large bowl. Toss the fruit with the 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Taste the fruit; if it’s more tart than you like, add up to 2 tablespoons more sugar. Add the lemon zest, honey, flour and salt, and toss until everything is evenly mixed.
Get the dough from the refrigerator.
Heap the fruit in the center of the dough round. Using your fingertips, fold the edges of the dough over some of the fruit to create a rim about 2 inches wide. Work your way all around, pleating the dough as you go.
Using a pastry brush, brush the pleated dough evenly with the beaten egg. Sprinkle the granulated sugar directly on the dough and fruit.
Bake the tart until the pleats of dough are completely golden brown without a trace of pale, unbaked dough, about 55 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool. Slice it and serve it warm or at room temperature.