My latest release, The Knight’s Scarred Maiden is all about food. Mostly because the heroine, Helissent, loves to cook and bake, and the hero, Rhain, loves to eat her food. So much so that he risks his life to stay in the village so he can eat more of it. Why is it a risk? Because he has a vengeful warlord after him, and he doesn’t want to die. But he stays, eats honey cakes and apple fritters and falls in love.
Because food is such
an important aspect of the story, I gave some recipes a go. Given that this is
a Medieval story, the recipes were a
bit tricky. But I persevered like Rhain and Helissent, and the following
recipes are my HEA in baking.
Roman Honey Cake
Here’s a sneak
peek into the scene where Rhain reveals his love for Helissent’s honey cakes:
‘Thank you,’ Rhain said as she walked away. He untied one
of the sacks in front of him and released a cake. It was warm and the smell of
butter and honey were extravagant in the musty, almost putrid smells of the
tavern. It fit perfectly in his hand and he revelled in the colour, and the
springy texture of his first bite.
He knew the taste would be better out of the darkness of
the tavern. For a man of his wealth and status, a man who made his money on his
mercenary skills and diplomacy, he knew the art of patience. He could wait
until he reached the lodging and his men, but he didn’t want to.
Cakes. Such a little pleasure to most, but to him all the
more precious since a price went on his head.
During Helissent’s time,
she would have baked something like the Roman Honey Cake. And because of the
cost, she would have practiced using breadcrumbs versus actual flour.
3 large eggs
190g liquid honey (a
lighter honey is best—these cakes have a strong honey flavour)
60g 100% wheat flour
Whip eggs for at least 6 minutes, add the honey
on a lower setting. Then fold in the flour. Cook at 350 for 20-30 until dark
golden brown (I used a deep 8-inch quiche dish). Buttering the top makes it decadent.
Apple Fritters
In the story,
there’s an intimate scene between Rhain and Helissent as Rhain is cradling her
face and tracing her lips with the tip of his thumb. It’s not only the feel of
Rhain that’s significant to Helissent, but that he tastes like her apple
fritters.
This time
when her tongue came out he pushed his thumb into its path so it wasn’t her
lips she wetted or tasted, but him.
Quickly she
closed her lips and he made a disappointed sound.
‘Do you know
what you’re showing me?’
She only knew
how she felt. Anticipation, a giddy freedom, a heavy need and want. Ingredients
stirring and folding within her.
‘I’m going to
kiss you. I’ve warned you.’
‘You’ve
already kissed me.’
His lips
curved. ‘Not as I want to; not as I’m going to. If you want to stop, you need
to leave, now.’
She was
incapable of moving. He smelled of warmed leather, the acrid bite of steel. But
it was the lavender and sage from the gardens that enticed her more. The fact
she knew he’d eaten her fried apples from the taste lingering on his thumb.
Recipe:
1 apple, pared, cored and sliced
into thin rings
1 egg yolk, beaten at room
temperature
½ cup flour
¼ cup warm ale or beer
1 tbl yeast
3 tbl oil
1 tsp sugar, or to taste (Modern ingredient, but
necessary if you’re going to eat these!)
Combine warm ale and yeast. Beat
together egg yolk, flour, ale and yeast to make a smooth batter. Let the
mixture sit covered until risen, about 20 min. Heat the oil in a large skillet
over medium-high heat. Dip apple rings into the batter. Fry until golden brown
and drain. Sprinkle with sugar.
These fritters were incredibly
yummy, but I must have used a high yeast ale because each one looked like the
amoeba. At this point, covering them in icing sugar was essential for taste and
appearance!
Nicole first discovered romance novels hidden in her grandmother's
closet. Convinced hidden books must be better, Nicole greedily read them. It
was only natural she should start writing them (but now not so secretly). If
she isn't working on the next book in the Lovers and Legends historical series,
she can be reached at:
A maiden
for the mercenary
Mercenary
knight Rhain is living on borrowed time. With a vengeful warlord pursuing him,
he has accepted his fate—though first he must get his men to safety.
When he
rescues mysterious and deeply scarred Helissent from her attackers, Rhain soon
wishes he wasn't marked for death. He can never be the man she deserves—his
scandalous lineage alone dictates that—but Rhain can't resist the temptation to
show this innocent maiden how beautiful she truly is…
Lovers and Legends A clash of
Celtic passions
Buy on:
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win signed copies on Goodreads!
Goodreads Book Giveaway
The Knight's Scarred Maiden
by Nicole Locke
Giveaway ends August 30, 2017.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
All of those recipes sounded good.
ReplyDeleteWhat was truly surprising is I tried loads of recipes and none of them were bad. In fact, I'll make most of them again. Do you love baking, too?
DeleteThat honey cake can't possibly be that easy. It looks amazing! I'm gonna have to try it out. :)
ReplyDeleteIt really is that easy, but the mix must be whipped. Only loads of air bubbles will keep it fluffy. Otherwise, it'll be like a dense pancake. Also, if you don't want quite 'Medieval' use regular white flour; it's a lighter texture (I liked half and half, too).
Deletelooks so good!
ReplyDeleteThanks Christine! The best part of these recipes is that the kids actually ate the food!
DeleteApple fritters are my favorites. And the honey cakes sounds amazing, as does your book.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sandra! It's been lovely to chat to readers regarding Rhain and Helissent's story. (P.S. Love your blog...I'm a huge Patrick Stewart fan!).
DeleteThe apple fritters and honey cake sound so good as does your book!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I made loads of Medieval recipes for this book because Helissent does like to cook. I shared most of them on the Harlequin Blog. http://harlequinblog.com/?s=nicole+locke
DeleteI think Rhain and Helissent are some of the coolest names I've ever heard. I can't eat any of these recipes, but they do look pretty awesome.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I usually choose a significant name for the hero & heroine, but Helissent I simply loved. And thank you for stopping by today.
Deletewow you got guts to make mouth watery my friend!
ReplyDeletei bet if the hero keep eating with such passion he will become fat lol
this cake sounds delicious!!!!!!
Thank you Baili! I can't imagine Rhain gaining weight, but that's a good sign, too (contentment!). They're great cakes and super easy, hope you enjoy them.
DeleteExcellent post! Thank you very much :)
ReplyDeleteLooks sooo good!!
ReplyDeleteLesley-Kim