#food from video games

MONSTER HUNTER: ICEBORNE FEAST

YOU CAN EAT FOOD MADE BY CATS IN MONSTER HUNTER WORLD WHY DID NOBODY TELL ME THIS

As an apology for how long we’ve been on break (we moved to Texas and wow it’s hot here), we’ve put together this Monster Hunter feast featuring not one but three new recipes! As always, you can find them under the cut. Happy hunting!

- MJ & K

Corn and Poblano Chowder

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp butter
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 medium red potatoes, chopped into ½-inch pieces
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  
• 5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 5 cups frozen corn
• 2 poblano peppers, chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the butter and olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for 3-5 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic, potatoes, and all of the spices and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the stock and lower the heat to medium-low. Let simmer for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are easy to pierce with a fork. Add the frozen corn and pepper pieces and cook for 5 minutes. 

Remove the bay leaves and add the heavy cream, stirring to combine. Remove the pot from heat and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes. Blend until smooth in 3-4 batches using a blender (or in one batch using an immersion blender). Season with salt and pepper to taste and top with cheese or sour cream.

3-Cheese Potato Gratin

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, chopped into 1/8-inch slices
• ½ cup grated Parmesan
• ½ cup shredded cheddar
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the three cheeses. Coat the inside of a casserole dish with nonstick spray and lay down a layer of potato rounds. Top with a layer of mixed cheese and a small amount of salt and pepper. Repeat until the potatoes have all been used, but keep a small amount of cheese reserved for topping with. 

In a small saucepan, heat the cream, thyme, garlic, and nutmeg until it just begins to simmer. Pour the cream mixture over the layered potatoes and cheese, topping with the remaining cheese at the end. 

Bake uncovered for 1 hour, or until the cheese is browned and the potatoes are tender. 

Beef Tajine With Vegetables and Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds beef top blade roast
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp butter
• ½ butternut squash chopped into 1-inch cubes
• 1 onion, sliced into rounds
• 3 carrots, diced
• 2 c. broccoli
• 1 Tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 ½ tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp EACH: cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, cardamom, coriander, black pepper
• 8 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 c. beef broth
• 1 14-oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• ½ c unflavored and unsweetened yogurt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix together the beef broth, garlic, and tomato paste. Set aside.

Add all the spices together and rub over the beef roast, coating the entire piece. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large cast iron skillet on high heat, and sear the roast on all sides. Cook each side for about 2 minutes or until brown and crispy. Once all sides are seared, remove the meat from the pan and set in a dutch oven or tajine. Add the onion rings and beef broth mixture to the pot, then cover and bake for 30 minutes. 

In the same skillet where the meat was seared, lightly cook the carrots and squash until they brown a bit from the residual spices over medium heat (about 5 minutes). Set aside. 

After the 30 minutes have elapsed add the squash, carrots, and broccoli to the pot/tajine. Cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the vegetables are tender and the meat registers at least 145°F.

Allow the pot to cool for 5 minutes, then remove ½ cup liquid from the pot and whisk with the yogurt. Add additional paprika, cayenne, and salt and pepper to the yogurt sauce as necessary.  

Serve with crispy bread and the yogurt sauce drizzled over. 

Additional Items

• 1 baguette
• 1 loaf rustic bread
• 2 types of wedge cheese
• 1 bunch on-vine tomatoes
• 2-4 grilled sausages (we used jalapeno and cheddar)
• 1 large mug of beer (cook’s choice)

Breath of the Wilds Copious Fish Skewers

While not strictly on skewers (because who has the time or an open fire for that), there’s still copious fish and you probably don’t have to throw a bomb into a lake to catch them. At least we hope you don’t.

- MJ & K

Ingredients- 

• 4 whole rainbow trout, about 8 oz each
  
• Olive oil
  
• Garlic salt
  
• Black pepper 
  
• 1 large lemon, sliced into thin circles
  
• 4 sprigs thyme
  
• 4 sprigs rosemary
  

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Begin by rinsing the fish inside and out. Layer them on a foil-lined baking sheet. Lightly oil both the inside and outside with olive oil and add garlic salt and pepper to taste. Stuff the inside with a sprig of rosemary, thyme and 2-3 lemon rounds. Bake the fish for 10-15 minutes, until the fish is white and flaky. It should come apart easily when pierced with a fork. 

Enjoy with a glass of white wine and a monster-themed dessert, Hero of Hyrule.

BREATH OF THE WILD FRUIT PIE

We know that this is clearly a cake and not a pie, but we decided to go for visual accuracy rather than the name of the dish. The fruit pie in BotW very much resembles a lovingly decorated Japanese strawberry shortcake so that’s what we set out to make! How on earth does he bake such a lovely cake over a campfire? We may never know. 

As always, the recipe is under the cut. 

- MJ & K

Ingredients:

For the cake - 

• 4 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
  
• 9 ½ Tbsp sugar
  
• 3 Tbsp room temperature milk
  
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
  
• 14 Tbsp cake flour, sifted
  
• 2 1/3 Tbsp butter, melted
  
• Fresh strawberries
  
• Assorted in-season fruit
  

For the custard -

• 1 ½ cups milk
  
• 1 cup heavy cream
  
• ½ vanilla bean, casing and scraped-out contents
  
• 6 egg yolks
  
• ½ cup sugar
  
• 1/3 cup corn starch, sifted
  
• 3 ½ Tbsp room temperature butter
  

For the whipped cream - 

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  
• ¼ cup powdered sugar
  
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
  
• 2 Tbsp meringue powder
  

To make the cake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and lightly butter and flour an 8″ cake tin. Combine the sugar and egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat them until they hold stiff peaks. Add the egg yolks to the mixture and beat lightly to combine. Remove the batter to a bowl and add the milk, vanilla extract, and flour, folding to combine after each addition. Fold in the melted butter until everything is well combined. 

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and lightly tap it on top of your counter to remove any air bubbles. Bake the cake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top turns golden brown and springs back if you poke it lightly. Let the cake cool completely before removing it from the pan and slicing it into two equal halves. 

To make the custard, simmer the milk, heavy cream, and vanilla bean in a pan over medium heat. Whisk your egg yolks, sugar, and corn starch until it becomes pale and creamy. Once the milk mixture begins to bubble around the edges (but not boil), add a little bit of the hot milk to your egg mixture and whisk briskly to keep the eggs from cooking. Add the milk a little at a time and keep whisking until both are completely combined. Whisk the mixture over medium heat until it thickens. 

If your custard has any lumps, you can run it through a strainer. Remove the vanilla bean and allow the custard to cool completely in the fridge before applying it to the cake. 

To make the whipped cream, combine all of the ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whisk until it holds soft peaks. 

Decorate your cake as you see fit, layering the cake, sliced strawberries, pastry cream, and whipped cream. The whipped cream can be pt into an icing bag to give a decorative effect, but it’s just as tasty when applied with a spatula.  

FISH TACOS FROM DON’T STARVE

Fish tacos are a bit of a staple food around here, and always a fun production to make. Fresh avocados, juicy tomatoes, and flaky fried fish dipped in beer batter make for the perfect weekend food. Wrap it all up in a corn tortilla and you have the perfect food for satisfying your hunger. 

As always, the recipe is below the cut. Happy eating!

- MJ & K

Ingredients: 

For fish tacos - 

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
  
• 1 tsp salt
  
• ½ tsp pepper
  
• 1 cup dark Mexican beer
  
• Oil for frying
  
• 2 pounds fresh tilapia, halibut, or cod fillets
  
• 1 cup shredded lettuce or cabbage
  
• 1-2 ripe avocados, cut into small chunks
  
• 1-2 roma tomatoes, cut into small chunks
  
• 1 jalapeno, chopped fine
• Salsa
  
• Lime wedges
  
• Cotija cheese
  
• Corn tortillas
  

For crema sauce- 

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  
• 2/3 cup Mexican crema (or sour cream)
  
• 1 tsp lemon zest
  
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
  
• ¼ tsp chili powder
• Salt and pepper
• Chopped cilantro (optional)

For rice and beans - 

• 2 cups white rice
  
• 3 cups chicken broth
  
• 1 small can spicy V8 tomato juice 
  
• 2 tsp cumin
  
• 2 tsp oregano
  
• ½ cup chunky salsa
  
• 1 can black beans
  
• 2 tsp cumin
  
• 1 tsp oregano
  
• 1 tsp chili powder
  

For the rice, combine your rice, chicken broth, tomato juice, cumin, oregano, and chunky salsa in a rice cooker and stir to combine. Let your rice cook until it is finished and tender and then use a fork to recombine the salsa. 

For the beans, add both the black beans and their juice into a small pot over medium-low heat. Add the cumin, oregano, and chili powder and stir to combine. Heat until the beans are hot and tender. 

To make the cream sauce, whisk together the mayo, crema, zest, lemon juice, and chili powder. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and slowly add in the beer while whisking. Let the batter sit for fifteen minutes. While it rests, bring your oil up to a temperature of between 350 and 375 degrees F in a large dutch oven. Dredge the fish fillets in the beer batter and add them in batches of 2-4 depending on the size of your frying pot. Fry until golden brown and cooked through - about 3-5 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined platter to drain excess oil. 

Build your fish tacos on top of a warm corn tortilla, layering it with a piece of fried fish, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes and avocado, jalapeno, and salsa. Top with a lime wedge, crumbled cotija cheese, and the crema sauce.