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THE COMING-OF-AGE TRIAL OF MARIJA ODILIA COLBORN Published from the Viscounty of Venzia ISSUED ON THE 11TH OF WZUVAR AND BYVCA, 480 E.S. O’ GUD, VOR HJELP I GYNE ERE, As a rite of passage for Colborn children, we must complete the “Vaskr” in preparation for “Nattrvaskr” - the ceremony in which youth is washed away to make way for adulthood. The Vaskr, or washing, is a trial in honour of one of House Colborn’s chosen Patron Ancestors. Upon reviewing the list of Patron Ancestors, I connected most deeply to Mira “the Brewmistress” Warnek-Colborn who brought her expert brewing techniques from Savoy to the House of Colborn. As a child, I frequently found myself too ill to venture outside and learn about the world. Instead, I learnt to understand and express myself by learning and practicing recipes with my Mother and Grandmother’s guidance. Such has become my cornerstone and, until now, these old recipes have been sequestered within the halls of Venzia away from the eyes of outsiders. Therefore, after discussion with my Cousin, Viscount Carolus Colborn, we have decided that I shall make and record several historic Scyfling recipes and prepare them for publication herein. The hope is to spread knowledge of Scyfling practices to the remainder of Hanseti-Ruska and the world at large. MEASUREMENTS Cup - Small drinking cup Large Spoon - Soup eating spoon or large eating spoon Small Spoon - Small dessert spoon or teaspoon SIDE DISHES CUCUMBER SALAD is a refreshing side dish that can be paired with almost any type of meal. Some people use it to refresh their pallet and others use it to marry the meal together. It is very simple to make, but very traditional. INGREDIENTS 2⁄3 Cup - Vinegar 2⁄3 Cup - Cold Water 3 1⁄2 Large Spoon - Sugar 1⁄2 Small Spoon - Salt 1⁄4 Small Spoon - Pepper DIRECTIONS Thinly slice the cucumber and add it to a bowl. Add the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and pepper into the bowl to finish the dressing for the salad and finish with a bit of parsley. SETTEKAKE BREAD is a traditional yeast-leavened flatbread cooked with a griddle or pot. It has a golden-brown exterior and a soft interior and is best eaten right off the heat with some butter or brown cheese. INGREDIENTS 1 Cup plus 2 Small Spoons - Milk 1 Cup plus 2 Small Spoons - Water ¼ Cup - Butter 7 Cups - Flour 2 Ounces - Fresh Yeast 1 Small Spoons - Salt DIRECTIONS Warm the milk with a small saucepan with the water and butter on a medium heat until the butter has melted and the liquid is warm to the touch. Add the yeast into the mixture until fully combined. Take it off the heat, but keep it near the stove to keep warm. In a bowl add the flour and salt then add the milk mixture. Mix it with a spoon until it becomes a crumbling mixture then start to knead it until it becomes a soft and pliable dough.Fold the dough into a ball and put a light towel over it to rest for forty-five minutes. Or until double the size. Roll the dough out onto the counter and divide it into ten equal pieces. Roll out each piece to make a circular shape that is about the size of your palm and as thick as up to half way up the digit of your finger. Cover with a thin towel as you finish them off and prepare a cast iron griddle or a cast iron pot to a medium heat. Take the dough from under the towel one by one and place them onto the heated surface for five minutes or until golden and cooked through. Serve warm with your choice of toppings or as is. SPRING MASHED POTATOES are excellent side dishes for a large variety of meals, from stew to cabbage rolls and whatever your heart desires. It is refreshing and yet very filling bringing dishes together one spoonful at a time. INGREDIENTS 1 ½ lbs. - Potatoes 3 Large Spoon - Salted Butter 1 Cup - Milk Salt and Pepper to Taste 1 Cup - Green Peas 1 Bunch Dill, chopped 2 Spring Onions, chopped DIRECTIONS Wash, skin, and cube the potatoes and add them to a pot of water setting that to medium-high heat and bring that to a boil. Let it simmer for fifteen minutes or until soft using a knife or fork. Remove the water from the potatoes and begin to mash it to your liking along with milk, butter, salt, pepper, and dill. Serve with spring onions on top. MAIN DISHES LOHIKEITTO is a salmon soup that is claimed to be most delicious! This soup is made with simple ingredients and yet is enriched with robust flavors as each item heightens each other to a humble meal. It is perfect to share with many people or for a family gathering. INGREDIENTS 4 Medium - Potatoes 1- Carrot 1 - Leek 1 lb - Smoked Salmon 7 Cups - Fish Broth 1 Cup - Cream 1 Pinch - Coriander 1 ½ Pinch - Salt 1 Pinch - Pepper ⅓ Cups - Dill DIRECTIONS Wash the potatoes before peeling them and dicing them into four cubes. You should have a total of sixteen by the end of that. Prep the carrot by peeling it and chopping them up and then the leek by thinly slicing it. Add to one iron pot the fish broth, salt, pepper, and the chopped vegetables. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer for fifteen minutes before testing the potatoes with a fork or knife. If it is soft enough then lower the heat and add the cream and cut up the smoked salmon into chunky bits. Stir it all together and let it cook for an additional fifteen minutes to let the flavors marry. Finish off with the dill on top while serving. This is paired well with red wine and a day’s old bread. SOSEKJØTT is a comforting dish with chunks of beef married with onions and bay leaf that is usually paired up with spring mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes, vegetables, or even lingonberry sauce. It is meant to be a comforting type of food that not only gives you a full belly, but also fills your soul. Perfect to fight off those chilly nights. INGREDIENTS 2.2 lbs - Shoulder Steak 1 Large - Onion 6 Large Spoons - Butter 5 Large Spoons - Flour 4 Cups - Beef Stock 1- Bay Leaf 1 ½ Pinch - Salt and Pepper DIRECTIONS Cut the steaks into bite sized chunks and prepare a cast iron pot with a spoon of butter and medium heat. Season well with the salt and pepper as the butter melts. Once it is bubbling, add the meat in batches to brown on every side. Use more butter as needed to make sure the meat doesn’t stick to the pot. Once done, remove the meat and place it onto a plate near the stove to rest and keep warm. In the same pot add the six large spoons of butter into the pot and once melted add the flour. Whisk it well to avoid burning it. The darker the mixture is the darker the stew will be. Then slowly add the beef stock in small batches whisking to combine it all. Add the meat back into the mixture and cut the onion into wedges only to add that as well with the bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a simmer and place the lid onto the pot letting it cook for two hours. Once the meat is tender after, remove the lid and let it simmer for thirty minutes more. While doing this you can prepare your side dish of choice. At the end you are left with a thick meat stew you and your family can enjoy. CABBAGE ROLLS are made with fatty types of meats whether it is pork, beef, or lamb depending on the time of the year. This is usually paired with a gravy and lingonberry jam which is traditional with the sides of mashed potatoes and cucumber salad. It is a comforting type of food that can be made year round with savory notes of flavor that anyone can enjoy. INGREDIENTS Cabbage Rolls 1.1 lb. - pork neck 1 small spoon - salt ½ small spoon - pepper ½ small spoon - nutmeg 2 small spoon - grated ginger 1 cup - milk 2 - Egg whites ¼ Cup - cauliflower, cut in pea sized pieces 1 large spoon - chopped parsley 6 - big cabbage leaves, boiled for 2 minutes DIRECTIONS Choose the meat with the most fat and mince it. It is important that the meat and milk is cold and hasn't been previously frozen. Use a mortar and pestle to grind the meat with the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and ginger into a sticky farce. Then transport it to a bowl and slowly add the egg whites with the milk until combined and fold in the cauliflower. Divide the mixture into six onto the cabbage leaves and fold the leaves into a roll. Put it into a cast iron pot with a half of a cup of water and cover with the lid to cook for forty minutes in the oven. CONDIMENTS BROWN SAUCE INGREDIENTS 1 ½ Cups - Beef Stock ½ Cup - Cream 1 Small Spoon - Butter 3 Pinches - Flour DIRECTIONS In a saucepan add the beef stock and bring it into a simmer then slowly add the butter to incorporate until it melts and the flour. Whisk thoroughly to make sure there are no clumps and then add the enriched cream slowly so as to not scald it. Whisk to combine it fully and let it thicken up slightly. Once done, set it to the side to cool off. LINGONBERRY JAM INGREDIENTS ½ Cups - Fresh Lingonberries ½ Small Spoon - Water ½ Cup - Sugar DIRECTIONS In an iron pan add the sugar and water in medium heat and until the sugar dissolves. Add the lingonberries and incorporate it well with the syrup. It is okay to smash some of the berries, but cook them until soft. DESSERTS LINGONBERRY CURD is something that is close to my heart personally. It is perfect for cake fillings and in pies too. Also perfect for any other sweets you'd like or even by itself. It gives off a citrus taste with it also not being too sweet. INGREDIENTS ½ Sheet - Gelatin 1 ½ Cups - Frozen Lingonberries 1 Cup - Sugar 2 eggs + 1 Egg Yolk ⅔ Cup - Butter, Diced DIRECTIONS To start off, place the sheet of gelatin into a bowl of cold water. Let it sit to the side to soften and gather your berries into a mortar and with the pestle crush the berries into a puree and put them into a saucepan. Add the sugar to the pan and heat it up to medium heat until the sugar dissolves, make sure to stir as to not burn the berries or the sugar. In another bowl pour the eggs into it and whisk until incorporated properly and then slowly pour the lingonberry over the eggs while stirring as to not over cook the eggs. You want it to be a completely smooth curd so you may have to use a sieve. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and onto the heat. Stir until you notice it is thickening. Once thickened, pour it back into the bowl and add the gelatin and stir until dissolved. Let it cool off to about the temperature to melt butter. Add the butter bit by bit and stir it into the curd until completely melted. Keep this in a cool enclosed area and it should last about a week. BUTTERCAKE is almost as much butter to flour and it has the consistency of a sugar cookie, but also in the form of a cake. This cake is perfect with some coffee or tea with a side of lingonberry curd. This recipe is made differently than normal by adding zest and orange extract. INGREDIENTS 1 Cup - Butter, softened 1 Cup - Sugar 1 - Egg, Room Temperature 1 Small Spoon - Vanilla Extract 1 Small Spoon - Orange Extract 2 1/3 Cups - Flour 1/4 Small Spoon - Salt EGG WASH: 1 - Egg 1 Small Spoon - Water DIRECTIONS Start by heating the oven and butter a shallow cake pan and place baking paper to line the whole pan. Whisk the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy and add the egg into the mix until combined. Lastly mix the flour, salt, and orange zest with extracts until the dough becomes thick like a cookie dough. Transfer the dough into the prepared pan, and spread evenly. The trick for that is to use baking paper to smooth it out by hand. Once done add the egg wash and add the cross hatch markings with a fork. Bake the cake for thirty minutes or until the wooden pick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Let it cool and enjoy. RØMMEGRØT is a pudding that is eaten usually for the holidays but can be enjoyed whenever. It is a comforting side dish that can be served with crackers and some milk or can be topped with cinnamon sugar and some melted butter. INGREDIENTS 4 Cups - Milk ¾ Cup - Flour ¼ Cup - Sugar ⅛ Small Spoon - Salt ½ Cup - Salted Butter, Plus More for Serving Cinnamon Sugar DIRECTIONS Using a large saucepan with medium heat, pour in the milk and stir it so often as to not burn it. While the milk is heating up, gather a bowl and whisk up the flour, sugar, and salt to set aside and prepare the butter in a small saucepan to melt, after that turn off the heat. Don't forget to check on the milk while doing this. Once the milk warms up below a simmer, add the flour mixture and butter to combine into a thick paste. Then stir constantly until the milk mixture boils. Once it does take it off the heat and let it cool for about five minutes only to stir often. Gather some bowls and serve with melted butter and cinnamon sugar. The more the better! DRINKS EGG COFFEE is a special way to drink coffee. It is smooth and creamy, often perfect for a dessert drink or even a morning brew for a special occasion. It is simple and you can add as much sugar to your liking. INGREDIENTS 4½ Quarts - Cold Fresh Water 1½ Cups - Coffee Grinds 1 - Egg White ½ Cup - Cold Fresh Water As much sugar to your liking DIRECTIONS In a deep pot pour in 4 1⁄2 quarts of water and bring that to a boil. Add the coffee grinds along with the egg whites and shell into a mixing bowl to combine into a thick grainy paste. Add it to the boiling water and continue boiling. After it is done brewing, remove from the heat and let it cool off for a few minutes and slowly add half of a cup of cold water to settle the grounds. Strain and serve in large mugs. GLØGG or mulled wine is a lovely warm surprise. It is a spiced wine that is packed with a lot of flavor giving off a holiday taste though can be drinked throughout the year. It is often served with dessert with a cinnamon stick, oranges, raisins, and all the goodies inside of the mixture. INGREDIENTS 1 ½ Cups Aquavit ½ Cup Raisins 8 Dried Figs, Quartered 3 Cinnamon Sticks 10 Green Cardamom Pods 2 Small Spoons - Whole Cloves 1 Star Anise 2 - Oranges, Sliced 1 Bottle Dry Red Wine 2 Small Spoons - Sugar ¼ Cup - Blanched Almonds DIRECTIONS In a large jar add the spices, fruits, almonds, and aquavit and close the lid. Store it for twelve hours stirring occasionally. Then in a medium sized saucepan add the wine, sugar, and the jar mixture to it and bring it to a very low heat on the stove. Don't let it boil or simmer as that would cook off the alcohol. Do this for a half of an hour or so and serve warm. ENDING NOTES With this being the conclusion of my first cookbook, I have decided to pen additional recipes in the future with more challenges and more stories to come with each dish. My Coming-of-Age Trial has become, through the experience, my cornerstone of cooking and baking. I wish to thank and bless the Spirit of Mira Warnek-Colborn for being my inspiration. Thank you for reading. I hope others try out these dishes for themselves and enjoy them, and they are encouraged to direct any concerns my way. SKRALI VOR GUD, Her Ladyship, Marija Odilia Colborn Her Ladyship, Anabel Elia Colborn, Keeper of the Book, Scribe of the House of Colborn

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