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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ElectricDragon" data-source="post: 7208257" data-attributes="member: 10778">Ambrose,    It seems that Duke Pierson has again claimed aggrieved status with the king. He says that persons of the court have sabotaged his interests in the island nations by assassinating his main source of income, a merchant of some repute. Nevermind the fact that he has built a port on every sizable island and even garrisoned troops there to insure his tariffs for goods and docking are collected and sent back to his coffers. He thinks it is his right to control all the goods that come out of the island nations to the capitol. His majesty saw fit to dispatch several investigators (two of whom were suggested by the duke). I am going to the island nations to ensure that evidence is not manufactured. Kerrik assures me that there are no clues to be found. Kaleb is returning to the capitol amidst rumors of a gang of thieves operating around the dukes holdings in the islands; he did not get all the copies; we will have to try a different approach.    We have finally received the merchant ship promised last year by the king so that we may explore for exotic tastes without having to rely on others to find them. I am also finalizing the agreement with a minor chief of the island nations for export of nutmeg, mace, sugar cane, cacao beans, and vanilla beans through us instead of the duke. This will be the ship's maiden voyage. And I should come back on it within the year, sooner I hope.    While I am away, you will be in charge of keeping tabs on the duke's shenanigans as well as gathering the last few pages from the upper tiers of nobility. I send you these pages that I retrieved from the Grand Duchess Kathern, the great aunt of the king. It was a private meeting between his majesty, the grand duchess, and myself as head of the banquet staff. You are welcome to take credit for the deal; it might make your job somewhat easier for it to be known that you bested that old biddy.     Her offer for the return of the pages, (if she had them and could find them, of course this had to be stated): she insisted on being sat on the king's right hand forevermore at banquets. The king refused to relinquish the chair of his most loyal retainer to a relative not known for her staunch support. He agreed to only a year, and only at the king's table, not adjacent to the king. He said that otherwise she would hide or destroy the pages in spite. She did not disagree. She did wheedle a concession out of the king that she be able to re-negotiate in six months. The king agreed. She obviously has some plan in motion that will increase her appeal to the king and should come to fruition in a few months. Try to anticipate her machinations as well.    I realize that the politics of this duty are abhorrent to you; but I find no alternative personage that I can so truly trust. I will send messengers if anything important transpires. Keep me informed.EricThe Basics of SweetsBoiled CustardNone (Enchantment)Ingredients1 pouch of white sugar, 1 literjon of milk, and 5 eggs (optional: 4 ounces of rye whiskey).Serves: 8Drink Effects: Auroch milk and 1 hippogriff egg substituted for milk and eggs with the application of heroism gives the drinker a +1 bonus to attacks rolls, saves, and skill checks for 1 hour.Time to Drink: 2 roundsDirections:Fill a large cauldron with water, put the milk, eggs, and sugar into a smaller cauldron that will fit into the water-filled cauldron so that the heat is through the water, use a hellpine fire and cook until thickened (so it's not actually boiled.) Chill it (usually in a securely corked jug dangled in a mountain stream) and serve in mugs, (preferably with a shot of rye whiskey). Craft (cooking) DC 12; Caster Level: Not applicable, auroch milk and hippogriff egg: 5, heroism; Market Price: 20 gp plus cost of hippogriff egg and auroch milk. Serves: 6 (does not count as a meal)Cook's Note: This is a favorite holiday drink in parts of the island nations. The islanders add a local alcoholic beverage that is particularly unpalatable.Brown SugarIngredientsSugar cane.Directions:You can easily make brown sugar from sugar cane by first extracting the juice from the cane. This can be done by crushing and pressing the canes. The juice should then be filtered through cheesecloth to remove any debris before gently simmering to draw off most of the water. As the water evaporates the sugar should start to crystallize, this can be aided by sprinkling in a spoon of ready made sugar crystals and by stirring with a wooden spoon. Leave the remaining paste of sugar crystals and juice to dry out over a few days to yield brown sugar. Craft (cooking) DC 10; Market Price: 10 gp per pound.Cook's Note: This is the type of sugar used most often in the island nations where the sugar cane grows.ButtermilkNone (Illusion or Transmutation)Ingredients8 drams of milk; 1/2 dram of white vinegar.Drink Effects: (Auroch): +1 enhancement bonus to Strength with application of bull's strength spell; (Stench Kow): +1 enhancement bonus to Fortitude saves with application of bear's endurance spell; (Nightmare): +1 competence bonus to Hide skill checks with application of invisibility spell. All for 10 minutes.Time to Drink: 1 roundDirections:Take milk and mix in white vinegar in a small bowl. Stir and let stand for 5-10 minutes. Craft (cooking) DC 3; Caster Level: Not applicable; auroch milk: 3, bull's strength; stench kow milk: 3, bear's endurance; nightmare milk: 3, invisibility. Market Price: 5 cp; (auroch): 1 gp; (stench kow): 2 gp; (nightmare): 15 gp.Cook's Note: Works for any kind of milk. Assassin vine berry wine vinegar substituted for white vinegar raises the bonuses from the milk (no matter the kind) to +2, but seriously makes the drink bitter.Cocoa ButterSee Cocoa Liquor.Cocoa CakeSee Cocoa LiquorCook's Note: This substance, powdered, can be added to milk with powdered white sugar to produce a most intriguing drink that clears the head. I call it "cake drink". I think the king will heartily approve of this beverage.Cocoa LiquorTransmutationIngredients8 ounces of cacao beans (also known as cocoa beans); 2 ounces of dry sugar crystals; scraping of 1 vanilla bean.Liquor Effects: +5 feet to speed for 10 minutes. This is an enhancement bonus.Butter Effects: NoneCake Effects: +5 feet to speed for 5 minutes. This is an enhancement bonus.Directions:Layer mounds of cacao beans with palm fronds for a fortnight in the island heat. This is called fermenting.Lay dried beans on drying racks to further dry for a fortnight and maybe a sennight more until the white film that protects the bean sloughs off and the beans are fully dried. (These are the type of cocoa beans with which I start.)Roast cacao beans on a hardwood fire for 12 hours.Kibble the beans to make about 6-7 ounces of roasted cacao nibs.Fine grind the roasted cacao nibs. Pour into a bowl and set aside. Fine grind dry sugar crystals (white preferred). Add the scraping of one vanilla bean and grind with the sugar.Mix ground nibs and sugar mixture. Melt resulting mixture on peat fire. Pour off the liquid. The liquid forms two layers, a white surface layer and a brownish layer beneath. The white surface liquid is dipped off and set aside (this is cocoa butter), it melts easily so care should be taken to store it in a cool dry place. The remaining liquid is cocoa liquor. Any remaining solids (not poured off) are cocoa cake. Craft (cooking) DC 15; Caster Level: 2; Market Price: Not sold in the capitol, but I am thinking of offering the cocoa cake drinks for only 2 gp per mug.Cook's Note: For an interesting taste twist, try using a pillow plant for the fire. Finally, I got my first shipment of cacao beans from the islands. I still had to use Duke Pierson's merchant ships, so the savings were infinitesimal. I checked on my ship today, The Epicurious, it should be finished by spring.CreamCream is a by-product of making butter and can usually be found sold by the same farmer that provides milk, butter, and cheese at market. The white liquid atop churned butter is cream.Cook's Note: I now have a large assortment of creams available: Auroch, catoblepas, cow, goat, sheep, stench kow, and the newest one, nightmare. The royal vizier rages about me filling the capitol with demons. I tried to explain that it is no demon, but rather a different kind of creature entirely; but he insisted I was having congress with a demon lord. His majesty made him apologize, and rightly so. Demons are known to be untrustworthy; this creature, though fierce to anyone else; always follows my orders.Cream CheeseNone (Illusion or Transmutation)Ingredients4 mugs of milk; 2 pinches of sea salt, finely ground; 1/2 mug of buttermilk.Food Effects: (Auroch) +3 enhancement bonus to Strength with application of bull's strength spell; (Stench Kow) +2 enhancement bonus to Fortitude saves with application of bear's endurance spell; (Nightmare) +3 competence bonus to Hide skill checks with application of invisibility spell. All for 10 minutes.Directions:Place milk in a small pan and heat over low heat until it begins to bubble.Stir in sea salt and buttermilk. Pour milk mixture in a half gallon size jug and secure the lid tightly. Lay the jug on its side and allow to sit out at room temperature for 16-24 hours or until the milk has clabbered. When the milk has clabbered, it will be thick.Once the milk has clabbered, place cheesecloth (layered about 4 times) in a colander and strain the clabbered milk through it.Allow straining at room temperature for up to 8 hours. The longer it is allowed to strain, the thicker the cream cheese will be. The liquid strained out is whey; it can be reserved for another dish. Craft (cooking) DC 10; Caster Level: Not applicable; (auroch): 3, bull's strength; (stench kow): 3, bear's endurance; (nightmare): 3, invisibility; Market Price: 2 sp/pound; (auroch): 5 sp/pound; (stench kow): 1 gp/pound; (nightmare): 5 gp per pound.Cook's Note: Duke Pierson claimed aggrieved status with the king today. It seems one of his retainers has received credible death threats. He asked the king for permission to let the retainer, a Baron Erlitz, add a personal taster to his entourage. I tried to explain that the retainer was seated at a table that allowed for no extra room for an additional person to stand around; but the king assumed I meant making room for a seat for the taster, when I merely meant that the servers would be jostling such a person around trying to put the feast on the table. The king's table is different, extra room is allowed for tasters and guards. Retainers do not need such. But the king overruled me since no extra chair was needed. Maybe I can move the baron away from the dwarves to the other side of the hall in order to discomfit the ambassadors as little as possible. It will take a bit of jostling but I think we can survive this catastrophe. This meal needs to be a masterpiece from the forge starter appetizer, through the main course unto the nightmare milk chocolate mousse desert. I have hopes of a trade agreement that includes my recommendations to the king.CustardTransmutationIngredients1 1/2 gills heavy cream; 1 pegasus egg yoke; 15 sprinkles powdered white sugar; 3 sprinkles of sea salt, finely ground; 2 drops of vanilla extract.Serves: 4Food Effects: levitate for 5 minutes.Time to Eat: 5 minutesDirections:Heat cream in a 1-literjon kettle until hot. Whisk together yolks, sugar, and salt in a metal bowl until combined well, then add hot cream in a slow stream, whisking until combined. Transfer mixture to small pan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. Pour custard through a cheesecloth-lined colander into a bowl and stir in vanilla. Cast levitate on custard. Craft (cooking) DC 12; Caster Level: 3, levitate; (stench kow): 5, levitate plus nondetection; (catoblepas): 7, levitate plus death ward; Market Price: 150 gp; (stench kow): 155 gp; (catoblepas): 162 gp.Cook's Note: To vary the flavor, you can replace the vanilla extract with 1 ounce dwarven brandy (whisked into custard). Using any other type of egg doesn't hold the magic. Substituting stench kow heavy cream and casting nondetection on the custard adds nondetection for 1 hour to the effects. Substituting catoblepas heavy cream and casting death ward on the custard adds death ward for 5 minutes to the effects.Egg NogDivinationIngredients1 giant eagle egg, separated; 1 pouch of white sugar cubes, powdered, plus 1 handful also powdered; 2 mugs of goat milk; 1 mug of catoblepas heavy cream; 1 drip of whiskey; 1 handful of freshly grated nutmeg.Serves: 4Drink Effects: +4 enhancement bonus to all Spot checks.Time to Drink: 1 roundDirections:In a large wooden bowl beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved. Add the milk, cream, whiskey and nutmeg and stir to combine. This is the nog mixture.Place the egg whites in a large wooden bowl and beat to soft peaks. Still beating, gradually add the ground sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Whisk the egg whites mixture into the nog mixture. Cast arcane eye on mixture. Float mixture in a mountain stream for 10 minutes and serve (I now use chill metal on a cauldron filled with water on which the wooden bowl containing the mixture floats which takes less than a minute). Craft (cooking) DC 15; Caster Level: 7; Market Price: 125 gp per mug; nonmagical with heavy cream from a cow and 4 chicken eggs: 7 gp.Cook's Note: This is a dwarvish dessert/drink reserved for special occasions and feasts (though the nutmeg is my addition). Some dwarven clans substitute other alcoholic spirits. For the dwarven ambassadors, I plan to serve this after the trade talks are finished, as a celebratory drink. Catoblepas heavy cream and the giant eagle egg can be substituted but all magical effects are lost if either or both are substituted with anything I have tried. The taste is unaffected with any substitution.Heavy CreamNone (Illusion or Transmutation)Ingredients2/3 cup of milk; 1/3 cup melted butter.Drink Effects: Same as buttermilk.Directions:Mix milk and melted butter. Craft (cooking) DC 5; Market Price: Not sold, must make your own for about 3 sp.Cook's Note: Works with any type of milk.Nightmare Milk ChocolateIllusion and TransmutationIngredients1 mug of cocoa butter, 2 mugs of cocoa liquor, 1 pouch of powdered white sugar, 2 pouches of nightmare's milk, 1 achaierai eggServes: 8Food Effects: In addition to cocoa liquor effects (increased speed duration increased to 1 hour), nightmare milk chocolate provides translucence; the eater becomes almost see-through for 10 minutes. This garners the eater a +4 circumstance bonus to Hide checks for the duration.Time to Eat: 3 roundsDirections:Mix all ingredients on a large floured table. Fold and flatten mixture repeatedly until it forms a cocoa mass (about a sennight, I use teams of slaves in shifts). Place in large cauldron and heat on peat fire for a fortnight while vigorously and constantly stirring the mixture. This is called conching.Pour the final liquid into molds (the islanders use half-coconut shells as molds, I suggest a small pan (buttered to ease removal from the pan) because the resulting discs are easy to store as long as kept out of sunlight and relatively cool). Cast invisibility on the disc, this also makes the brown disc translucent. Cut the disc with 4 easy cuts into 8 wedges to serve. Craft (cooking) DC 25; Caster Level: 3; Market Price: Not usually sold, I will be offering some few in the market for only 1,000 gp per disc (nightmare milk); (cow milk and chicken eggs): 25 gp per disc.Cook's Note: Keeps for nearly a month before losing its transparency and turning white. Discard. Cow's milk and 4 chicken eggs can be substituted but the effects are then limited to only what the cocoa liquor provides. No other viable substitutions yet found.Nightmare Milk Chocolate MousseIllusion and TransmutationIngredients1 cup of custard; 1 7-ounce nightmare milk chocolate disc, quartered and chopped; 1 cup of stench kow whipped cream.Serves: 6Food Effects: In addition to the effects of nightmare milk chocolate, and cocoa liquor (transparency and speed duration increased to 1 hour) and any special custard, nightmare milk chocolate mousse makes the eater light on his feet for 1 hour (+4 circumstance bonus to Move Silently checks for 1 hour).Time to Eat: 5 minutesDirections:Melt chocolate in a metal bowl set in a kettle of simmering water, stirring frequently. Whisk custard into chocolate until smooth, then cool. Whisk one fourth of whipped cream into chocolate custard mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whipped cream gently but thoroughly.Spoon resulting mousse into metal bowl and cast chill metal on bowl (it is also possible to let it float in a cold stream for about 4 hours). Let stand at room temperature about 20 minutes, then cast silence on mousse before serving. Craft (cooking) DC 20. Caster Level: 5, silence; Market Price: 10 gp plus price of nightmare milk chocolate disc, stench kow whipped cream, and custard.Garnish: Top with lightly sweetened whipped cream, and sprinkle with crushed steel acorns (if the acorns are enchanted and are put on the dish before the duration runs out; this adds barkskin for 1 hour to the effects listed above).Cook's Note: After the fiasco during the main course I was forced to improvise with the dessert by adding crumbled mana wafers to the mixture to ensure the guests were fully fed by the shortened feast because the main course was ruined! Baron Erlitz will never again be allowed to attend any feast I prepare!Sour CreamTransmutationIngredients4 drams of buttermilk; 1 cup of heavy cream.Food Effects: (Auroch) +2 enhancement bonus to damage for 1 hour; (Catoblepas): +2 enhancement bonus to Fortitude saves for 1 hour; (Stench Kow): +2 enhancement bonus to Constitution for 1 hour.Directions:Add buttermilk and heavy cream stir. Auroch: cast bull's strength on mixture; catoblepas: cast death ward on mixture; stench kow: cast bear's endurance on mixture. Let set for 1 to 2 days. Craft (cooking) DC 3; Caster Level: Not applicable; (Auroch): 3, bull's strength; (Catoblepas): 7 death ward; (Stench Kow): 5, bear's endurance; Market Price:Cook's Note: Eric found a halfling farmer with a small herd of aurochs within a day's ride of the capitol. We have established a lucrative trade deal for milk, butter, cream, and even cheese.Sugar CrystalsSee Brown Sugar or White SugarVanilla ExtractIngredients2-gill Bottle or Jar; 7 Vanilla Beans; 2 gills of rye whiskey*.Directions:Slice each bean once long-ways and place in bottle.Pour one cup of whiskey into the bottle. Make sure vanilla beans are completely submerged.Shake once or twice a sennight.Wait about 4 fortnights. Presto, your alcohol has turned into delicious vanilla! Store out of direct sunlight. Craft (cooking or brewing) DC 5; Market Price: 30 gp plus cost of rye whiskey (15 gp per bottle, 90 gp per barrel, 200 gp per cask).Cook's Note: The islanders use a type of alcohol called rum, but the taste remains the same no matter the liquor. *Rye whiskey is only available here in the capitol, only one brewer sells the spirit as far as I can tell. It seems to be popular among the nobility.WheySee Cream Cheese above. Cook's Note: A popular dish with dairy farmers is curds and whey, or watery cream cheese. Whey has the exact same effects as the cream cheese.Whipped CreamNecromancy or TransmutationIngredients1 cup of heavy cream; 2 ounces of powdered white sugar (lightly sweetened: 1 ounce).Food Effects: None; (Auroch): +1 enhancement bonus to attacks for 20 minutes; (Catoblepas): +1 enhancement bonus to saves versus poison for 20 minutes; (Nightmare): +1 enhancement bonus to saves versus mind-affecting effects for 20 minutes; (Stench Kow): +1 enhancement bonus versus necromantic effects for 20 minutes.Directions:Take cream and stir in sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Craft (cooking) DC 8; Caster Level: Not applicable; (Auroch): 1, bull's strength; (Catoblepas): 3, slow poison; (Nightmare): 1, resistance; (Stench Kow): 1, resistance; Market Price: 1 gp, (Auroch): 25 gp; (Catoblepas): 50 gp; (Nightmare): 300 gp; (Stench Kow): 35 gp.White SugarIngredientsBrown sugar, water, white sugar crystals.Directions:Making white sugar is a little more intensive and complex, and requires drawing off the brown colored molasses that surrounds the sugar crystals. This can be done by preparing a saturated solution of brown sugar in water (and adding some white sugar crystals to seed crystallization). Over time, these crystals will grow as the pure sugar crystallizes out of the brown sugar solution. These cubes of sugar can then be powdered to yield white sugar. Craft (cooking) DC 12; Market Price: 15 gp per pound.Cook's Note: I am still experimenting with both types of sugar. So sweet that it makes ale and mead taste bitter. </blockquote>

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