Wood Elf Forest Salad

Join me as I make Wood Elf Forest Salad from Heroes’ Feast: The Official D&D Cookbook for the first time! Heroes’ Feast: The Official D&D Cookbook by Kyle Newman, Jon Peterson, and Michael Witwer and published by Ten Speed Press on October 27, 2020. You can buy a copy here: https://amzn.to/3GMAlXF

Wood Elf Forest Salad

This colorful, flower-infused wild-leaf medley with vibrant citrus accents is a quintessential salad of the Kagonesti elves of Krynn. These ancient elves harbor a deep reverence for nature and a refined, almost instinctual, tongue when it comes to culinary combinations. Sometimes called “chopforest” among the wood elves of Toril and Oerth, this bountiful, verdant mix is brimming with sharp accents and crisp textures that almost magically share the palate with the subtler foraged flavors at play. It’s as much a visual trip through Ansaloin’s western woods, from the forest floor all the way to the highest-reaching branches, as it is an edible one.

Serves 4 to 6

1 orange
1 lemon
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small shallot, finely chopped
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved, and very thinly sliced
½ small head radicchio, thinly slicedL long strands cut in half, if necessary
1 bundle fresh chives, chopped (about ¾ cup), or fresh dill
Edible flowers, such as nasturtiums or pansies, for sprinkling (optional)

Finely grate 1 teaspoon of zest from both the orange and the lemon. Transfer the zest to a large salad bowl. Squeeze 2 teaspoons of juice from the lemon and add it to the bowl along with the vinegar, honey, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste and whisk to combine. Add the shallot and set aside for the flavors to blend, about 10 minutes.

While whisking vigorously, add the olive oil to the bowl in a slow, steady stream to combine and emulsify the dressing. Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Add the brussels sprouts, toss to coat with the dressing, and set aside for them to begin to soften, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel the orange, trim away any residual bits of pith, thinly slice the fruit, and cut the slices into quarters.

Add the radicchio and the chives to the sprouts, toss to combine. Add the orange pieces and toss lightly to distribute. Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Sprinkle the edible flowers (if using) over the salad and serve.

Transcript

Cold Open

I could not find any edible flowers, so it’s not as pretty as the picture.

Intro

Today I am making Wood Elf Forest Salad from Heroes’ Feast: The Official D&D Cookbook. If you have made this recipe, share your thoughts in the comments below!

Discussion

I had to make a substitution due to not being able to find radicchio, but I was told that Romaine lettuce was a good option as any to replace it, so that is the direction I went. I collected the ingredients initially with one orange, one lemon, one tablespoon cider vinegar, one tablespoon honey, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, one small shallot, finely chopped, one-fourth cup extra-virgin olive oil, one pound brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved, and very thinly sliced, one-half small head radicchio, again, romaine lettuce, thinly sliced;long strands cut in half, if necessary, one bundle fresh chives, chopped (about ¾ cup), or fresh dill, and edible flowers, such as nasturtiums or pansies, for sprinkling (optional); again, I didn’t have any.

I began by grating the lemon and orange zest into the large salad bowl. This took longer than I expected due to using a tiny toy like grater. Next I cut the lemon in half, and squeezed the lemon juice into the zest. Make sure you remember to remove any seeds that may drop into the bowl! Add the vinegar, honey, and season to taste as you whisk the ingredients together. Finely cut the shallot and add it to the mix, blending it in and allowing it to set for about ten minutes.

Next add the olive oil while vigorously whisking to emulsify the dressing. Cut the brussel sprouts in half and finely slice them, adding the whole pound of them to the mix. When complete, toss the salad together to cover the sprouts, and let them soften for thirty minutes. While that is softening, peel your orange, and cut each piece into fours. Set them aside and chop your chives, then I chopped my romaine lettuce, making sure the pieces were small strips rather than big lettuce chunks.

When the sprouts softened, I added the chives and lettuce, and mixed it all thoroughly together, I added the orange pieces last, and served it to my wife. The sprouts were a bit bitter, so we will add more orange slices and blueberries or cranberries to the salad for sweetness. I am not sure I will ever try this again, but seeing as it was the last Dragonlance recipe in Heroes’ Feast, I am happy to have made it.