Spock's Pickled Brain

For another meal fit for a Mandalorian, here's a meal with something spicy, earthy, and sweetness. Perfect for May the Fourth or really any day you want to dine in a galaxy far away.  Most of this meal was made using recipes from the Galaxy's Edge: Official Black Spire Cookbook, which sadly I cannot share here with any specificity. But if you're looking for Star Wars-inspired cuisine that's more than just making hot dogs and French fries into TIE fighters it's a pretty good read that'd I recommend picking up.   1. Main course: Mandalorian Stew The Mandalorians are known for their hard-bitten demeanor, strong honor code, and ambitions towards self-improvement and advancement. So it's not surprising that their particular brand of cuisine is challenging and spicy. The main ingredients are chicken, couscous, and purple potatoes, well-spiced and balanced with some sweeter elements like apple and carrots. Sounds a bit strange but it is delicious.  2. Appetizer :...

To finish our watching of The Mandalorian season 2 in style, Starbat and I decided to make a foray into the world of adventurous cookery. Armed with a copy of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge The Official Black Spire Cookbook and some of our own ideas, we put together a meal fit for an Outer Rim cantina.  So I don't know if you all have seen these, but as a kid my attention was caught by some Star Wars themed cookbooks. I've never been much a chef or baker, but I was lured by the theming. Unfortunately most of the recipes here aren't terribly inventive, fine for introducing kids to the culinary arts but not really things I would see being at home in the Star Wars universe.  So I was happy to pick up this most recent cookbook, which has a lot of interesting recipes with some clever twists and accessible to various skill levels. We tried two of these recipes out. The Tatooine Terrine went swimmingly and the Polystarch Bread not so much. I think I can fiddle with my methods to ma...

The Skybax Flying high among the clouds, some of the most daring humans of Dinotopia accomplish feats of endurance and skill thanks to their bond with their Skybax companions. In Canyon City one might imagine the cadets celebrating their successes with a cocktail like this. The citrus, bitters, and burn of the ingredients are complemented with the sweetness of the whipped cream. With such a dreamy concoction, the sky is no longer the limit. Ingredients: 1.5oz tequila 1oz blue curacao 0.25-0.5oz sambuca Whipped cream Longevus Elixir Dinotopians enjoy lengthened life due to their daily imbibement of the herb Arctium longevus . Although usually drunk as a tea, newly shipwrecked adventurers may find some comfort in combining some of their treasured rum stores with a few Dinotopian ingredients. Careful though, the elixir is quite strong for those without the constitution of a stegosaurus. Ingredients: 1.5oz spiced rum 1.5oz applejack 0.5oz goldschlaeger or similar cinn...

Welcome to the bar in one of science fiction's most colorful genres! Arrakeen Refresher Water may be life, but this tall drink of alcohol is a salve for the soul after you've been roasting in the desert all day. And after you've had a couple of these, does bloody revenge and a messiah complex really matter? Ingredients: 2oz whiskey 1.5oz pineapple ginger nectar 1oz mango juice .5oz lime juice 3 drops yellow sriracha 2 large basil leaves 1 egg white Directions: Rip the basil leaves into large chunks, bruising them gently. Shake with the egg white until very frothy. Add the rest of the ingredients and shake until frothy again. Pour over ice and garnish with another basil leaf. Orchids of Tau Ceti Whether you're frolicking with Barbarella, surviving grendels with Niven and Pournelle's colonists, or battling the Death Busters with Sailor Moon, Tau Ceti seems to be the place to be in science fiction. And if you're going to be e...

The Lich King Dark, thick, and sweet, but hiding fangs beneath its beauty. Everything the dark side should be. The recipe for this cocktail was rediscovered in an ancient tome by Starbat. One must have great fortitude to withstand the double hit of this concoction's tequila and moonshine. The unearthly color and sweetness of the hibiscus syrup and blue curacao are countered with the edge from the ginger lime shrub. The final bit of sorcery is inflicted by the mango habanero sugar rim, a parting shot of a potent mixture. 0.5oz hibiscus syrup 0.5oz blue curacao 1oz silver tequila 1 oz Moonshine 0.25 tsp ginger lime shrub Mango Habanero sugar to rim the glass Instructions: Once you have all the ingredients (see below for pointers on the weirder ingredients), it's really just a matter of sugaring the rim, adding all the other ingredients, and packing in as much ice as possible (for this cocktail, the cold is key to counteract the sweetness of the syrup and complem...

Blood of the Hogfather A good cocktail to sip on Christmas Eve, or Hogswatch, or whatever winter holiday comes to mind. The base of this drink is the juniper, head-clearing flavor of gin. In it swirls the holiday sweetness of lingonberry concentrate, the spice of ginger liqueur, and the underlying herbal depth of Amaro. A little bit of lemon juice counters the sweetness without changing much else. 1.5oz gin 1oz lingonberry or cranberry concentrate 0.5oz ginger liqueur 0.25oz Amaro or other mild herbal liqueur 2 dashes of lemon juice In a cocktail shaker, add ice, gin, lingonberry concentrate, ginger liqueur, and Amaro. Shake for about ten seconds and pour into an old-fashioned glass. Add two dashes of lemon juice, stir twice, and give praise to the Hogfather! Jack Frost Chilly, mischievous and good-natured, this concoction will have you dreaming of cool winter nights. Starbat created this by toying with the Draught of Living Death recipe. It's basically an ice cream flo...

Gillywater Like most drinks mentioned in Harry Potter, many people have developed their own versions of the Gillywater. Starbat made this version, which definitely hits you in the teeth. The cucumber vodka and coconut rum meld two delicate flavors, and the gin adds some herbal edge. Hopefully Professor McGonagall would approve. 0.75oz cucumber vodka 0.75oz coconut rum 1.5oz gin Thinly sliced cucumbers Combine cucumber vodka, coconut vodka, and gin in a shaker with ice. Strain out ice and pour over sliced cucumbers in a old-fashioned glass. If you want to get fancy, serve with ice made in a sphere mold. Draught of Living Death Although this potion won't send you into a deathless slumber, it is certainly a cool and powerful libation. This drink was invented by Starbat, it's main herbal notes consisting of subtle damiana, calming lavender, and refreshing mint. The smoothness of the gold tequila deepens each of these flavors and gives the drink it's tr...

Tatooine Sunrise A long day’s work fixing moisture vaporators and fending off Tusken raiders on a desert planet like Tatooine is bound to create a powerful thirst. Blue milk’s a fine thing for a young hero, but you might need something more refreshing. Gin’s long been a classic choice for a hot day, with light, botanical flavors. Lime juice and the bitter lemon soda give it bite and sparkle, and the grenadine provides a little sweetness and a dash of that sunset hue. And with two suns setting over the Dune Sea, it’s only natural to finish it with a garnish of two maraschino cherries. 1.5oz gin 0.25oz lemon or lime juice 0.25oz grenadine 3oz of bitter lemon soda 2 maraschino cherries To an ice-filled glass, add the gin and lime juice. I think it looks better in a highball glass, but we don't have any unadorned ones. Top the drink with bitter lemon soda, and then drizzle the grenadine on the back of a spoon so that the grenadine creates a layer at the bottom....