When I first read this recipe in Game of Scones by Jammy Lannister, I was seriously confused by the British jargon, ingredients and baking styles used to create a Brienne of Tart. So I decided to make my own tart inspired by this recipe title. What kind of tart pie would Brienne be? The answer came quickly: rhubarb.
What? Maybe I unconsciously thought of rhubarb because the previous day I had eaten an 18 course meal at Blue Hill Farms where about 7 courses included rhubarb. But I knew I consciously thought of rhubarb because it was a strong vegetable, bitter and tart when it was raw but sweet and delicious when cooked.
I asked my good friend, a Game of Thrones expert, how he would describe Brienne of Tarth as a fruit or pie filling. His response (before I told him what I thought): rhubarb. So it was written; Lady Brienne of House Rhubarb was born.
Photo by Kirby Barth
So what is rhubarb? It is a long, stalk-like vegetable – it’s very similar to celery, but red in color, longer, and has a much more bitter/tart taste (Sounds just like Brienne of Tarth, right?). If you’ve never heard of it or think it’s strange to eat a pie made of this exotic vegetable, you’re not alone. When I purchased the 2 pounds of rhubarb necessary for this recipe, the cashier gave me a look and said, “Rhubarb?”
Yes sir, rhubarb.
You’re not supposed to eat it raw, but I gave it a taste anyway (for research). It tasted like a very sour and very crunchy apple, a similar consistency to celery but without the stringy parts. I did not take a second bite. Instead, I hurriedly continued with the recipe to smother this rhubarb in sugar and cook it down to a pie filling.
I think this is one of the easier Game of Thrones recipes, and will probably be especially easy for the seasoned pie maker. So preheat your oven and get ready to serve your Lady Brienne by making this tasty rhubarb tart. If you’re creeped out by rhubarb, don’t be. In the end you’ll think you’re eating an apple pie.
Not feeling rhubarb? Try our other Game of Thrones recipes!
- Iron Scone
- Khaleesi’s dragon eggs
- Smash in Oberyn’s Head Yourself
- 3-Eyed Raven Pies
- Bran Muffins
- Tyrion Lannister Shortbread Cookies
Brienne of Tart
Ingredients
Instructions
Defrost puff pastry.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Roll out one puff pastry sheet and place into a round baking tin (pie tin).
Cover puff pastry with tinfoil and lay uncooked beans onto the foil to weigh it down (We do this so the bottom crust doesn’t rise too much in the oven. I used uncooked lentils because I didn’t have beans which worked just as well).
Bake for about 15 minutes or just until crispy.
Combine sugar, water, cinnamon and nutmeg and lemon juice into a saucepan and cook on medium heat until sugar dissolves and the liquid boils.
Cut off both ends of each stalk of rhubarb and chop into ½ inch pieces.
Add rhubarb to the saucepan and bring back to a boil.
Lower heat to medium-low and cover for about 5 minutes or until rhubarb is soft (Note: Don’t overcook it! The rhubarb will fall apart to little pieces and you won’t get to enjoy the soft crunch of a nice piece of rhubarb in your tart. I made this mistake. Don’t be like me).
Allow it to cool.
On the second sheet of puff pastry, use the gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut out the shape of Brienne. However, she is Lady Brienne, not Gingerbreadman Brienne, so use your fingers to seal the legs together and use a knife to cut out a skirt (I know she wears pants in the show, but she also has that long armor suit thing that looks like a skirt).
Use the knife to cut out a sword for Brienne as well.
Using a slotted spoon so not all of the juice is transferred to the tart, take the cooked rhubarb from the saucepan and into the cooked tart pastry.
Place Brienne on top of the rhubarb and place her sword accordingly.
Put the tart back in the oven and broil for about 10 minutes until Brienne becomes crispy.
Optional decorations: Make chocolate covered pretzel sticks to line the edges of Brienne of Tart. It makes her look more intimidating than she already is.