Concerning Hobbits and Apfelkuchen

I am completely in love with the Lord of the Rings (books, movies, mythology, geeky merchandise--I love it all), but my dear boyfriend, codename: Pierogi, had never seen the movies. So, over the summer we watched the Fellowship and Two Towers. In an ideal world, we would have watched all three movies over one weekend, while eating exclusively food mentioned or eaten in the movies. However, not everyone has my stamina or enthusiasm. So, for my birthday (which is on Thursday), we decided to celebrate by (finally) watching the Return of the King and spending an entire day eating like Hobbits.

There is something completely wholesome about Hobbits. They are content with the details of their little lives, and unconcerned with the big world, which has always managed to keep existing without their help so far. As long as one is comfortable, well-fed, and has a few nice things to look at or play with, they see no reason to look for adventure or confrontation. In the introduction to The Fellowship of the Ring, Tolkien writes that Hobbits are now rarely, but that their favorite places are in the "well-ordered and well-farmed countryside," where life moves slower and they are less likely to encounter loud and unpleasant machinery. In many ways, they could easily be the poster-species for the modern slow food and back-to-the-land movements. Though not pretty, hobbits have good-natured appearances, their faces being designed for laughing, eating and drinking: "And laugh they did, and eat, and drink, often and heartily, being fond of simple jests at all times, and of six meals a day (when they could get them)."

The six meals a day part was the biggest challenge of our day of Hobbit food. By checking out this list of foods in the books and movies, remembering a few things of my own, and using my imagination, it was easy to think of several days worth of Hobbit food, but we had to keep it down to 5 (we couldn't handle 6) meals, and somehow find time to eat those 5 without exploding. So, here's what we did...



Breakfast
Coffee and tea
hot, fresh biscuits
Sausage, mushroom and onion scramble

We didn't actually wake up on Saturday until after 9, so breakfast was later than I think a Hobbit would approve of, especially considering how it effected the rest of our schedule. We didn't eat Elevensies (not pictured--more tea, biscuits, jam, pumpkin butter) until around 1! And that in turn pushed lunch back until 3...

Lunch

Beef Stew
No-knead bread
Hard Cider

Tea was not eaten at a respectable teatime, but rather at about 5:30, because after beef stew we really needed time to recover.








Tea/Dinner
Chicken salad with cranberries and pecans
Hard Boiled Egg
Fontina Cheese
Hard Cider

We didn't eat supper until well after dark, probably around 8 or 9. We had finally recovered enough by this point that the thought of further food was no longer repulsive.

Supper
Roast Chicken
Roast Potatoes and Onions
Mushrooms stuffed with sausage
Buttered Bread
Red Wine (not pictured)

And now, the finish line was in sight. Just one meal more: dessert!

For my first birthday cake, I made myself an applecake, as this seemed an appropriately rustic, earthy, Hobbity option. I used a recipe from the Southern Heritage Cakes Cookbook for "Nobby" Apple Cake, whatever that means, but I oomphed up the spices a bit. I also added around 2 tablespoons of milk, since my batter came out pretty dry, but that may have been a measuring error, so it is not included in the recipe. It was great! Sweet, dense, spicy--exactly what I wanted.

Nobby Apple Cake
3 T butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup plus 2 T all-purpose flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
3/4 t ground nutmeg
1 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t garam masala (optional)
1 t vanilla extract
3 cups peeled, diced apples
1/4 c chopped pecans

Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg, beating well.

Combine 3/4 cup flour, baking powder, salt, and spices; add to creamed mixture, beating on low just until blended. Stir in vanilla (batter will be thick, add milk if necessary). Dredge apples and pecans in remaining 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, then fold into batter.

Spoon into a greased and floured cake pan or 8-in square baking pan (I used a spring form). Bake at 350 degrees for 45 - 50 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

I served mine with lightly sweetened whipped cream that I jazzed up with a splash of vanilla and dash of cinnamon.

Happy eating!