Chelsea Monroe-Cassel - World of Warcraft: The Official Cookbook

The difficulty with creating real recipes for fictional dishes lies in the world- building. Sometimes a world is not rich enoughnot fully imagined enoughto provide adequate details about the foods. In those cases, a stew is just a stew, and bread is just plain old boring bread, no matter how sustaining.

But then there are fictional realms that are so inventive, so creative and unique, that they are instantly immersive. The world of Warcraft is just such a place, where fish both common and rare can be caught in countless bodies of water, where the farmers of Pandaria battle virmen that threaten their crops of enormous vegetables, and where an unusually high number of nonplayer characters need help collecting ingredients for recipes both delicious and dodgy.

And while a lack of details can prove problematic, so too can having such a wealth of them. Cooking mythological creatures is all well and good when sitting in front of a computer, but when it comes to bringing that recipe to life in the kitchen? Well... lets just say it can get complicated.

In creating this cookbook, Ive tried to keep things relatively simple while staying as true as possible to the dishes and recipes within the game. I hope youll find some of your old favorites-and perhaps discover a few new ones, too.

Heres hoping you all stay Well Fed on your journey through this book!

CHELSEA MONROE-CASSEL

The trick to cooking Azerothian cuisine is learning to build a proper cooking fire. Start with some kindling and twigs and then... What?

Oh. You want to cook these dishes in your oven at home? Well, I suppose thats reasonable. More than reasonable, really, given that these recipes started as items in a game; its only natural that some amount of adjustment was bound to happen during their transformation into real food. In that case, just swing by your local market for some fresh Chimaerok Chops, then take your giant wheelbarrow to the Auction House for a Juicycrunch Carrot, so you can... Why are you looking at me like that?

Wait. What do you mean there are no chimaeroks in your world? Seriously, why did you even buy this cookbook if the recipes all rely on ingredients that are imaginary?

Dont worry. The very reason that you can already imagine what these fictional dishes taste like is because the foods of Azeroth have a basis in our own reality. Just because we are using nonimaginary ingredients and a modern kitchen doesnt mean we have to settle for anything less than delicious cuisine that evokes the aesthetic of World of Warcraft . The right spices, peppers, salts, vegetables, and meat can make the difference between a dish that leaves a lot to be imagined and one that just might convince you that youre on the plains of Mulgore after all. If you have access to game meat, great! Want the Lukewarm Yak Roast Broth to taste more unique? Go for some bison meat. New recipes are a perfect excuse to try something youve never had before, so go on a quest through your local market.

Despite the impressive globalization of foodstuffs in the modern world, good spices remain one of those items that have retained just a hint of the exotic. Nothing beats a whiff of warm fresh cinnamon or the cool peppery bite of juniper berry. Spices have been treasured throughout the ages, and that connection with history remains with them, giving dishes a richer feeling of authenticity. Dont be a kitchen noob. Level up your seasoning collection: If youve been hoarding the same bottle of ground cinnamon for the last decade, its probably time to bin it in favor of some fresh stuff. Experiment with interesting new peppers or various types of salt. Its an adventure that will likely end with some really tasty foods.

In this day and age, many of us either struggle with our own dietary restrictions and sensitivities or cook for someone who does. As I am not proficient in cooking with such restrictions, I suspect that, in many of these cases, you will know more about the subject than I ever could.

In the back of this book is a helpful list of all the recipes covered, organized into sections for vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free cooking. In addition, a number of recipes are marked to indicate that, with a few small changes, they can be made to fit one of those categories. Here are a few guidelines to help you customize the recipes in this book into something you can enjoy worry-free.

While there are many recipes in this book suited to a vegetarian lifestyle, there are also a number that can be adapted for a vegetarian diet.

Depending on the recipe, the change might be as simple as swapping the chicken broth for a vegetable- or mushroom-based broth. Love the sound of a sauce thats meant to go over a piece of meat? Pour it over your favorite meat-substitute or grilled vegetables instead.

A wide array of gluten-free flour mixes is commercially available both online and in many grocery shops, and these have been exhaustively tested to perform as well as possible in both baking and cooking. Here are some basic guidelines:

Breads: These can be among the trickiest recipes to adapt for a GF lifestyle. Generally, I would recommend adding what makes the loaf unique to your favorite GF bread recipe, as with the recipes for Mulgore Spice Bread and Kaldorei Pine Nut Bread. Or, in the case of Soft Banana Bread or Sweet Potato Bread, try substituting a one-to-one GF flour for the regular versions in the recipes.

Thickening: If a small amount of flour is included in a recipe as a thickening agent, try substituting cornstarch, rice flour, or your favorite GF flour mix.

Above all, dont be afraid to experiment. Even if you dont need to change anything for a dietary concern, feel free to toy with the ingredients lists. The best recipe in the world is still just a starting point, so adapt to your own tastes and inspirations. Play, eat, enjoy!

To master the fusions of flavors, an adventurer must have dedication, patience, and the willingness to try unusual recipes. Undertake the following to become a Master Cook.

Level up by making 5 dishes from each path. Start out with an apprentice-level recipe and work your way up to the master-level recipes.

1) Make 5 from each: