"[W]e seldom had enough coin to buy anything . . . well, except for a sausage now and again, or honeyfingers...do they have honeyfingers in the Seven Kingdoms, the kind they bake in Tyrosh?" —A Game of Thrones
Roman Honeyfingers
This recipe is a curiosity. The honeyfingers fry to a crispy crunch on the outside while remaining a bit chewy on the inside. The pieces are easy to cut into shapes, and could probably even be rolled into logs. The flavor is really all about the honey, but the pepper and cinnamon on top, as well as the pine nuts, add a slight complexity.
piper, nucleos, mel, rutam et passum teres, cum lacte et tracta coques. coagulum coque cum modicis ovis...ita ut durissimam pultem facias, deinde in patellam expandis. cum refrixerit, concidis quasi dulcia et frigis in oleo optimo. levas, perfundis mel, piper aspargis et inferes. melius feceris, si lac pro aqua miseris. —Apicus, 4th Century
Recipe information
Total Time
35 minutes
Yield
30 to 40 honeyfingers
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
In a medium saucepan, whisk the 2/3 cup flour a little at a time into the cold milk so that there are no lumps. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and the sherry, and cook on medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until a thick porridge forms. Remove the pan from the heat and continue to stir briskly to cool the mixture.
Step 2
When the porridge is lukewarm, add the egg and stir briskly until it is blended. Stir in the pine nuts and a dash of cinnamon and pepper. Stir in the remaining 3/4 cup flour to make a dough that is sticky but can still be handled.
Step 3
On a floured board with floured hands, press the dough out to a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle; cut it into finger-size strips.
Step 4
Cover the bottom of a frying pan with a layer of olive oil about 1/2 inch deep. Heat the oil and fry the strips of dough until they are golden brown and crispy. Remove the fried strips to a plate covered with paper towels to drain. Dip them in honey and sprinkle them with cinnamon and pine nuts.
