Recipes From Aeliode Skyr (Ostmen) The humans of the Ostmen Islands not usually have much access to much milk Life in their forest settlements has made it difficult to raise more than a few goats However, when their herds produce an unusually large amount, many farmers make a few batches of this cheese like meal to take advantage of their good fortune Sometimes wild berries will be thrown and this is severed as a dessert for important feasts On some occations, batches of Skyr will be made to be taken on long seafaring voyages Typically the skyr is stored wraped in cheese cloth and upon the mast of the longship The cool air keeps the skyr fresh for months and it is a welcome addition to the standard meal at sea Skyr is a common gift given between lovers when one sets sail Ingredients: • gallon non-fat milk • 5.5 ounce container of yogurt with live cultures ã drops liquid animal rennet ã ẳ cup warm water Before making your Skyr thoroughly sanitize all your equipment by rinsing them in boiling water or running through a washing machine Over a medium high burner, bring milk up to just below scalding Use a thermometer to ensure it reaches 185-190 degrees Fahrenheit(85 Celsius) This should take about 15 to 20 minutes A small amount of scalding is ok if it occurs Once the milk reaches the scalding point, take if off the burner immediately and allow to cool to 110 degree Fahrenheit (43 Celcius) Combine one cup of this cooled milk with the yogurt and then pour the mixture back into the pot of milk Stir to incorporate Whisk the rennet into the water and then immediately add to the pot of milk Cover the pot with a thick towel and keep in a warm, draft free place for 12 hours Spoon the solidified curds into a double layer of cheesecloth or a fine mesh sieve Hang the bag over a bowl to catch the liquid dripping from the curds Store in a cool place and let the curds drain until the Skyr is thick Ortelan (Chandegar) This delicacy from the Rigian Wastes is the specialty dish prepared at the Gilded Peacock in the city of Chandegar Many visit this inn to dine on this dish if they find themselves in the city It is said that eating Ortelan is an experience rivaled by few others in the cuisine of the Avitian Empire, though the eating of the bird entails a bit of ritual First the whole bird is placed in the mouth so that its head is held between the diner’s lips The head is then bit off and, over the next fifteen minutes, the bird is consumed bones and all It is said that the entire life of the bird can be tasted when eaten; the salt air from the Tumolic Ocean, the wheat fields from north of Chandegar The taste of the fat sliding down ones throat is punctuated by bursts of Armagnac that fill the birds lungs and stomach The taste of the Ortelan can only be compared to the beauty of the birds song As this dish has so exquisite of a taste and necessitates the destruction of a beautiful bird, consuming an Ortelan is considered an act that must be hidden from the sight of the goddess Allamar The birds are generally consumed under brightly colored cloth over the diner’s table Upon this cloth ornate scenes are sewn in with vibrant colors This cloth is said to distract the gaze of Allamar for the consumption occurring beneath While most Avitians publically denouce the practice of cooking and serving Ortelan, many of these naysayers will still be found dining upon this dish when their travels lead them to Chandegar Ingredients: • One live Ortelan • ounces of Armagnac Catch an Ortelan.Blind the bird or keep it in a lightless box Feed it for a month on large amounts of millet, grapes, and figs Once the bird reaches four times its normal size, drown it in a cup of Armagnac Remove the feathers Roast in a high temperature oven for six to eight minutes Serve 73