In the Details: Events - Highland Hearthglow, 2026
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| Yours Truly - Photo by Baroness Sinn Larensdotter |
مرحباً (Marhaban) (Welcome!) I wanted to start documenting the events I attend for my blog. However, I wanted to take a slightly different approach, which led me to "In the Details." I will use these posts to highlight positive, unique, and downright brilliant aspects of events I attend, in hopes that other events might benefit from them.
On Saturday, January 24th, I forgot my vows and bedecked myself in silks and shining brocade for the immense pleasure of joining our Atlantian cousins from the Barony of Highland Foorde for their Highland Hearthglow event at Thorpewood Lodge in Thurmont, Maryland. This is an immersive feasting event that centers on a particular culture, and it is in its second year, which is inconceivable since it would seem they have been doing this for decades.
This year's event centered on the Golden Age of al-Andalus in the city of Córdoba around 900 CE, focusing on the cross-cultural foodways, fashion, music, and poetry of the time and region.
The Details:
Details Any Event Could (and Should!) Adopt:
Salt Cellars and Serving Utensils: This is a simple one, but it might require some initial investment. I think the salt cellars are self-explanatory, but there's always that one dish everyone agrees needs more salt. Plus, salt cellars are period. These could be as inexpensive as Dollar Tree mise en place bowls (4 for $1,25) and some of those little dessert spoons, or fancier versions like the footed brass versions at Hearthglow with their little matching spoons. Asian grocers often have a variety of small dishes for sauces, which can serve as inexpensive, decorative salt cellars.
As for serving utensils, that sounds like a no-brainer, but I have been to feasts where bowls of various sauces and other messy dishes were passed with no serving utensils. Everyone at the table has a clean utensil or two at the beginning of the feast, but once they start eating, that goes out the door. At a recent feast, I dug out plastic sporks from KFC that I had stashed at the bottom of my feast basket so we would have something clean to serve our table's food. Thrift stores often have boxes of metal serving utensils. You could also encourage your local group members to declutter their kitchen drawers and donate any spare serving utensils for feast use.
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شيراز لبان shīrāz labān (Yogurt in the style of Shīrāz) Fresh cheese with Capers, Preserved Lemons, Olives, Green Onions, and Semolina Flatbreads - Photo by Baroness Sinn Larensdottir |
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ورن يهودي محشو و مدفون lawn yahūdī maḥshū maḍfūn (A Stuffed, Buried Jewish Dish) One of a handful of dishes specifically described as “Jewish” Spiced Rose Chicken Casserole layered with Omelets and topped with Pine Nuts, Pistachios & Fresh Mint - Photo by Baroness Sinn Larensdottir |
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حم راهبي laḥm rāhibī (Christian Monk’s Dish of Beef) Beef served in the style of the Christians Oven-Roasted Beef Brisket in a Fragrant Sweet & Sour Sauce (see end of post for details from the event/feast steward) - photo by Baroness Sinn Larensdottir |
Printed Menus on the Table: This is simple and a nice touch. Hearthglow had large, beautiful menus that were copies of a scribal original in Arabic with English translations of each dish. They were printed on large paper and placed strategically so that a few diners could share a menu. This is such an easy fix to the all too common "I have no idea what this is, but it tastes good" conundrum that seems to happen at every feast. If there are servers, sometimes tables don't hear what they're serving. Sometimes the server, for no fault of their own, is a last-minute volunteer and also has no idea what they are serving. If you cooked it, you might think it's obvious which dish is which, but that isn't necessarily true for your guests. Some guests arrive not even knowing what is being served, others might be looking to avoid dishes with meat, gluten, or allergens, and it may not be obvious what is what. Simple menus at the table make it easy for your guests to know what they are eating with every course. Beautiful menus like those at Hearthglow are a great way for Event Stewards and Feast Stewards to involve their A&S community in their creation.
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| Photo by Baroness Sinn Larensdotter |
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| Photo by Baroness Sinn Larensdotter |
Details that are Nice IF They Are Possible:
Firelight: Hearthglow had lovely details, but there was not an excess of decoration. Granted, Thorpewood is already a beautiful venue, but the glow of dozens of beeswax tapers and the blazing fire in the hearth made it infinitely more beautiful. It's one of the many details that made this event feel so immersive. Of course, more often than not, events do not allow candles (which is understandable). Earlier this year, I went to a tavern event in the East Kingdom where the host shire brought in as many battery operated candles/lanters, etc. that they could find and also encouraged guests to bring their own. There was tape and sharpies at troll in case anyone needed to label theirs should they accidentally leave it behind. This was a modern solution that still looked far more beautiful than the harsh overhead lights and really enhanced the event's atmosphere. Also, flameless candles have come a very long way!
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| Photo by Baroness Sinn Larensdotter |
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| Photo by Baroness Sinn Larensdotter |
Event Photography and Guest Portraits: Hearthglow had a dedicated event photographer. This, of course, depends on your group having someone willing and able to fill the role. This allowed Hearthglow guests to ensure they would have photographic memories of the event (and themselves) to access afterward. There was a beautiful Andalusian fountain garden set up for portrait photography, and all guests were welcome to have their portraits taken if they chose. This also added to the atmosphere of the event as it kept guests off their devices and in the moment. The Kingdom of An Tir recently had a photographer take portraits of attendees at their recent Twelfth Night. They were posed on a chair with great lighting and a black background for a dramatic effect, like a Renaissance painting. The results were stunning.
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| Photo by Baroness Sinn Larensdotter |
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| Photo by Baroness Sinn Larensdotter |
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| Photo by Baroness Sinn Larensdotter |
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| Photo by Baroness Sinn Larensdotter |
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| Photo by Baroness Sinn Larensdotter |
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| Photo by Baroness Sinn Larensdotter |
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| Photo by Baroness Sinn Larensdotter |
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| Photo by Baroness Sinn Larensdotter |
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| Photo by Baroness Sinn Larensdotter |
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| Photo by Baroness Sinn Larensdotter |
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| Photo by Baroness Sinn Larensdotter |
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| Photo by Baroness Sinn Larensdotter |
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| Photo by Baroness Sinn Larensdotter |
pax et bonum,
Brother Valentine
Highland Hearthglow featured a robust website and lecture series to serve as a cultural primer for al-Andalus and to bring guests into the culture long before the event began. Noble Scandal mac Rofir shared research and recipes for all of the feasts courses and generously allowed me to post one here. It was a difficult decision deciding which to include, but since I did everything short of licking the platter on this one, and how fitting that it's a "monk's dish of beef," this was the winner. Enjoy!
laḥm rāhibī
First Course – Nayrüz Celebration
Ingredients:
Beef Brisket; Onion; Coriander; Olive Oil; Black Pepper; Spikenard; Ceylon Cinnamon; Pomegranate Molasses (Pomegranate Juice, Sugar, Water, Citric Acid); Salt; Honey; Rose Water
This dish is prepared in many ways, and its flavor needs to be improved on account of the unpleasant odor imparted by the onions used. Some of them are sweetened, such as with rose-petal jam made with sugar, and some are cooked with the molasses of fruits such as rubb al-rummānayn, rubb al-tuffāḥayn, or rubb al-‘inab . And still others are blended with vinegar and dried plums.
People are used to cooking rāhibī with the meat of cows fatted to excess; […]. [This dish] cannot be properly prepared and still smell fragrant unless they are cooked in the furn (brick oven) Additionally, the aforementioned molasses with their sweetness (ḥalāwa) and sour-sweetness (muzūza) enhance the rāhibī fragrance and color it, thus rendering the use of saffron unnecessary.
Anwāʿ al-ṣaydala fī alwān al-aṭʿima 318
Discussion
This dish is representing specifically Christian food popularized in al-Andalus. The name literally means “Monk’s Food.” As we’re told above, there are many ways to prepare it, though a theme is evident. The end result is always a rich dish of fatty meat, first simmered, and then finished in the oven to brown the top. It always contains onions, and it always has some sweet and sour element, which are described at the time as a single flavor – muzz translated as sour-sweet.
We’re told people are most used to cooking this dish with the meat of cows fatted to excess. The recipes also use lamb as an option for the meat. In either case, we’re instructed by ASA in all four of his recipes to use “the delicious and fatty places” as well as the rumen tripe. This specific tripe does well when cooked for a long time, and is very soft and absorbent of the other flavors of a dish. While not favored by many modern diners, tripe is an extremely nutrient-dense food. FKH provides one recipe and calls for “the tastiest cuts of fatty beef” and specifies brisket, rumen tripe, honeycomb tripe, and shanks. Each of these cuts produces different flavors and textures, creating a wide variety of meat choices for this dish.
For the sour-sweet element, ASA tells us that rose-petal jam made with sugar, fruit molasses – specifically of grapes, both sweet and sour apples, and both sweet and sour pomegranates – as well as vinegar and dried plums are all options for this element. FKH on the other hand says to use honey or rose-petal honey jam specifically, or to replace that with very sour vinegar. FKH tells use to use saffron, but ASA says that using the molasses makes saffron unnecessary. Both propose a list of contextually familiar spices including black pepper, ginger, spikenard, Ceylon cinnamon, spikenard, coriander seeds, herb fennel, and even murri naqi in FKH.
All versions of the recipe follow the same basic cooking method with some small variations. The meat should be cooked gently until it starts to turn white and releases it’s juices. We must resist the temptation to brown the meat as the modern cook would – it is explicitly not called for, and is accounted for later in the cooking. The meat is next braised with onion and oil until deliciously tender. FKH says that if we braise it onion puree, it would be called “comforting” and “sunbeams” which is an option I clearly could not turn down. Lastly, and this is clearly non-negotiable in both authors’ eyes, the dish must be spiced and then baked in the oven until all of the liquid evaporates and the meat browns on top. This gives the dish the appropriate fragrance, i.e. of spiced meat rather than onions.
After trying this dish several of the ways described, I settled on the interpretation below. Lamb shoulder or leg would work just as well, and if you are skittish about tripe, it can be omitted. Likewise, you could substitute any of the types of meat mentioned above – anything you would use for a stew or braise. FKH says you can also use chicken. Other than the use of modern tools, my interpretation stays well within the specified lines of the dish. The spices are adjusted to my taste, and you could adjust them to yours. I chose pomegranate molasses because it is the easiest fruit molasses to come by in most cases, and it is delicious. I finish the dish with rose water, as suggested in FKH’s recipe, because I find that it is completely lost if added before the end, but adds a wonderful element to the aroma of the dish when sprinkled on top.
References
FKH II.1.7, ASA 318, 319. 320
Modernized Recipe
1.5 lb. Beef Brisket
0.5 lb Rumen Tripe
2 ea. Onions
1/2 t. Black Pepper
3/4 t. Coriander
1/4 c. Olive Oil
1/2 t. Black Pepper
1/4 t. Spikenard
3/4 t. Ceylon Cinnamon
1/2 c. Pomegranate Molasses
1/2 t. Salt
1 T. Honey
1 T. Rose Water
Serves 4-6
Cut the Brisket into 1″ cubes
Add the Brisket, first measure of Black Pepper, Coriander, and Olive Oil to a pan just large enough to hold it all in one layer.
Cook over medium heat, turning regularly, until all sides of the Brisket are white/light brown. This should not be browned in the modern sense.
Meanwhile, peel and chop the Onion, and boil until completely soft.
Drain the water from the Onion then puree it using a blender, food processor, immersion blender, or mortar and pestle as soon as it’s cool enough to handle safely.
Add the pureed Onion, cover, and cook on medium-low heat – just barely simmering – for about 3 hours. Until the meat is tender, but not quite fully rendered.
Preheat the oven to 450°F
Add the second measure of Black Pepper, the Ginger, Spikenard, Ceylon Cinnamon, Pomegranate Molasses, Salt and Honey to the pan and stir thoroughly.
Put the pan directly into the oven, or transfer to a heat-proof baking dish of the same size, and bake until the top browns and the liquid has evaporated – leaving only the sauce and oil.
Remove from the oven and stir well to combine the sauce and coat the meat.
Allow the dish to cool then sprinkle with the Rose Water immediately before serving.
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