by Marilyn Freund

If there’s anyone on your holiday gift list who is a “Game of Thrones” geek, have I got a score for you!

Game of Scones: All Men Must Dine (by Jammy Lannister) is a small, hardback cookbook in which all the recipes are named for characters or events in George R.R. Martin’s epic work, A Song of Ice and Fire, better known by its HBO title, Game of Thrones. (via Indiebound or Amazon.) And so we have Tyrion’s Shortbread, Red (Velvet) Wedding Cake, and my favorite, Daenerys’ Dragon Eggs and Unsullied Soldiers (without nuts). Fans will get these jokes; the rest not so much.

The allusions and humor are carried through in the actual recipes, all of which are marked “Easy,” “Medium” or “Hard.” For example, in addition to ladyfingers, cream and almonds, Littlefinger Cake calls for “a network of spies throughout the kingdom and a low moral threshold.” Jaqen’s Chocolate Coins are introduced thus: “Speak the name and a man will make a snack.”

The UK publication means that ingredients and quantities are sometimes unfamiliar to Americans, but a handy guide at the back of the book addresses some of this, and for the rest there’s Google.

DISCLAIMER: I did not actually make any of these recipes so I cannot vouch for how they taste, but if you can make them look like the photos, no one will care about flavor because they are such clever visual delights.

Remember: Dinner is coming.

Get Game of Scones by Jammy Lannister from your favorite bookseller or from Indiebound or Amazon.com.

Red Velvet Wedding Cake

Click this image to open an enlargeable and printable version of this recipe. The remainder of this recipe is contained therein.

Castle Black Forest Gateau

Click this image to open a enlargeable and printable version. The remaining portion of this recipe is contained therein.

The Iron Scone

Click this image to open a enlargeable and printable version. The remaining portion of this recipe is contained therein.

Dragon Eggs

Ser Jammy Lanister is a Knight of Westeros, a long-standing member of the King’s Guard, and one of the finest bakers in the Seven Kingdoms. Having lost his right hand in a tragic accident involving spun sugar, he went on to become the greatest left-handed whisker in this side of the Narrow Sea. He currently lives in King’s Landing with this sister (they are just really good friends…).

Marilyn Freund is a former entrepreneur and business owner. Since her early retirement, she has served on the board of a non-profit, created websites, co-written scripts, done voice-overs, and baked many a killer bundt cake. She loves eating, drinking, and watching films, and has been writing for as long as she can remember. We’ll see how this new gig works out.