Narnia Menu: “Edmund’s Downfall”

Narnia Menu: “Edmund’s Downfall” by Astrid Tuttle Winegar

Let’s take a break from Middle-earth and visit Narnia again. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the rather grouchy Edmund Pevensie encounters the White Witch, who offers him a hot drink. At first, you might casually assume this is some sort of hot chocolate, but C. S. Lewis specifically says this beverage was “something [Edmund] had never tasted before, very sweet and foamy and creamy, and it warmed him right down to his toes.” I’m pretty confident an English boy of the story’s era would surely have been quite familiar with hot chocolate. Lewis mentions hot chocolate at other times in The Chronicles of Narnia. So, I’ve played with some flavors and came up with this drink for you all. I’m not sure if you will fall under a witch’s spell if you drink it, but it will definitely warm you up and make you wish you could just keep on drinking it all evening…

“Edmund’s Downfall”

¼ cup packed golden brown sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
13½-ounce can regular unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup 1% milk
½ teaspoon orange extract
½ teaspoon cinnamon extract
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon butter extract
2 extra large egg yolks
Garnish: Cinnamon sugar

Whisk together the brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a 2-quart saucepan. Add the coconut milk, milk, and extracts. Whisk well and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently. Whisk the egg yolks in a 1-cup glass measure. Slowly pour in about ¼ cup of the hot liquid and whisk. Then slowly add all back to the saucepan. Cook over the lowest heat, whisking constantly, for about 1-2 minutes. Do NOT boil or even simmer! Pour into two 12-ounce mugs (or three 8-ounce cups). Sprinkle each with some cinnamon sugar, as desired. Serves 2-3.

Astrid Tuttle Winegar

Astrid Tuttle Winegar is the author of Cooking for Halflings & Monsters: 111 Comfy, Cozy Recipes for Fantasy-Loving Souls, which is currently available exclusively in e-book form on the Amazon Kindle, but will soon be released by Oloris Publishing! Stay tuned for details. For now, she is mostly telling a culinary Middle-earth story here on Legendarium. Astrid has loved C. S. Lewis since childhood, J. R. R. Tolkien since middle and high school, all Star things, both Trek and Wars, all things Whedon, and many other things besides… She lives in the enchanted city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, with her husband and dog. She blogs occasionally at . You can check out (and like!) her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/astridtuttlewinegar or visit her Twitter feed at https://twitter.com/astridwinegar.