Forge hearts

What are they?

Forge hearts are a small pastry that can be traced back to Eeonslake. A crust of dough covers a cream made of Valquill, a spice made by the stalk of a flower. While hard to explain the taste is usually described as warm with flowery notes. It's gentle, yet very distinctive. Thanks to being cast in a metal mold, you can also sense a small hint of metal flavor, just enough to counterbalance the sweetness of the Valquill cream.

Origin and tradition

The melting of the lake

It's a longstanding tradition in the town of Eeonslake to celebrate the first crack in the ice. It's seen as a sign of spring being around the corner, and the dark, cold days being over. When the first big crack is seen, the town is immediately notified and preparation for the event starts. The day after becomes a day off, usually spent with your loved ones. At sundown, a feast is hosted in the town square where everyone brings food and shares.

Christopher and Melissa

The Forge hearts creator had a very special plan for the Melting of the lake. Christopher, the youngest in a long line of blacksmith's, had taken a fancy for the new baker in town, Melissa. After spending countless hours with her in her bakery, secretly studying the way she baked every cake, he knew what he needed to do. He based the recipe off of his favorite pastry of hers, but instead of placing the dough in an ordinary oven, he used his forge. While they didn't turn out that good, she appreciated the gesture. They've since then spent every anniversary perfecting the recipe.

Forge hearts as a tradition

After many years the Forge hearts are well known throughout the world. A lot of people now celebrate The melting of the lake outside of Eeeonslake, but under a different name, Placeholder day. A day to celebrate spring, friends and loved ones. The Forge hearts are very popular for sharing with a romantic partner but can be enjoyed by friends as well. Those that don't have a partner at the time usually take the day as a day of celebrating each other's differences, and taking the time to learn about friends' interests.
Because of the slightly unusual way they're made, Forge hearts are slightly more expensive than regular pastries. They're still enjoyed by a large number of the population though. On Placeholder day bakeries around the country join forces with various forges. It is recommended that you eat the Forge hearts as fast as possible after they're made to keep them warm, but they can be enjoyed while cold too.

Ingredients:

4½ dl flour
1½ dl icing sugar
½ dl potato flour
1 ml Valquill powder
1 ml salt
200 g butter
1 yolk
1 teaspoon cold water

Valquill cream:

4 dl milk
2 yolks
½ dl powdered sugar
1 ml Valquill powder
½ dl cornstarch
½ dl icing sugar

Directions:

Mix together the dry ingredients for the dough. Cut up the butter and mix in the dry ingredients. Add the yolk and the water before mixing it all together into a dough. Leave resting somewhere cold for at least 30 minutes.

Mix together the ingredients for the Valquill cream in a pot, and cook at a low temperature while stirring until it thickens. Let cool.

Start the forge fire and put the molds at the very edge. Roll out the dough and cut out 32 hearts. Take out the molds once heated enough. Put half of them in the molds and press them down. Distribute the Valquill cream. Put on the other half of the hearts and push the edges together. Flip them out of the molds and let them rest near the fire for about 12min. Put on some powdered sugar before serving.