House Lannister Wine and Cheesecake

"Podrick Payne edged his gelding closer. He was carrying the royal standard, Joffrey's great stag-and-lion, and struggling with its weight. Bronn bore Tyrion's own banner, the lion of Lannister gold on crimson."

- Tyrion V, A Storm of Swords

This decadent dessert was served as the dessert course for my Game of Thrones Season 7 party. Each of these courses was designed to look like the sigil for one of the Great Houses of Westeros. I also tried to capture some of the personality of the houses. Lannisters represent themselves with a gold lion on a field of crimson, but they are also recognizable for their prominent display of their considerable wealth. Many of the Lannisters - or at least Tyrion and Cersei - are particularly fond of wine. A rich dessert that incorporated wine therefore seemed fitting, so I went with Shinee's "Cheesecake Bars with Wine Gelée." I then decorated each little cheesecake bar with a golden lion made from stenciled Lustre Dust.

Lustre Dust is a fantastic ingredient to have up your sleeve for kicking your recipes up a notch. Available in many different colors, it is edible glitter. While it is edible, I am not sure if it is digestible. Do Lannisters shit gold? You'll find out! 

Ingredients

Makes 16 lion-dusted squares, plus some extra cuttings for snacking.

• 1 recipe of Shinee's "Cheesecake Bars with Wine Gelée"
• 1.5 tsp powdered icing sugar
• 1 tsp gold lustre dust

Instructions

1. Prepare the cheesecake according to directions. Trim off the edges and cut into 16 pieces. Wipe your knife clean in between each cut to keep the edges looking crisp.
2. In a shot glass, stir together the icing sugar and lustre dust.
3. Trace out a 1x1.5 inch lion onto the center of a 3x3 inch piece of card. Cut out the lion.
4. Pierce the corners of the card with four skewers. Lower the card so that it rests on the four skewer legs with the cardboard level to the table.
5. Rest the stencil scaffold just over a piece of cheesecake, being sure not to make contact with the wine gelée.
6. Hold a fine sieve or tea strainer over the stencil scaffold. Tap a small quantity of the gold sugar mixture into the sieve, and gently shake the sieve to evenly dust a gold lion onto the wine glaze. The gold will look textured and crumbly, but as the gold soaks into the wine gelée it will become smoother, darker and richer in color.
7. Repeat steps 5-7 to decorate each of the cheesecake pieces.

Full House Sigil Menu:

1. House Greyjoy Squid in its Ink
2. House Martell Butternut Squash Soup with Smokey Peppers
3. House Tyrell Artichoke Bud Salad
4. House Tully Trout with Heirloom Carrots
5. House Arryn Chicken with Butterfly Pea Blossom Sauce
6. House Baratheon Venison with Mustard Sauce
7. House Stark Direwolf Pies
8. House Lannister Wine & Cheesecake
9. House Targaryen "Madness or Greatness" Chocolate Truffles