Chicken Dumplings

the book paints the picture of a skyrim's traveler. finally reaching the safety of an inn after hours of wandering in the cold, he sits down to catch his breath. the house bard is at rest, and vague murmur is heard from the other patrons. two chicken dumplings are served, steaming hot, next to a mug of the local mead

the traveller holds a dumpling in one hand and bites into it. the rye pie dough is soft and tender, nearly melting in your mouth, as is the filling of the dumpling. leek, garlic and carrots cooked in heavy cream and molten cheese, sheathing tender strips of chicken. its warm, down the traveller's throat, slowly melting the snowy memories of weary trails and freezing nights. mead washes down the balmy flavor of stormcloak seasoning, seconds before going for another bite

this is one of my favorite recipes from the book so far. i cooked the chicken in a tray with water similar to here and added lemon, oil and a good helping of the stormcloak seasoning. came out much better than what the book suggested (simply bake it in the oven with like nothing on or around it, idk how these americans do it). a few things i shoud take care of next time are:

start cooking the filling later

i started cooking it right after i put the chicken in the oven and i was done wayy before the chicken was, so i had to keep it from going cold and from overcooking it for a while

use a bit more heavy cream, also more leeks
take out the dough at least an hour before cooking

because its butter based, keeping it in the fridge hardens it a lot and its very hard to work with

but really, these are so good. theyre lovely warm but can also easily be packed and taken away to be eaten cold. they make great portable lunches

yeah ok, the book's flavor text doesnt paint this picture, but it sounds good as an opener