Any fan of the classic board game Catan will enjoy the official Catan Cookbook.  Every recipe is named in reference to the game with abundant puns. The recipes are divided into five parts: snacks, small meals, main courses, desserts, and even a selection of drinks. The book is organized logically and easy to read. There are symbols (hexagons of course) to tell you with a quick glance what dietary restriction the recipes follow. Every recipe is accompanied by a beautiful photo (a little too beautiful, to be honest).

Looks easy enough… I think I’ve seen those pretzel bites somewhere before though.

I decided to try out a simple appetizer- Tavern Pretzel Bites and Beer Cheese.  I was intrigued by this one because it seemed simple enough, but involved something I had never tried and something that had never quite turned out right.  I’ve never made any kind of boiled bread before. I didn’t even know pretzels were in that category! They have you start with pre-made pizza dough. So simple and clever! But, the instructions do leave a little bit to be desired, ultimately.  The pretzel bites I made didn’t look anything like the tidy little ones in the picture. 

Trust in the process, trust in the process…

They did taste pretty good, though.  But, as I looked closer, the ones in the picture look suspiciously like ones I’ve seen in tubs at the grocery store.  Mine did not.  But they were very tasty! I just feel like if I had more experience with boiling dough I can make them more presentable.  The instructions in this pretzel recipe aren’t going to lead you to cute little pillow shaped pretzel bites.  You’ll have to practice and experiment to get there.  But, the flavor was great! The texture turned out a little soft and rubbery.   I do want to try them again.  I thought the recipe was going to be easy, but it may not be great for a beginner cook.

Nailed It!

The beer cheese sauce turned out great!  I did buy a cheap beer, and that cheapness came through in the flavor, but otherwise it was quite tasty.  The texture came out smooth and creamy. It even kept surprisingly well. I found several ways to use the leftovers.  Unlike the pretzel recipe, the cheese sauce one included important tips for success. Now I know why my previous attempts at cheese sauce never impressed me, I let it get too hot!  

Based on this experience, I will definitely be trying other recipes.  I’ll just keep in mind that there may be assumptions baked into the instructions.  Overall a fun cookbook for board game enthusiasts in general, and Catan fans especially. 

Catan: the Official Cookbook will join our other themed cookbooks in the book room by the holiday season.  

Cookbooks from your favorite properties!