"Why are You Doing This?"

I have been asked a lot of questions lately about this project and wonder why I make recipes about colorful ponies. I am here today to answer that question.

There is a steriotype about the Brony Fan Base, saying that we are crazy, lonely and possibly living in parents basments loathing ourselfs. This is far from the truth. The truth is, Brony's can be anyone. They can be a man or a women, strait or gay, a parent or child, or purhaps a hard working individual trying to climb to the top. All we are just doing is celebrating a show that has a high quality animation, good story andan empowering message of how to love and tolerate each other. Does it really matter whether a show is for girls, boys or adults?

I personoly know other adults who still like cartoons and children who whatch shows like Grey's Anatomy and Seinfeld. (Who shall remain unknown) We live in a time where the world is changing in a dramatic scale. We are starting to realise that its o.k to have different interests outside of our gender and age roles. True, not everyone is open to the idea, but there are people out there who have interests in creating something new and introducing the concept to the world.

This is why the Brony Chef Project stands today. I want to share my ideas to the world and I am not afraid to do so and I am open to other peoples ideas as well. I also want to tell the world that im not obsessed with the Brony culture. I have other interests like Game Grumps, The R.O.C, and my career as a chef/food writer. I still like ponies and the project but I am something a little bit more then a random Brony who writes recipies. I am a Brony Chef.

I just wanted to post this to clarify of who I am, why I am doing this and to expand the idea behind this project. I also want to tell you that I might do some other characters beyond the Pony Universe someday to explore the idea of "Culinary Romanticism". Im still going to finish this project with other characters but I want to explore other characters from other pop culture icons someday and reach to a wider audience. So I want to ask you the readers, what other Characters or Shows you want to see someday on this site? It could be from any show or time period. Just leave me the answer on the comments below or on my Kyle Hedlund Facebook page.

I would also want to share some art work from the lovely http://dawnallies.deviantart.com/ . This was originaly was supossed to be used for the last post but someone else responded first. Yet I still keep my promises to the artists and here it is.

So I now you know who I am. I bid you all a-do for now.

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The Brony Chef Project #8 & #9: Princess Celestia and Luna

In mythology from many ancient civilizations, there were gods and immortal beings that sort of explain how the nateral world works. The show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic also has there very own mythology. With creatures such as Timber Wolves to Dragons, the show is filled with immortal beings and fantasy elements that it could possibly compete against the other fantasy culture icons. Anyway, there are two chacters that has the true definition when it comes to fantasy and mythology of the show. Their names are princess Celestia and princess Luna.

In the show, they are the immortal rulers of Equestria. Both of them are the very essence of mythology in the show. While Celestia controls the sun and Luna controls the night, they both have a very strong presence of the land they rule. Even though both of them dont really show up as much , it does give off the theme of the two Alicorns (a combination of a unicorn and peagusus) the fantasy aspect of the show.

They are also a perfect example of a cultural expression known as "fanon" or "fan-character manipulation." Unlike the official or "cannon" characters , the fanon is made through the fans instead of the original creators. An example of this material would be Gamer Luna, Human Celestia and thousands more like this all over the internet. (Note: these are actually tumblers. Google it, I dare you.) This gives a lot of creative room for artists, writers and other fans alike to expand the Brony universe through these "fanon" characters.

As for the recipies, this one is a double header since they go perfectly together. The bitter, dark flavors of the Luna Tart go well with the fruity, bright Celestia's Sunshine Brew. Although the tart was actually used before the project even began. Orriginally the Luna Tart was used for a final exam for my baking class when I started culinary school. It was a rousing success and today, I decieded to share my successful recipie of my professtional career with you. As for the punch, it was inspired from a punch recipe that my mom always makes for parties and other special occasions only my vertion has a special orange twist.





The Luna Tart



Makes 2 9 in Tarts



Crust

7 oz of Butter, softend

1 cup of powdered sugar

7 egg yolks

1 egg

2 cups of all purpose flour

1 cup of bread flour

Filling

20 oz of Dark Chacolate Chips

1 pint of cream

2 tsp of Peppermint extract



1. In a stand mixer, whip the butter and sugar until creamy. (Make sure to scrape the paddle and sides to fully incorporate butter and sugar.)

2. While the keeping the stand mixer on low speed, add one egg yolk into the mixer and let it mix until fully incorperated into the butter. Keep repeating this step until all the egg yolks and the full egg are incorperated. (If you break the egg yolk, just add a little bit of the liquid at a time.)

3. Combine the dry ingrediants on a peice of parchment paper and pour a little bit flour into the butter egg mixture while the mixer is still on low speed. (Keep repeating as same as the eggs until all of the flour is incorporated.)

4. Once dough is formed, place the dough in a plastic bag or container and keep it refridgerated until ready to bake. The dough should last for up to one week.

5. When ready to bake,preheat the oven at 350 F and mold the dough to a tart or pie dish. Place the parchment paper on top of the molded shells and add ceramic pie weights or dried beans on top of the parchment paper. (This ensures the crust to not rise too high and leave room for more filling.) Bake the shells, one at a time, for 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

6. Once the shells are done bakeing and started to cool, melt the chacolate by useing the double boiler method or by microwave. (Make sure you read the instructions on the back of the bag for proper melting instructions.) While the chacolate is still hot, add the peppermint extract and the cream. Whip together until creamy.

7. Once the crusts are fully cooled, add the filling to the shell about 2/3rd full and set it inside the fridge for 1 hour before cutting and serving.





Celestia's Sunshine Brew

2 small or 1 Big pitcher



Punch

24 oz. of Frozen Orange Juice, Concentrated

1Liter of Lemon Lime Soda

16-20 Frozen Strawberries

6 lemon slices

4 lime slices

1. Combine frozen orange juice and the lemon lime soda to the pitcher and stir.

2. Place the Frozen strawberries and citris slices into the punch and serve cold.



I tried to incorperate the theme of "Day and Night" for these two recipies, with Celestia being the simple and bright punch and Luna with the complex and dark tasting tart. With the episode pairings of A Bird in a Hoof (Season1 episode 22) and Luna Eclisped (Season 2 episode 4) they are sure to make the perfect duo for your viewing party or a wonderful dessert.

I want to say a big thank you to http://akili-amethyst.deviantart.com/ for the beautiful stained glass art. She also makes a lot of other stained glass art from the Mane 6 to The princesses and Villains alike. So check her out on the link.

Well it was a long one but it was worth it. I bid you a-do and stay warm out there.

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A Quick Note about Season 3

Season 3 of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is just around the corner and new adventures and new challenges of the Mane6 would face. With the third season coming out, there is also going to be new material and new character development to catch up on and I will be tracking the new season with careful observation.

I will be more up to date of the new episodes,new information about what the show and characters, and recreating different versions of some the recipes I did in the past. They may not come out as frequently but culinary creativity for me comes in a certain pace and I can not rush perfection.

The post's might not be as frequent, since Im trying to jumpstart my career as a food writer and chef, but there is going to be more, I assure you. There will be more in the future.

This is just a quick update about season three and other information regarding the project. Thank you and have a great day.

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The Brony Chef Project #7: Spike

Sometimes the best part of a story is not really the main charcter. Sometimes, the sidekick can make the show and this sidekick is somewhat special, because he is not really a pony. Although he is a significent character altogether and he does have his own episode from time to time. HIs name is Spike, the baby dragon with a ton of spunk and (literaly and figurativly) the fire within.

Spike is only male character (so far) that has any real significance to the show in terms of connecting to a diversity of the audience. He is technically called a "baby dragon" but he is really more of a eleven year old kid. The only reason he is considered a baby dragon is because dragons were always refered to as immortal being's in myth. So he act simular like a tween kid but as a dragon he is still considered as a baby. Although very intelegent and does has that certain supportive nature reflected for being Twilights "#1 assistant".

He might not be one of the elements of hrarmony but he does represent what courage and wisdom can be part of the message. In some episodes where spike is the main focus, he does show that "inner fire" simular to what fluttershy has but in a more expressive and youthful manner. He also represents what growing-up is about and how he faces with certain problems with himself and those around him. You might say he is the unofficial "element of courage and wisdom".

With the idea of the meat pie, it acctually came to me in a different show. I was whatching Alton Brown's Good Eats with the Sweeny Todd episode about meat pies. After I saw the episode, I got this idea that Spike is some what of a pot pie. He is small but firey and does possess a certain hartyness to this menu of light pony dishes. I got the crust from the Alton Brown episode, so I do want to credit him where credit is due . The episode of Alton Brownis posted below if you want to see it.

Spikes Italian Pot Pie



Serves 6



Crust

3 cups of flour

3 Tablespoons of sugar

8 oz of cold butter: Small diced or grated

1/2 cup of cold water

Stew

1/2 an onion: Finely chopped

1 lb. of ground beef

6-8 baby carrots: chopped in half

12 oz of tomato sauce

1 Tablespoon of chopped garlic or 2 cloves, chopped

1 Tablespoon of chili powder

1 Tablespoon of paprika

a pinch of cayenne pepper

1 cup of chicken broth

1 1/2 tablespoons of flour

Dash of Worcheser sauce

1. In a big bowl, combine the flour, sugar and butter into the bowl. (crumble the butter into the flour until flaky.)

2. Add the cold water into the bowl and combine until dough is formed. Set the dough into the refrigerator in a separate bowl or in a plastic bag for about 20 min.

3. In a large skillet, sauté the onions in olive oil for about 2 minutes until onions are transparent. Add the ground beef to the skillet and cook until browned. Combine the spices and add it into the meat. Add chicken broth along with the carrots and the tomato sauce. Add worchestire sauce to season and stir. Bring the heat down to low and let it simmer for ~1 hour.

4. Pre-heat the oven to 350 F. On a floured suffice, cut the dough in half and lightly knead it until flat. Cut the flattened dough into 6 equal squares and cover the bottom of 6 oven-safe ramekins or cups. Place the cups with the dough on a sheet pan or oven-safe casserole dish and bake for 15 min or until the bottoms are lightly golden brown.

5. Add the flour to the stew to thicken and add any desired seasonings to the stew.

6. Take the other half of the dough and flattened the dough on a floured surface. Use a seventh ramekin to cut the dough for the tops of the pies in 6 equal pieces.

7. preheat your oven to 400 F. Let the ramekins with the bottom crust cool for about 3-5 minutes before filling the cups with the stew. Onced cooled, fill the cups with the stew, 2/3 way up. Once filled, place the top crust on top of the stew. Using a fork, poke small holes on top of the pies to prevent over flowing. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until a light golden brown.

8. Once done baking, let the pies cool and serve.



The Episode pairing for this small and spicy pie is Owls Well That Ends Well (Season 1 Episode 24) and Dragon Quest (Season 2 Episode 21). You can also enjoy this in a dinner party setting or to warm yourself up in the cold November air.

The featured artist for this post is brought to you by http://flyfar7.deviantart.com/. She makes beutiful artwork that is availble prints. So stop on by to Deviant Art and get yourself some nice portraits to put around your beautiful home.

I have to admit, this was one of the most difficult recipies to complete but im glad to move forward. I also would like to note that I do have a Deviant Art account where I post up photos of my creations. So stop on by to my page at http://abchef123.deviantart.com/ to see some of my work and some other artists that have done excelent work for this project.

Thats all I have for now. See you next time when we cover the immortal.

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