060 - Hail to the King (and the Steward), Baby

In this episode of Fool of a Took, we discuss "The Steward and the King", Book 6, Chapter 5 of The Return of the King.

The War of the Ring is over, but Middle-earth still has some major business to settle: Faramir falls hard for Éowyn, Aragorn finally claims the throne of Gondor, a new White Tree is discovered, the Third Age comes to an end, and Arwen arrives in Minas Tirith.

Fool of a Took is a Lord of the Rings book club podcast following four friends through J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, chapter by chapter, with drinks, food, lore, arguments, and an irresponsible amount of Tolkien-related nonsense.

CONTENT WARNING: Explicit

Conversation Topics

Éowyn and Faramir’s romance in the Houses of Healing

The fall of Sauron and the passing of the Shadow

Aragorn’s return to Minas Tirith and coronation as King

Faramir’s future as Steward of Gondor and Prince of Ithilien

Aragorn’s first decisions as King of Gondor

The new White Tree and the restoration of Gondor

The end of the Third Age and beginning of the Fourth Age

Aragorn and Arwen’s wedding

Timestamps

00:00:00 Welcome to Fool of a Took

00:01:43 The Steward and the King begins

00:05:22 Éowyn and Faramir in the Houses of Healing

00:08:43 The Shadow passes and Sauron falls

00:17:42 The Return of the King

00:24:29 Aragorn claims the throne of Gondor

00:29:13 Gandalf crowns Aragorn King

00:38:54 Aragorn discovers the new White Tree

00:40:13 The Third Age ends and the Fourth Age begins

00:43:53 Arwen arrives and marries Aragorn

00:51:04 Éowyn and Faramir’s complicated romance

01:05:57 Ioreth will not stop talking01:17:55 Understanding the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Ages01:27:36 Food for Thought: Aragorn’s Crown Pavlova

Today's "Food for Thought": King Elessar's Crown Pavlova

I knew I needed to create the crown for this chapter, and I have been wanting to try my hand at a pavlova. Done!

It was a bit tricky to decipher what exactly it looked like, so I made my own interpretation based on the limitations of egg white meringue. It was indeed white, had wings on either side, and contained seven gems around the circlet. This is the recipe I used for the pavlova: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/pavlova-recipe

I piped a 9" meringue circle on parchment paper using a large circle tip and filled in the middle, then piped some points on the front to hold the jewels. They... did not stand up so great. I built up the edges of the circlet to create a dish shape. Then I sketched a wing onto some parchment, flipped it over and traced it in reverse, and piped meringue to look like feathers. These baked on a separate tray.

While it was baking and cooling, I made caramel gem stones by cooking water and sugar in a pan until it caramelized, then dripping it onto parchment with a spoon until I had 7 that were roughly the same size and shape. Assembly required some toothpicks and whipped cream to act as glue. One wing pretty much fell apart- in the back it goes. Add whipped cream and chopped fruit to the center of the pavlova, and you are set!

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