Four pages into The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins presents us with a description of something that sounds both delicious and precious. A special occasion food for the reaping from Katniss’ darling sister Prim, hidden under a bowl so that Buttercup couldn’t steal it.
“I swing my legs off the bed and slide into my hunting boots. Supple leather that has molded to my feet. I pull on trousers, a shirt, tuck my long dark braid up into a cap, and grab my forage bag. On the table, under a wooden bowl to protect it from hungry rats and cats alike, sits a perfect little goat cheese wrapped in basil leaves. Prim’s gift to me on reaping day. I put the cheese carefully into my pocket as I slip outside.”
To do this, I decided I’d better at least make some of the same effort as Prim and make my own goat cheese. You can read about how I did it here. It’s surprisingly easy.
To form the cheese, I simply took some in my hands and made a small rounded square. I took some washed basil leaves and cut the thick parts of the stem off. I wrapped leaves around from the bottom to ensure that part was covered. The tips of the leaves would form the little tip at the top.
Since I live in a hot climate, the cheese was very soft and squishy. I figured the Everdeens didn’t have a fridge and so I figured chilling mine would be cheating, but then later I realized that it was probably pretty cold where they were and that would have kept the cheese in a nice, solid form. That would explain why Katniss could put it in her pocket and not have a mushy goat cheese pocket.
I’d bought twine to tie it up, but I thought this looked nice by itself so I left it.
May the odds– be ever in your favor!
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Perfectly Prim Goat Cheese Recipe
By
Published: April 10, 2011
- Yield: 1 goat cheese
On the morning of reaping day, Prim leaves her sister Katniss a “perfect goat cheese wrapped in basil leaves”.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fresh goat cheese
- 4-5 large basil leaves washed
Instructions
- Form goat cheese into a rounded square.
- Trim basil stems from the bottom.
- Place the bottom end of the leaves under the cheese, folding the tip up. Lay two opposing leaf tips down flat, sticking it to the cheese.
- Bring the other two leaf tips up and pinch them together. Chill until nicely hardened.
- Serve on top of warm sliced bread from Mellark’s bakery and top with a basil leaf. Eat with wild blackberries.
