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For all the romantasy girlies out there who read Sarah J. Maas’ blockbuster A Court of Thorns and Roses series and felt like they could just taste the High Fae feasts of chicken, bread, peas, fish and asparagus, they can now.
A Feast of Thorns and Roses—the cookbook!—is out April 1 (Weldon Owen, 192 pages, $30), and it’s by a local writer. Chelsea Cole is a Scappoose cookbook author and food blogger who happens to have torn through Maas’ series of five bestselling romantasy books about four times, all the way through. Romantasy, for those who haven’t jumped on the literary trend yet, is the portmanteau of romance and fantasy. In the ACOTAR world (that’s what fans call A Court of Thorns and Roses for short), think mortal huntress Feyre getting ravished by a High Lord faerie from the Spring Court up against a wall.
But before that, Feyre had a midnight snack of lemon tartlets, which became one of the approximately 70 recipes Cole developed for the cookbook. About 60% of them use source material from the book—lots of roasts, stews and soups—while 40% are more inspired by plot points and characters. A Feast of Thorns and Roses is an “unofficial” ACOTAR title, meaning it doesn’t have Maas’ stamp as official merch; it’s more like fan fiction.
The book’s desserts and cocktails, especially, get a little more modern. A twist on a Long Island Iced Tea, for example, is blended with cinnamon whiskey to “channel your inner Cassian—our favorite charming, fiery warrior with a zest for life (and a bit of a mischievous streak),” Cole writes.
The lemon curd tartlets, however, are sourced straight from the novel. The straightforward but delicious-sounding recipe yields 12 pastries (maybe save up first, though—it includes five eggs plus five egg yolks.) The recipe calls for packaged pie crusts, and Cole includes a little side note further encouraging readers to take it easy and buy mini pie shells if they happen upon them at the store.
The down-to-earth approachability is intentional: Cole’s target audience is Gen Z and millennial women, two populations that, based on age, might not have a ton of experience in the kitchen or time to tend to fussy recipes. She swapped beef for the rabbit recipes from ACOTAR and skips the venison, though does include a roasted bone marrow spread—probably the most adventurous fare in the book.
That means that Cole had to forgo what had previously been her bread-and-butter as a food blogger: sous vide cooking. (Well, substitute bread-and-butter for meat-and-vacuum sealer). She made her name in the food world blogging at A Duck’s Oven, which she started as a sophomore at University of Oregon in 2010. In 2016, she began to specialize in sous vide, a French preparation that involves slow-cooking food in sealed containers in hot water, and self-published two cookbooks on the topic in recent years. A Feast of Thorns and Roses is her first title with an outside publisher.
“With sous vide, my whole approach was making it doable for home cooks and beginner cooks, so it feels similar in a way,” she says. The method is still the focus of A Duck’s Oven, where she continues to blog.
Picking up ACOTAR about four years ago reignited Cole’s love of reading that had gone a little dormant since her youth spent devouring the Harry Potter and Twilight series. ACOTAR turns 10 years old this May. During that decade, it has attracted a rabid fan base and impressive sales numbers—the ACOTAR series debut alone has sold 13 million copies—in a way that is exciting but also nerve-wracking for Cole.
“The fandom is so big and they are very opinionated,” she says. “I hope I’m doing this justice.”
Lemon Curd Tartlets
by Chelsea Cole
While the Spring Court lights up with Calanmai’s wild festivities, Feyre’s in the kitchen turning lemons into tartlets—not quite the magic you’d expect on Fire Night, but hey, it’s something. As Tamlin does his duty as High Lord, and Feyre decides if she can’t join the magic making, she’ll at least indulge in a few treats, like a tiny lemon tart. These are perfect for munching while you’re moping when you need a zesty pick-me-up. So, let’s get baking—because if Feyre has to suffer through Calanmai wondering what Tamlin is doing, you bet she’s going to do it with a delicious tartlet in hand.
- 1 package prepared, unbaked piecrusts (2 crusts)
- For the lemon curd:
- 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
- ¾ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 to 3 lemons)
- 1¼ cups sugar
- 1¼ cups (2½ sticks) unsalted butter
- 5 large eggs
- 5 large egg yolks
- For the decoration (optional):
- Thinly cut lemon slices
- Prepared whipped cream
Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
Arrange the piecrusts on a work surface. Use a biscuit cutter or simply a wide-mouthed glass or jar to cut the piecrusts into twelve 4-inch circles. Discard any dough scraps or save for another use, if desired . Push 1 dough circle evenly into each prepared muffin cup. Prick the bottoms with a fork. Pre-bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF.
To make the lemon curd, in a saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, butter, eggs, and egg yolks. Continuously whisk until the butter melts and the mixture thickens enough to briefly hold its shape on the surface when dolloped, about 5 minutes.
Strain the hot lemon curd through a fine mesh strainer into a heat-safe bowl to remove any clumps and the zest.
Divide the lemon curd evenly among the pre-baked piecrusts, smoothing the surface with a spatula. Bake until the curd is thick and jiggles rather than “sloshes” when shaking the pan, about 5 minutes. The curd will still be soft but will set more as it cools.
Allow the tartlets to cool in the muffin pan for 30 minutes, then cover remove to a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days. If desired, decorate with thinly sliced lemons and serve with whipped cream.
Advice From Alis
You might stumble upon mini pie shells at the market. If you’re fortunate enough to spot them, go ahead and grab ‘em. They’ll make this recipe even simpler, I reckon! Simply disregard step 1 and heed the instructions on the package for any pre-baking, dear.
Recipe © 2025 Chelsea Cole. Reprinted by permission.