BKMT READING GUIDES
A Reader's Cookbook
by Judith Choate
Paperback : 192 pages
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Introduction
The pleasure of reading is enhanced by tasting food of the land where a story unfolds or toasting a hero with the beverage of his choice. Who, when reading Tolstoy or Chekov, might not imagine a cherry-preserve sweetened tea? A novel by Kiran Desai or Jhumpa Lahiri leads to saffron-infused basmati. Kathryn Stockett fans will add to their experience by nibbling pralines. Let sophisticates hail Ian Fleming or Jay McInerney with a martini, stirred or shaken. A Reader's Cookbook divides the world into 17 literary/culinary regions, the last covering fictional utopias and dystopias. A reader delving into a world gone awry needs luscious food! Choices allow the word-inspired chef to cook dinner, host a book-club tea or prepare an easily-transported treat. The literary palate is also explored in a smorgasbord of writer quotes on food favorites and other soulful nourishments.
Table of Contents
AMERICAN HORIZONS
Chapter 1 • Heartland Writing and Dining
Chapter 2 • Prose and Plates of the Eastern Seaboard
Chapter 3 • Southland Delights
Chapter 4 • Westward Reading and Vittles
Chapter 5 • Under a Maple Sky—O Canada!
Chapter 6 • Latin American Lovers of the Word
EUROPEAN TASTES
Chapter 7 • Pages and Platters of the Anglo/Irish Isles
Chapter 8 • French Tastes
Chapter 9 • Sun-Drenched Savories and Sweets
Chapter 10 • Northern Literary Lights and Bites
Chapter 11 • Food for Thought in Eastern Europe
Chapter 12 • Russian Reveries and Repasts
BOUND BOOKS, BOUNDLESS SATISFACTIONS
Chapter 13 • Into the Near East and Out of Africa
Chapter 14 • Pleasures of the Subcontinent
Chapter 15 • Scrolling through Asia
Chapter 16 • Literature Afloat
Chapter 17 • The Best and Worst of Places
Excerpt
Southland Delights I can think of no other area of the country that has produced as many delicious dishes or as many soulful writers as the South. The diversity of Southern cooking is as rich as the stories that Southern authors have given us. Hot and spicy, sharp and bitter, warm and comforting, sweet and sugary, smoky and savory— these describe the foods as well as the literature born in the American South. The South is known for its soulful, long simmering stews and crispy chicken, as well as for its seafood, which includes Chesapeake crabs, river catfish and outsized Gulf shrimp. Among the Southland Delights Selections: PRALINES “I did get to interview a white woman and her [African-American] maid who were together in the 1960s . . . The white woman’s strongest memory of her maid was of the delicious pralines she made. When I went to speak to the maid, she [remembered] working for this woman when [civil rights activist] Medgar Evers had just been assassinated. Her children were walking down the street in a protest and she was so afraid her employer would turn on the TV and see them and then she would lose her job.” – Kathryn Stockett, talking about researching The Help RECIPE for PRALINES Pralines Makes about 2 dozen Pray-leen or praw-leen: Whichever way you pronounce it, you are biting into a candy so rich and fudgy that it makes your teeth scream. Native to New Orleans (where it is pronounced praw-leen), praline candies are different than the classic French praline, which is a clear, brittle-like candy that is generally chopped or crushed for use in desserts. 2 cups granulated sugar ½ packed cup light brown sugar 1 cup half-and-half 1 teaspoon baking soda Pinch salt ¼ cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature 2½ cups toasted pecan halves 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract -Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. -Combine the granulated and light brown sugars with the half-and- half, baking soda, and salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 5 minutes or until the sugars have dissolved completely. -Add the butter, a bit at a time, stirring until melted into the sugar mixture. -Raise the heat to medium and cook, without stirring, for about 20minutes or until the mixture reaches 236ºF on a candy thermometer. Immediately remove from the heat and, beating constantly with the wooden spoon, stir in the nuts and vanilla. Continue beating for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until the mixture is almost opaque. -Drop by the tablespoonful onto the prepared baking sheet. You want to have fairly round patties about 2-inches in diameter. -Set aside to cool completely. -Store in layers, airtight, at room temperature.
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Discussion Questions
No discussion questions at this time.Notes From the Author to the Bookclub
About the Book: A good book should be savored with an equally fine dish. Ideally, the reader should be able to have a taste or sip redolent of a favorite scene. With A Reader’s Cookbook, the book lover can do just that. This is the literary cookbook avid readers have been waiting for. Judith Choate is your new best friend. She cooks the world, so to speak, and many of her suggested dishes are portable. Here, she has distilled a lifetime of professional cooking and reading for pleasure. She offers readers delicious (and simple) ways to amplify their understanding of the culture of a novel, memoir or poem. The book brims not only with do-able recipes but also with revelatory quotes about what particular foods and drinks have meant to certain authors or their characters. The planet, as the author reads it, is comprised of 17 overlapping literary-culinary zones, with the last being the dystopias and utopias of writers’ imaginations. Whether you are planning a literary tea, cocktail hour, supper or beach party (after reading your beach book), there is something between these covers you can serve. When it’s your turn to host your group or contribute a fitting dish, you’ll be set. No need to invest in a guide to Russian cuisine this month, a Mexican cookbook next month and a primer on Chinese or Middle Eastern cooking next time around; Judith Choate has something here, as the world goes round, for your pleasure. “Judith Choate has masterfully created a delicious road map for a culinary journey around the world. It’s the perfect pairing to any book club.” – Charlie Palmer, of Aureole, Joule and other restaurants, hotels and wine shops across the country. “Judith Choate is as passionate about the written word as she is about food, making A Reader’s Cookbook both a pleasure and a terrific blueprint for sharing great writing and great eats.” – Michael McCarty, of Michael’s restaurants in Santa Monica and New York. Author Bio: Judith Choate is an internationally-renowned cooking consultant and teacher, and a three-time James Beard cookbook award winner. No matter what your book group is reading, A Reader’s Cookbook has an evocative dish.Book Club Recommendations
Recommended to book clubs by 1 of 1 members.
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