Made from a light batter of butter, sugar, egg, and flour, these ring-shaped biscuits date to seventeenth-century Europe and pair with Rachel Kadish’s THE WEIGHT OF INK for a book club discussion.
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Jewell Parker Rhodes’s Pistachio Baklava
This traditional Turkish baklava made with pistachios and sugar syrup brings a taste of Muslim culture to book clubs discussing Jewell Parker Rhodes’s TOWERS FALLING, about a group of young students born after 9/11 trying to discover the meaning of the attacks.
Historical Dutch Apple Pie recipe from author Dominic Smith
A 17th century Dutch Apple Pie (appelltaart) recipe from author Dominic Smith, paired with his novel, THE LAST PAINTING OF SARA DE VOS.
Ona Vitkus’ Tomato Soup Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Author Monica Wood pairs a vintage recipe, Ona Vitkus’ Tomato Soup Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting with her novel, THE ONE-IN-A-MILLION BOY. The tomato soup adds moistness and flavor to these spicy cakes.
Emma Donoghue: Jack’s Sixth-Birthday Cake from ROOM
Emma Donoghue, author of ROOM, imagines her character Jack enjoying this rich double-layer chocolate cake decorated with candy, for his sixth birthday.
Adella’s Rescue Road Bacon Brownies Recipe
A recipe paired with RESCUE ROAD: ONE MAN, THIRTY THOUSAND DOGS, AND A MILLION MILES ON THE LAST HOPE HIGHWAY by Peter Zheutlin (Sourcebooks, 2015). His wife Adella’s Bacon Brownies are one of Greg Mahle’s favorites – a sweet taste of home that helps pass the miles during Greg’s long and physically demanding job bring dogs from the south to the north on Rescue Road Trips.
Juicy Wine Cakes from A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES COOKBOOK
Rum-soaked mini cakes topped with whipped cream and a cherry are classic New Orleans treats. Perfect for book clubs discussing A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES, this recipe comes from A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES COOKBOOK.
Torte, Ollie’s Birthday
Eileen Goudge: Ollie’s Birthday Torte ONCE IN A BLUE MOON In my latest novel, Once in a Blue Moon, café barista Ollie has a deft touch with baked goods. This is a version of the birthday torte he made for Kerrie Ann’s 30th, using walnuts instead of hazelnuts. It’s a bit labor-intensive, but the end result […]
Sugar Cake, Moravian
Golden Keyes Parsons’s Moravian Sugar Cake WHERE HEARTS ARE FREE While on a research trip to Pennsylvania to the area where my ancestors, the Clavell family, settled in the 1700’s, and where the concluding book of the Darkness to Light series, Where Hearts Are Free, is set, we attended a Clewell (changed from Clavell) family reunion. The series […]
Strawberry 7Up Pie
Margaret Sartor’s Strawberry 7Up Pie and Spiced Tea MISS AMERICAN PIE My mother wasn’t too excited by cooking when I was growing up. Or, to put it more accurately, she never relished hours in the kitchen because there was always plenty else to do. As an artist and mother of five, Mama was a whiz of […]