A world of literature I have always been curious about is the one that Jane Austen created in her books. Austen is so adept at making the story all about her characters, their dialogue, their individuality that everything else fades away. But, after reading books like Jo Baker’s Longbourn, it feels like the blurriness is going away, and everyone else that made the stories of Austen’s characters go round is coming into focus. Amidst the points coming into focus was the food in Austen’s books. Hosting and being hosted was a huge part of where Austen’s stories progressed. Most courting happened at dinner parties and balls and in the middle of stolen glances over cool refreshments. It is then no surprise then when I decided to to cook my way through a literary cookbook, I chose one set in the world of Austen. If you are looking for more cookbooks to pick up, here is a list of great cookbook authors and their one must-have cookbook. With all these factors in mind, I began choosing my recipes. I did not have a grand scheme when it came to choosing what I was going to try. Cooking the entire list was going to be tough and narrowing it down was hard. So, I let my pantry dictate what I would end up trying, and thank goodness for well-stocked pantry days.
Pickled Vegetable Salad
My utter disdain for vegetables might be visible in how none of the above has a semblance of either. But, in the year of me trying to fix that, this one seems a good one to try.
Stuffed Tomatoes
Basically cheese and herbs: sounds like a pizza in a bowl.
Cherry Almond Ice Cream
We have got your liquid desserts, now let’s turn to more solid ones. It was a fun exercise trying these recipes and inhabiting the world of the characters that I had not spent time with for a while. What we eat is such a fundamental part of who we are as people, and having more visibility for what some of the classic characters ate adds to the pleasure that these books have been providing through the ages. Now I am off to to pick up my favorite Austen.
