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Hello everyone,
I think this might be of interest to some of you, given it's all about exploring Gothic literature and through a specific lens (i.e. food).
I am a food and literature expert currently writing A Gothic Cookbook with my friend Ella, an award-winning food journalist. It is, as far as we know, the ONLY Gothic cookbook. But we need the help of Gothic/literature/Gothic literature/food/cookbook fans and communities to help spread the word and get us to our crowdfunding target on Unbound (link below).
It's 100% illustrated (there are examples of the hand-drawn images in the link), with each of 13 chapters focusing on a classic and contemporary Gothic novel, novella or short story. We'll discuss the edible themes, symbolism and fascinating food facts in that text, followed by 4-5 recipes for dishes and drinks inspired by that book.
It’s vegetarian and vegan friendly, with any recipes that are meaty/fishy accompanied by tried and tested adaptations. And I should probably stress that the dishes are designed to be eaten and enjoyed – there are no eyeballs on the plate. No snips, snails and puppy dogs’ tails. No brains on toast. Neither is it all about puns and gimmicks. (No monster mash, cakes iced to look like Rosemary’s Baby, etc etc.)
Instead, the recipes are either based on dishes mentioned in the Gothic tales (such as the chicken paprikash, described on the very first page of Jonathan Harker’s diary in Dracula) or inspired by food and drink themes and motifs in the books. Such as:
• Our twist on Florence Balcombe's "Dracula Salad", written by the widow of Bram Stoker and published in a church pamphlet in 1912.
• A plate of fresh ricotta-filled ravioli as gleefully and greedily devoured by Mrs Van Hopper with her "fat, bejewelled fingers" while our poor heroine picks at someone else's rejects, a cold, badly carved "plate of ham and tongue" - in Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca.
• Gin and tonic cake, inspired by Mrs Poole's destructive (and, for Bertha, liberating) habit in Jane Eyre.
• Chilean seafood stew or “chupe” and portentous (yet pleasurable) chocolate mousses a la Rosemary’s Baby.
• Desserts inspired by Toni Morrison's seminal classic, Beloved, where “sugar could always be counted on to please [the ghost]"
• Hot chocolate pudding pots, cider and sausage casserole, and baked pheasant with hazelnut stuffing, brought to life from the pages of Angela Carter's chilling short story, The Bloody Chamber.
Anyone interested/curious/still wondering what it's all about – please have a look at our Unbound page (below), where there are illustrations, a synopsis and an excerpt. Feel free to ask me anything, and to share with any Gothic/literature/food/all of the above fans.
PS We decided on "A" rather than "The" for the title, after much debate, because we both felt it was more curious, mysterious and just more "Gothic", somehow. It evokes "an air of indeterminacy that reflects the resistance to boundaries". That's how thoughtful/geeky we are...
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What's your vote on mincemeat: yay or nay? I just made some for the first time after taking an online class from The Regency Cook. I thoroughly enjoyed the class and the pies! Read more on the blog today:
The second video I thought would interest you--
A couple of videos that might be of interest--