The Book Club Cookbook
by Judy Gelman, Vicki Levy Krupp
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Book Summary Information
Author: Judy Gelman, Vicki Levy KruppEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-05-11
ISBN: 158542322X
Number of pages: 544
Publisher: Tarcher
Book Reviews of The Book Club Cookbook
Book Review: Feed your body - feed the soul!
Summary: 5 Stars
by Judy Bart Kancigor, author of Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family
from The Orange County Register
March 8, 2007
It's a simple idea. You read a good book and you just have to share. Some credit Oprah with starting the phenomenon, but, according to Rachel Jacobsohn, author of "The Reading Group Handbook," there are approximately 500,000 book clubs in the United States, double the number since 1994. And those that combine great books with great dining come away doubly nourished by sharing ideas as they break bread together.
Enter The Book Club Cookbook (Penguin), which pairs 100 popular book club selections with the recipes they inspire. Authors Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp sent thousands of surveys to book clubs across the nation to find out what they are reading and how they dine, and the response was overwhelming.
"When we started hearing the same book titles over and over from many different clubs, we knew those titles would make our list," said Krupp. "We also tried to balance the list by genre. We included fiction, non-fiction, history, memoir, even short stories. We included books highly recommended by African-American book clubs not found on other lists. Some L.A. Asian professionals read only books with Asian themes. Women of the West in Boulder, Colorado, read only books with an American Western woman protagonist or author."
The books are arranged alphabetically, and each section includes a brief synopsis - just enough to whet your appetite but not give away the story - a profile of a book club reading that book, and a recipe to pair with the selection: Tandoori Shrimp for "Life of Pi," Death by Chocolate for "The Da Vinci Code," Honey Cake for "The Secret Life of Bees." In many cases the book's author contributes a recipe or comment.
"The most elaborate and elegant dinner we heard about was served by The Dallas Gourmet Book Club for their discussion of `Personal History' by Katherine Graham," noted Gelman. "It included champagne, wine, Caviar Pie, Sausage Pinwheels, Shrimp Curry, Saffron Rice, Green Bean Bundles and Chocolate Raspberry Tarts. The group even printed a menu to look like headline news in The Washington Post."
The oldest club Gelman and Krupp found, the Wednesday Club of Fort Smith, Arkansas, has been meeting for 106 years! "It started as a literary society dedicated to self-improvement of the members," said Krupp. "Just recently the women decided to stop referring to each other as `Mrs.' and to start using first names. They read only nonfiction and serve dessert and coffee or tea with silver and linen napkins."
The cookbook's web site (www.bookclubcookbook.com) is an invaluable resource for readers. Want to speak personally to an author with those burning questions that only the author could answer? The "Invite an Author" page enables you to contact such luminaries as Chris Bohjalian, Jackie Mitchard and Kathryn Harrison for a phone discussion during your meeting. And sign up for their newsletter "Book Bytes" for reading suggestions and coordinating menu ideas.
Fullerton's own Taal Restaurant (on Nutwood across from Cal State 714-871-7846), my favorite for Indian cuisine, contributed a recipe for Chicken Biryani to pair with a discussion of "A Fine Balance" by the local Second Wednesday Dinner Book Club.
TAAL RESTAURANT'S CHICKEN BIRYANI
From "The Book Club Cookbook" by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon corn oil
2 large onions, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced, or 2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained
2 teaspoons garam masala* (This Indian spice mixture can be found in Indian markets.)
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 to 4 teaspoons red chili powder
2 teaspoons kosher (coarse) salt (divided use)
1 1/2 pounds skinned, boned chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
4 bay leaves
2 cups basmati rice
1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet. Sauté onions until beginning to soften. Add ginger, garlic and tomatoes; cook 2 minutes. Stir in spices and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until done but tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Bring 3½ cups water to a boil in a medium-size saucepan. Add cumin seeds, bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon oil. Stir in rice. Simmer, covered, until rice is tender and liquid absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Combine chicken and rice (discard the bay leaves) in large serving bowl; toss to mix. Garnish with raisins, cilantro, and mint.
Summary of The Book Club Cookbook
This first cookbook created specifically for book clubs shows readers how to add a delightfully delicious angle to their book club gatherings.
Featuring recipes and food-related discussion ideas for one hundred popular book club selections, The Book Club Cookbook guides readers in selecting and preparing culinary masterpieces that tie in just right with the literary masterpieces their club is reading. From "Honey Cakes" to go along with The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd to "Eggplant Caponata" to go with Bel Canto by Ann Patchett; from "Lemony Goat Cheese Tart" with Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel to "Shrimp Flautas" for Empire Falls by Richard Russo; The Book Club Cookbook makes adding foods that stem from the books your club reads fun and easy.
Vicki Levy Krupp and Judy Gelman polled hundreds of book clubs all over the country to determine what their members are reading and to discover the creative ways that they're integrating food into their meetings. With recipes and colorful background information on the role that food plays in the reading choices-much of which was contributed by the authors of the book club selections themselves-The Book Club Cookbook will add some real flavor to your book club meetings.
Featuring recipes and food-related discussion ideas for one hundred popular book club selections, The Book Club Cookbook guides readers in selecting and preparing culinary masterpieces that tie in just right with the literary masterpieces their club is reading. From "Honey Cakes" to go along with The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd to "Eggplant Caponata" to go with Bel Canto by Ann Patchett; from "Lemony Goat Cheese Tart" with Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel to "Shrimp Flautas" for Empire Falls by Richard Russo; The Book Club Cookbook makes adding foods that stem from the books your club reads fun and easy.
Vicki Levy Krupp and Judy Gelman polled hundreds of book clubs all over the country to determine what their members are reading and to discover the creative ways that they're integrating food into their meetings. With recipes and colorful background information on the role that food plays in the reading choices-much of which was contributed by the authors of the book club selections themselves-The Book Club Cookbook will add some real flavor to your book club meetings.
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