Scan barcode
A review by octavia_cade
Dinner with Mr. Darcy: Recipes Inspired By the Novels of Jane Austen by Pen Vogler
informative
relaxing
slow-paced
3.0
I picked this up at a library sale, because I enjoy cooking and because Pride and Prejudice is one of my favourite books. It's an interesting idea... snippets of Georgian food history interspersed with examples from Austen's novels, and modernised recipes contrasted with their contemporary inspirations. (I now know what a peck of flour is, but there's no way I'm beating a sponge batter for an hour, sorry.) There are quite a few things here that I wouldn't mind making, although the terrifying marzipan hedgehog isn't one of them, and I note that the author clearly recommends that readers don't sit it in a sea of jelly, as the original cook instructed - though I'm curious to know what disaster would occur!
One thing did irritate me a bit, which dropped the book down a half-star. The original recipes are all in this thin, handwritten font, and I understand it's a stylistic choice, but screw that: one of the reasons type has become so predominant is that it's easily readable. If a font choice slows me down, and this one does, I end up annoyed by it. Still, I suppose I never planned to try the original recipes anyway... but I've always wanted to give caudle a go. I don't know why, it strikes me as something which sounds quite revolting, sort of a boozy porridge drink for invalids, but it's just weird enough I want to try it. Not weird like the hedgehog, though. That's one disgusting marzipan step too far.
One thing did irritate me a bit, which dropped the book down a half-star. The original recipes are all in this thin, handwritten font, and I understand it's a stylistic choice, but screw that: one of the reasons type has become so predominant is that it's easily readable. If a font choice slows me down, and this one does, I end up annoyed by it. Still, I suppose I never planned to try the original recipes anyway... but I've always wanted to give caudle a go. I don't know why, it strikes me as something which sounds quite revolting, sort of a boozy porridge drink for invalids, but it's just weird enough I want to try it. Not weird like the hedgehog, though. That's one disgusting marzipan step too far.