The recipes selected are both appropriate to the voice they are delivered in, and are highly edible, if you are able to move beyond enjoying the book for it's literary and humourous values and actually cook from it. Although I've not read literature by each author Crick represents, I have read enough of them to thoroughly revel in the work, and can imagine that the recipes indeed comes directly from his or her kitchen.
The recipes run the gamut including Tarragon eggs a la Jane Austen where we hear Jane's literary voice explain that "The eggs of Oakley Farm had only recently been settled in at the kitchen at Somercote, but already Mrs B___ was planning a meal that would introduce them to the neighbourhood with what she hoped would be universal acceptance". Crick builds a story around the recipe, preceding the actual food preparation with three pages establishing the motive and decision behind the choice of Tarragon to accompany the eggs before moving onto what is essentially a very simple scrambled egg with tarragon.
The Fenkata a la Homer explores both a decidedly appetising rabbit dish, as well as the tension between Achilles and Agamemnon over who gains the better portion, drawing the reader back into the world of the Illiad, and the very sensual Boned Stuffed Poussins a la Marquis de Sade also draw the reader back to the works of the literary great they are imitating. All the recipes are extremely readable, from the Onion Tart a la Geoffrey Chaucer to the Clafoutis Grandmere a la Virginia Woolf, and I even enjoyed the Coq au vin a la Gabriel Garcia Marquez (possibly because it didn't take 100 pages for anything to happen), but my favourite recipe is definately the Rich Chocolate Cake a la Irvine Welsh.
This cookbook is a joy to read, especially if you're into literature. Recommended for literary types, and those who like a giggle.
- Kath
