Weekend Cooking: The New York Edition + Recipe

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.

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As some of you know, I was in New York last week for Book Expo America (BEA). Naturally, much of my week centered around the food! Here a few photos and one recipe. I was lucky enough to have been invited to several additional functions and had dinners with my bookish friends, but not all my photos are share-worthy. I picked these events to highlight because I have okay pictures to go with my descriptions. (Click on any shot to see it larger.)

On Monday afternoon I was thrilled to have been invited to a champagne tea hosted by Random House. We were served refreshing tea/wine cocktails, yummy tea sandwiches, and these light but tasty cookies. While sipping and daintily nibbling on our treats, we all talked books and shared some of our recommendations. Even better, we got to hear author Lisa See tell us about her latest novel, Dreams of Joy. I've read most of what Lisa has written, and I'm a huge fan. Everyone there was also lucky enough to have her sign a copy of her book for us. I'm still beaming!

To the right is part of the spread at another lovely reception; this one held by Picador, whose offices are in the Flatiron Building! Yes, we were taken up to the second-highest floor, where we were treated to a fabulous view, wonderful company, and delicious treats. There was drawing for special prizes, and I won a signed copy of Jonathan Franzen's Freedom. I was so excited, I actually squealed! I'm not kidding. This was such a great chance to get to know the Picador people better and to have a moment to relax with friends.

You may remember my Weekend Cooking post about my grandmothers. That post was a winner in a couple of ways. First, of course, the recipes were great and I loved sharing a story about my family. But, second, I won the chance to have a walking tour of Greenwich Village and lunch with the wonderfully awesome and super friendly and down-to-earth Adriana Trigiani, author of many wonderful novels and a new memoir: Don't Sing at the Table. (Thank you HarperCollins and TLC Book Tours!) I took tons of pictures of the people, but forgot to photograph my meal. We had lunch at the recently opened and very fashionable Standard Grill in the Village. To the left is what the front of the restaurant looks like, with outdoor seating. We ate inside, though, in the cozy and private wine room.

I was also blessed to meet another one of my favorite authors and someone I consider to be a good friend, although this is the first time we met face to face. Beth Hoffman has to be one of the most generous, sweetest, warmest, people I've ever met. She's also the author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, one of my favorite books from 2010. The lovely Beth flew into New York to have dinner with a group of her fans at the tres chic Mercer Kitchen. Food and company couldn't have been better. Here's my scrumptious dessert.

While waiting for the rest of the party to arrive, several of us sat at the bar and ordered a drink. OMG. I fell in love with the restaurant's Vodka-Thyme Lemonade. I swear I could have gladly drunk a pitcher of them all by myself. Herbs and lemon . . . really! I'd take them over many other flavors in a heartbeat. I am so excited to have found the recipe on the Food & Wine website.

Vodka-Thyme Lemonade from Jean-Georges Vongerichten

• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ice
• 3 lemon wedges
• ¼ cup Lemon-Thyme Syrup (see recipe)
• ¼ cup vodka
• splash of club soda
• 1 thyme sprig

Spread sugar in a dish, moisten rim of highball glass with water and dip into the sugar to coat the rim. Fill glass with ice. In a cocktail shaker, muddle the lemon wedges with the syrup. Add some of the ice from the glass and the vodka and shake well. Strain into the glass, top with club soda and garnish with thyme.

Lemon-Thyme Syrup
Combine 1½ cups water and 1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add ¾ ounce lemon thyme sprigs and cover and let stand for at least 2 hours or overnight. Add ¾ ounce fresh lemon juice and strain the syrup. Keeps, refrigerated, for 5 days.

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Imprint Friday: The Book of (Even More) Awesome by Neil Pasricha

Welcome to Imprint Friday and today's featured imprint: Amy Einhorn Books. Stop by each week to be introduced to a must-read title from one of my favorite imprints. I know you'll be adding many of these books to your wish list.

A few weeks ago I introduced you to Neil Pasricha's new book, The Book of (Even More) Awesome. Neil has the knack of finding those happy moments in ordinary life that can turn around your mood or change your entire day.

Here's the publisher's summary:

In this follow-up to The Book of Awesome, Neil Pasricha looks at even more of the little things that make us smile every day.

Neil Pasricha is back with a collection of hundreds more awesome things from the website, as well as never-before-seen extraordinary moments that deserve celebration:

Entries include:

• When your windshield wipers match the beat of the song you're listening to
• Letting go of the gas pump perfectly so you end on a round number
• When a baby falls asleep on you

Because couldn't we all use a little more AWESOME?

As I read through this new collection, I found myself nodding my head in agreement to so many of Neil's awesome moments. For example, one of my favorites is "The sound of barely frozen puddles cracking when you step on them." I loved this as a kid and I love it still. And with summer right around the corner for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, how about this one? "Eating anything from your own garden." For me, biting into a sun-warmed, just picked, perfectly ripe tomato while I'm still actually in my garden has to be one of the most awesome moments ever.

You might not know that Neil started his blog, 1000 Awesome Things, to help himself move past some difficult moments in his personal life. By remembering the small joys and sharing them with the world, Neil rediscovered happiness. Whatever your mood or current circumstances may be, The Book of (Even More) Awesome is guaranteed to put a little sunshine into your day. Hey, that's pretty awesome, isn't it?

Amy Einhorn Books is a featured imprint on Beth Fish Reads. For more information about the imprint, please read Amy Einhorn's open letter posted here on January 25, 2010, or click the Amy Einhorn tab below my banner photo. To join the Amy Einhorn Books Reading Challenge, click the link.

The Book of (Even More) Awesome at an Indie

The Book of (Even More) Awesome at Powell's

The Book of (Even More) Awesome at Book Depository
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Published by Putnam / Amy Einhorn Books, April 2011
ISBN-13: 9780399157509

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Review: Three Shadows by Cyril Pedrosa

Warning: This review reveals the plot, but readers understand the ending from about page 7.

Louis and Lise and their young son, Joachim, live in the country. Although they work hard, they are in bliss, with plenty of time to laugh and play and read and dance. All that changes the night Joachim sees three riders silhouetted on a nearby ridge.

Joachim, of course, is afraid of the shadows. His parents try to comfort him, although they know why the three have appeared. When the couple understands that the shadows will remain until they have fulfilled their mission, Louis takes the boy faraway and across the sea to escape the watchful eyes of the strangers. But when the shadows come for you, you cannot hide.

Cyril Pedrosa's absorbing and sad Three Shadows examines what parents will do to prevent one of the most difficult trials imaginable: the death of a child. From fear to desperate acts, from acceptance to the reembracing of life, Louis and Lise learn that "We have to make the most of the summer. It never lasts long enough." As for Joachim, he eventually turns to the shadows, losing his fear and going willingly when they finally call.

The black-and-white drawings are powerful in their simplicity, and Pedrosa's short book is one to experience firsthand. You'll read this graphic novel once fairly quickly and then again to remember it, to study the drawings, and to find the seeds of comfort at the end.

Click on the scan to see it full size and get a feel for the artwork and text. Thanks to Vasilly from 1330V for telling me about Three Shadows.

Give it to me quickly: A moving tale of parental love, grief, and finally peace.

Three Shadows at an Indie

Three Shadows at Powell's

Three Shadows at Book Depository
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Published by First Second, 2007 (translated from the French)
ISBN-13: 9781596432390
YTD: 51
Source: Borrowed (see review policy).
Rating: B
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)

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BEA: Hot Book Club Titles Panel

As many of you know, I was in New York last week for Book Expo America (BEA), the major annual trade show for the U.S. publishing industry.

One of the panels I try not to miss is called Hot Book Club Titles. This year the panel consisted of representatives from ten publishers. Because I had a conflict, I was able to hear only the first five presentations. Each speaker discussed several titles, thus I cannot highlight each one. Instead I'm going to present the lists and spotlight my pick from each publisher.

The presenters did a great job because I immediately added the following books to my wish list.

Algonquin. Let me simply say that Algonquin proved once again why I feature their books time and time again for Imprint Friday. You'll see upcoming posts about several of the suggested book club titles. Look at their list: When She Woke by Hillary Jordan, Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron, The Taste of Salt by Martha Southgate, and Maman's Homesick Pie by Donia Bojan. What a difficult choice! My Algonquin pick is When She Woke: Adult dystopia set in the near future. Could it happen?

In the mid-21st century, a young woman in Texas awakens to a nightmare: her skin has been genetically altered, turned bright red as punishment for the crime of having an abortion.

Inspired by The Scarlet Letter, When She Woke depicts an American dystopia where terrorist attacks, natural disasters and a pandemic causing infertility have swung the country to the far right, and convicted criminals are “chromed” according to the nature of their crime and then released. A stigmatized woman in a hostile and frightening world, Hannah Payne must seek a path northward to safety. Her perilous journey becomes one of self-discovery and transfiguration as she realizes that faith, love and sexuality are not just political. They’re personal.

Hachette. Hachette embraces so many great imprints and their suggestions for book clubs ranges from American sports to war-torn Iraq, from novels to memoirs. Here's their list: The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach, Being Polite to Hitler by Robin Forman Dew, If I Bring You Roses by Marisel Vera, One Hundred and One Nights by Benjamin Buchholz, The Orchard by Theresa Weir, and Silenced by Kia Dupree. A truly great group of books. My Hachette pick is The Orchard: This memoir set in the Midwest focuses on a family farm and the environmental and economic choices that must be made to keep the farm afloat.

The Orchard is the story of a street-smart city girl who must adapt to a new life on an apple farm after she falls in love with Adrian Curtis, the golden boy of a prominent local family whose lives and orchards seem to be cursed. Married after only three months, young Theresa finds life with Adrian on the farm far more difficult and dangerous than she expected. Rejected by her husband's family as an outsider, she slowly learns for herself about the isolated world of farming, pesticides, environmental destruction, and death, even as she falls more deeply in love with her husband, a man she at first hardly knew and the land that has been in his family for generations. She becomes a reluctant player in their attempt to keep the codling moth from destroying the orchard, but she and Adrian eventually come to know that their efforts will not only fail but will ultimately take an irreparable toll.

Harper Perennial. As you know Harper Perennial is another featured imprint here on Beth Fish Reads. Of the six books presented, I had stars on four titles. Here is Harper's list: An Impartial Witness by Charles Todd, Domestic Violets by Matthew Norman, Don't Sing at the Tableby Adriana Trigiani, Everything We Ever Wanted by Sara Shepard, Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. by Sam Wasson, and The Oracle of Stamboul by Michael David Lukas. Several of these books are already on my Imprint Friday schedule and the others are on my wish list. My Harper Perennial pick is Don't Sing at the Table. Not only was I fortunate enough to have lunch with Adriana last week, but I love any book that focuses on food and grandmothers and family--this is nonfiction.

In Don't Sing at the Table, this much-beloved writer has gathered their estimable life lessons, revealing how her grandmothers' simple values have shaped her own life, sharing the experiences, humor, and wisdom of her beloved mentors to delight readers of all ages.

Lucia Spada Bonicelli (Lucy) and Yolanda Perin Trigiani (Viola) lived through the twentieth century from beginning to end as working women who juggled careers and motherhood. From the factory line to the family table, Lucy and Viola, the very definition of modern women, cut a path for their granddaughter by demonstrating moxie and pluck in their fearless approach to life, love, and overcoming obstacles.

Lucy's and Viola's traditions and spiritual fortitude will encourage you to hold on to the values that make life rich and beautiful. Their entrepreneurial spirit will inspire you to take risks and reap the rewards. And their remarkable resilience in the face of tragedy will be a source of strength and comfort.

Trigiani visits the past to seek answers to the essential questions that define the challenges women face today at work and at home. This is a primer, grandmother to granddaughter, filled with everyday wisdom and life lessons that are truly "tiramisu for the soul" (The Examiner), handed down with care and built to last.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. HMH presented a short but fabulous list of fiction for book club reads: historical fiction, contemporary fiction, historical mystery, and contemporary humor. Have a look: The Maid by Kimberly Cutter, We the Animals by Justin Torres, The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch, and Mule by Tony D'Souza. I circled three out of the four. My Houghton Mifflin Harcourt pick is The Maid: historical fiction about Joan of Arc, focusing on the woman, not the saint.

It is the early part of the fifteenth century and the tumultuous Hundred Years War rages on. The French city of Orleans is under siege, English soldiers tear through the countryside wreaking destruction on all who cross their path, and Charles VII, the uncrowned king, has neither the strength nor the will to rally his army. And in the quiet of her parents’ garden in Domremy, a twelve-year-old peasant girl, Jehanne, hears a voice that will change her life – and the course of European history.

The tale of Jehanne d’Arc, the saint and warrior who believed she had been chosen by God to save France, and who led an army of 10,000 soldiers against the English, has captivated our imagination for centuries. But the story of Jehanne--the girl--whose sister was murdered by the English, who sought an escape from her violent father and a forced marriage, who taught herself to ride, and fight, and lead, and who somehow found the courage and tenacity to convince first one, then two, then tens, then thousands to follow her, is at once thrilling, unexpected and heart-breaking.

Sweeping, gripping and rich with intrigue, betrayal, love and valour, The Maid is an unforgettable novel about the power and burden of faith, and the exhilarating and devastating consequences of fame.

Macmillian. Macmillian's suggestions for book clubs is truly awesome, including well-known, prize-winning authors and soon-to-be popular titles. Could you pick just one from this list? Best Friends, Occasional Enemies by Lisa Scottoline, By Nightfall by Michael Cunningham, Freedom by Jonathan Franzen, The Leftovers by Tom Perotta, The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides, and The Sisters by Nancy Jensen. Oh yeah. Great list. My Macmillian pick is The Sisters: A family story that begins in the 1920s and continues at least into the 1970s. I'm intrigued by the description, and I bet book clubs will find much to discuss.

Growing up in hardscrabble Kentucky in the 1920s, with their mother dead and their stepfather an ever-present threat, Bertie Fisher and her older sister Mabel have no one but each other—with perhaps a sweetheart for Bertie waiting in the wings. But on the day that Bertie receives her eighth-grade diploma, good intentions go terribly wrong, setting off a chain of misunderstandings that will send the sisters on separate paths and reverberate through their daughters’ and granddaughters’ lives.

What happens when nothing turns out as you planned? From the Depression through World War II and Vietnam, and smaller events both tragic and joyful. Bertie and Mabel forge unexpected identities and raise daughters—and sisters—of their own, learning that love and betrayal are even more complicated than they seem. Gorgeously written, with extraordinary insight and emotional truth, Nancy Jensen’s debut novel illuminates the far-reaching power of family and family secrets.

The other publishers presenting on the panel were Hyperion, Penguin USA, Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Norton. As I mentioned, I had to leave the panel early, but the audience was given a list of the titles each publisher planned to discuss. Based on my personal conversations with representatives of these companies (not on the presentation at the panel) and on the lists each publisher provided, I suggest the follow titles to book clubs:

• Knit One, Pearl One by Gil McNeil (Hyperion)
• The Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards (Penguin)
• The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield (Random House)
• The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman (Simon & Schuster)
• Trespass by Rose Tremain

Does anything look good to you?

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Wordless Wednesday 132

Fountain, New York City 2011

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