Can You Eat Your Way Through Narnia?

And by Narnia, of course I mean The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis!

And the answer to the question, is "YES you can!"

Synopsis: Have you ever wished you could travel through the wardrobe with Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter, simply to taste some of the wondrous food they eat? Ever tried tucking a piece of toffee in the ground, hoping a toffee tree would grow so you could eat sweets for breakfast?

Now you can recreate the delicious meals from Narnia in the comfort of your own home without worrying about the White Witch or epic battles. Menus include more than 150 easy-to-make recipes for breakfast, snacks, lunch, dinner, and of course dessert.

Relive the magical and glorious world of Narnia as you cook your way through foods so good you'll think Aslan delivered them himself.

•Breakfast with Trumpkin the Dwarf — Fire roasted pavenders
•Tea with Tumnus the Faun-soft — Boiled eggs and sugar-dusted tea cake
•Snack with the White Witch — Turkish Delight
•Dinner with the Beavers — Fried trout and homemade sandwich bread
•Dessert from Father Christmas — Plum pudding and Christmas biscuits

"Eating and reading are two pleasures that combine admirably."—C.S. Lewis

Review: If you have a child who adores Narnia, then this cookbook would be a perfect addition to their Easter basket! From the moment you look at the cover, you know it will be full of wonderous delights. I think my love of all things 'old style' Britain started with this series, as C.S. Lewis wrote with such adoration of his times and traditional British food and style! It's no wonder that Agatha Christie later caught me in her web and kept me there! This book carries on that wonderful tradition watermarked paper and blue ink, adding to the charm factor!

The book is divided into 4 chapters: 
- Beautiful Breakfasts
- Snacks, Teas and Meals on the Run, 
- Lunch and Dinner Menus
- Fabulous Feasts

The recipes are based on the descriptions in the Narnia books, and very traditional British for the most part, with items like oatmeal cakes, rack of deer,  shepherd's pie and porridge. Many items may seem foreign (like calf's tongue and eels), but are more common in European cooking, The recipes go from simple, that young children can make, to more difficult (like the multi-layered fruit pudding/trifle). While some reviewers have complained  about the lack of photos, I think not providing them was a good idea, as it allows the cook to match the idea in their head, to what comes out of the oven! And besides, there is always the internet if you absolutely need a picture! 

Bucholz includes a preamble with all the recipes- telling where it was mentioned and in what context (and what book and chapter!). She also includes little tidbits of historical or cultural info, to add to the meaning of why C.S. Lewis may have included that recipe in the Narnia books,

I know Miss Grace will love this cookbook as she gets older and starts reading the Narnia series- I can pretty much assure you that we will be cooking our way through it, a la Julie and Julia! It is a lovely book and one you should pick up for every fan of the Narnia series!

Here is one of my favorite recipes from the book, which happens to come from my favorite book of the Narnia series!

“And when they had finished the fish, Mrs. Beaver brought unexpectedly out of the oven a great and gloriously sticky marmalade roll, steaming hot…” - Chapter 7 – “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe”

When all four Pevensies finally made it through the wardrobe, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver put their lives on the line to hide them and keep them safe. After a dinner of fried fish, potatoes and fresh bread slathered with butter, this amazing dessert is set on the table for everyone to enjoy. 


Sticky Marmalade Roll

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon (1 packet) instant yeast
• 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) butter, softened
• 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• ½ cup milk, at room temperature
• 1 cup orange marmalade
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon sugar mixed with ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and yeast.
2. Add the butter, egg yolks, and milk and combine.
3. Knead with an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook or by hand for 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and comes away cleanly from the sides of the bowl.
4. Place in an oiled bowl, turning to coat the dough. cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, 1½ to 2 hours.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
6. Roll out the dough on a floured work surface about ¼ -inch thick into a rectangle. Transfer the dough rectangle to the baking sheet (once filled, it will be difficult to move).
7. Spread the marmalade down the center of the rectangle, leaving a 2-inch border on each side.
8. Cut 2-inch long slits 1 inch apart along the length of the rectangle on both sides.
9. Fold the flaps over the filling. Brush the top of the roll with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.
10. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating halfway through baking, until golden and bubbling.


About the Author: Dinah Buchloz is the author of the New York Times bestselling Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook. She started out with a degree in English, went on to teach the subject, and followed that up with an editing job at a magazine publisher in Manhattan. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and four children. She had never been to Narnia but plans to visit as soon as she finds the right wardrobe.


Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book, free of charge, from Bostick Communications, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it