Ready for dinner?
We're still working on the dinner list for this year's dinners. Check out last year's list and come back to register for 2012 in August.
Literary Feast 2011 Dinner Descriptions
1. Founding Gardeners – Andrea Wulf
Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison not only planted the seeds of democracy, but they also laid the agricultural foundation for the fresh, regional bounty of this all-American feast.
2. The Code of the Woosters – P.G. Wodehouse
Bertie and Aunt Dahlia concoct an astounding menu for her equally astounding chef that includes every ‘French’ delicacy from ‘consommé aux pommes d’amour’ (tomato soup) to ‘le plum pudding.’
3. Chocolat – Joanne Harris
The sinful pleasures of chocolate stir up the somnolent passions of a sleepy French village in this novel, which inspires a menu based entirely on that one delectable ingredient. Sacré bleu!
4. The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner
Amble on down to Yoknapatawpha Country for this Mississippi dinner featuring authentic Delta hot tamales as well as fried chicken, ham, vegetables, sweet tea—and, of course, wine.
5. Literary Feasts – Barbara Scrafford
Indulge in an omnibus of treats from your favorite novels. Will it be Mrs. Ramsay’s boeuf en daube from To the Lighthouse, jam tarts from Sons and Lovers, or Madame Bovary’s chicken fricassee?
6. The Shipping News – E. Annie Proulx
The coast of Newfoundland offers up its riches for this seafood dinner that also features regional specialties such as braised rabbit pie—and maybe a figgy duff for dessert? Vegetarian friendly
7. Bossypants – Tina Fey
Brace yourself for this dinner inspired by 30 Rock and Saturday Night Live. Think Manhattans and Cosmos, thin-crust pizzas, New York strip steaks, and Waldorf salad. If you're a real "Maverick [wink]," this dinner is for you.
8. Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer – Novella Carpenter
Raising poultry and vegetables in the middle of Oakland, California, may not sound like your idea of fun, but the challenges make the rewards—like this dinner—all the sweeter. Vegetarian friendly
9. The Museum of Innocence – Orhan Pamuk
Fine Turkish cuisine awaits you at this portable feast, which offers appetizers and cocktails at one house, followed by a trip across ‘the Bosphorus’ for the divine main course at another.
10. The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafón
An international best-seller from Barcelona sets the stage for a feast of Spanish cuisine, known for tapas, paella—and fruit-laden glasses of sangria.
11. 44 Scotland Street – Alexander McCall Smith
Knock on the door of 44 and enjoy an Edinburgh boarding house feast. Whether haggis is on the menu, we can’t say, but you can bet your oats that other Scottish specialties will abound.
12. Excel for Dummies – Greg Harvey
Enable your taste buds to take a seat at this table, where your hosts will offer micro bites, bold wines, and multiple scenarios of culinary excellence, the sum of which will be off the charts.
13. My First Summer in Sierra – John Muir
Naturalist John Muir first experienced Yosemite National Park as a sheepherder, but don’t expect lamb at this feast, which features instead a flock of tasty vegetarian dishes. Vegetarian.
14. The Beekeeper’s Lament – Hannah Nordhaus
Do your part to keep bees (and beekeepers) busy by attending this honey of a feast that showcases not only the critters’ main product but the tasty results of their pollination.
15. I Put a Spell On You – Nina Simone
Celebrate jazz great Nina Simone with an international culinary tribute that follows her peripatetic journey from North Carolina to Africa, and from Paris to New York.
16. The Mystic Masseur – V.S. Naipaul
In a nod to V.S. Naipaul’s heritage, this multinational feast features the cuisine of India, and Trinidad and Tobago, offering an exotic blend of callaloos and curries with a Caribbean flavor.
17. The Godfather – Mario Puzo
Sit down with the family for antipasti, maybe some Sicilian seared tuna in sweet pepper sauce. A little risotto or pasta? Let us make you an offer you can’t refuse.
18. The Quiet American – Graham Greene
French Indochina provides the backdrop for this novel—and a corresponding feast of specialties from Vietnam, known for its pho, lemon grass flavorings, and grilled fishes and meats.
19. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
No mockingbirds will be killed in the making of this feast (we can’t speak for other poultry), which features good old-fashioned, down-home Alabama barbeque with all the fixin’s.
20. I’m Not Scared – Niccolo Ammaniti
Have no fear! You’ll be benvenuti at this Tuscan feast, which offers an abbondanza of hearty specialties evoking the flavors and hospitality of an Italian country kitchen.
21. Cleopatra – Stacy Schiff
Cruise down the Nile with the enigmatic Egyptian queen for a meal anchored by Armenian and Israeli dishes. No need to barge in; just sign on and this feast may be yours. Vegetarian friendly
22. Candide – Voltaire
The ‘best of all possible cuisine’ is the theme of this meal that draws on regional cooking from places that Voltaire visited, including Westphalia, Holland, Portugal, Argentina, Bulgaria, and Turkey. Vegetarian friendly
23. Malinche – Laura Esquivel
A new novel by the famed Mexican author of Like Water for Chocolate can mean only one thing: a sequel of sensuous and spicy offerings from the land of chilies and chorizo.
24. Amsterdam – Ian McEwan
Enjoy a gazellig evening of typical Dutch fare such as stamppot met wurst (a traditional kale mash with sausage). Those brave enough might indulge in a kopstootje (“little head butt”)—gin with a beer chaser. Eet smakelijk!
25. The School of Night – Louis Bayard
Don your ruff and join the royal procession to Elizabethan England for this 16th-century feast, when roasts, puddings, and pyes ruled—and ‘twas an ill cook that could not lick his fingers.
26. Tales of Risotto – Jean Govoni Salvadore and Luciano Parolari
Who would have thought that a tiny grain could be so assolutamente fantastico? Based on recipes from the legendary Villa D’Este, this Italian feast will supply everything but a view of Lake Como.
27. The Snowman – Jo Nesbo
Brrrrr. Come in out of the cold for this warm feast of hearty winter fare—perhaps a robust stew, some savory root vegetables—and maybe a little hot toddy to take off the chill?
28. That Summer in Sicily: A Love Story – Marlena de Blasi
The mistress of the lodge in the isolated mountains of Italy that the author and her husband stumbled upon one summer provided shelter, stories—and fabulous Sicilian family recipes. Vegetarian friendly
29. How Are You Peeling? Foods with Moods – Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers
Everybody peels better when they can project their cares onto a crying onion, so think how good you’ll feel after a healthy meal featuring the season’s best local produce, cheeses, and grains. Vegetarian
30. Little Chapel on the River – Gwendolyn Bounds
Upscale Irish fare, including lamb or salmon, will be the order of the day at this feast based on a book whose subtitle says it all: A Pub, a Town, and the Search for What Matters Most.
31. Bless Me, Ultima – Rudolfo Anaya
This classic Chicano novel set in New Mexico provides the inspiration for a southwestern menu of soup, ribs, slaw, cornbread—and a gift of ‘healing herbs’ to take home.
32. Persepolis – Mariane Satrapi
Based on the autobiography of a young woman who grew up during the Islamic revolution, this feast features Middle Eastern cuisine with a focus on the food of Iran (think shish kabob!).
33. An Object of Beauty – Steve Martin
With Sotheby’s as its setting, this novel spins off a menu based on famous painters and paintings, with sophisticated fare that avant-garde art-lovers would rave over at a New York gallery opening dinner.
34. Surprise Me!
