Summary
Entertain like a queen with these forty recipes for Bridgerton -style food and drink in the first official cookbook from this hugely popular Shondaland series on Netflix.
Whether it's a sumptuous lawn party, a high tea, or a boozy late-night salon, this gorgeous cookbook delivers recipes for finger food, cocktails, and entertaining ideas that help you recreate the high society of Bridgerton in your own home.
Host the perfect pique-nique, complete with the Duke's favorite Gooseberry Hand Pies and a rousing game of Pall Mall (played the Bridgerton way, of course). Create grazing boards with recipes like Roasted Pork Belly Skewers and Beet-Dyed Deviled Eggs that are perfect for a stylish watching party. Evoke the delightful decadence of Lady Danbury's Den of Iniquity with Sausage-Stuffed Mushroom Caps, an espresso martini, and an old-fashioned game of chance.
These forty recipes have been developed with a modern audience in mind, offering mocktail, vegetarian, and gluten-free options to ensure that no fan is left hungry. They are presented alongside mouth-watering food photography, stills from the show, and sidebars explaining essential expertise, such as how to address a Marquis, execute the perfect curtsy, or build a macaron tower sturdy enough to last the night.
It's time to entertain, Bridgerton -style.
Author Notes
Emily Timberlake is a writer based in Oakland, California. She is the co-author of Cure- New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'Em with Neal Bodenheimer, Sundays with Sophie- Flay Family Favorites for Any Day of the Week with Bobby Flay, and the New York Times bestseller FOODHEIM- A Culinary Adventure with Eric Wareheim. She has written about food, wine, and pop culture for the Los Angeles Times , San Francisco Chronicle , Taste, Punch, and more. As a senior editor at Ten Speed Press, Emily edited more than sixty books on food, wine, pop culture, and humor, including twelve James Beard and IACP Award winners.
Excerpts
Introduction "Miss Patridge requires large amounts of sugar for her morning tea, and Lord Abernathy, he will refuse to eat any meat that is not well cooked, while Lady Abernathy will only consume her meat bloody, I am told." --Lady Violet Bridgerton, to her housekeeper For members of the ton, life is an uninterrupted parade of morning visits, al fresco luncheons, dinners, balls, and other social obligations. To most of us, it sounds like a charmed existence: flitting from party to party, with an occasional stop at the modiste to pick up a new dress or Gunter's for tea and ice cream. But ask any ambitious mama, and she will tell you that entertaining (and being entertained) is no trifling matter. Lives, fortunes, and the sanctity of ancient family lineages depend on it. At its heart, the London social season is an opportunity for the most powerful families of Great Britain to forge alliances. "Most marriages of the ton are, in fact, mere matters of business, my dear," Lady Danbury tells Kate Sharma. But unlike barristers and bankers, members of the English aristocracy do not have offices. Instead, their work takes place on promenades through Hyde Park, over tea in Mayfair drawing rooms, or on hunts at country estates. All of this means that the stakes for any given party are extremely high. Being a poor hostess is simply not an option. If your lemonade is too sweet (or not sweet enough), your meat pies are too dry, or your dessert table isn't sufficiently overabundant, then people will talk. Worse still, they will leave early and refuse future invitations. It is no coincidence that the families with the best cooks also have the happiest and most robust social lives. When your intended guest is choosing between two equally compelling breakfast invitations, being able to offer a consistently delicious cup of tea will give you the competitive edge. If you can also promise cream-filled profiteroles (page 121) and crumbly bacon scones (page 137), then their acceptance of your invitation is all but guaranteed. The book you are holding distills the secrets of the best hosts and hostesses of the ton. Their cooks have graciously shared more than forty recipes for finger foods and libations--everything you could possibly need to host your own Bridgerton -inspired soirée. Nobody knows her way around a Blackberry and Citrus Curd Bar (page 143) better than Lady Danbury, and Violet Bridgerton's Miniature Pommes Anna (page 27) are the stuff of legend. Learn how to make a fragrant Masala Chai (page 85) à la Kate Sharma, and you might find a viscount who loves you, too. In addition to the recipes for beverages and hors d'oeuvres, you will find special features that demystify some of the more arcane rules of English high society. If these rules seem confusing, it is very much by design. It is easy to identify outsiders if they don't know how to curtsy or understand the difference between a countess and a viscountess. But with this book as your guide, you will be able to navigate even the most exclusive social situation with grace. If this book inspires you to gather your nearest and dearest around you, then it has done its job. It doesn't matter whether you're celebrating a birthday, engagement, the launch of a new social season, or merely the end of a long workweek. Regardless of the occasion, the recipes that follow guarantee a good time will be had by all. May your parties be delicious, well attended, and fruitful! Excerpted from The Official Bridgerton Guide to Entertaining: How to Cook, Host, and Toast Like a Member of the Ton: a Cookbook by Emily Timberlake All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
