10 Book and Meal Pairings for Cozy Nights In
When the evenings get dark early, I want two things: something good to read and something warm on the table. Lucky for me, those two things have always gone together. Books are full of food, if you look for it. Characters fall in love over dinner, fall apart over breakfast, and survive on whatever they can find in a tin.
Over the years, pairing books with meals has become the whole idea behind this blog. So I went back through the archive and pulled together ten of my favorite pairings for a quiet night in. Some are proper dinners, a few are simple enough for a tired weeknight, and at least one is just for fun.
Pick a book, pick a dish, and settle in. Each pairing below links to the full post, so you can read more about the book and find the details on the food.
1. Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore and Magic Risotto
Robin Sloan’s novel is a charming clash of ancient book codes and modern Google culture, set around a bookstore that never closes. It was a book club pick, and I voted for it on the strength of the title alone. There is not a lot of food in the story, but one scene describes a perfect roommate cooking a fragrant risotto, and that was all the excuse I needed.
I made Sookie St. James’s magic risotto from Gilmore Girls, a dish I had never eaten in its scratch made form. It takes a lot of stirring, which leaves one hand free for a book. That may be the best thing about it, right after the taste.
Read the review and get the recipe
2. Sourdough and Hog Island Grilled Cheese
Staying with Robin Sloan, this is his book about food. Lois, a software engineer who moves from Michigan to San Francisco, ends up caring for a sourdough starter left behind by two brothers who run her favorite restaurant. This pairing comes from Megan of The Hungry Bookworm, who wrote it as a guest post for the site.
Her choice was the Hog Island grilled cheese: fromage blanc, Gruyere, cheddar and Havarti on thick sourdough, cooked low and slow until the cheese gives up completely. It is hard to think of a cozier meal to go with a book about bread.
Read the review and get the recipe
3. It’s News to Me and Mi Abuelita’s Spanish Rice
Olga Campos Benz spent years as a TV news anchor before writing this fast paced novel, which moves from the newsroom out to the Houston neighborhoods of her childhood. I had the chance to interview her at the Texas Book Festival, and I asked if there was a recipe she would like to share.
She offered her grandmother’s Spanish rice, one of the smells she remembers coming from those kitchens. It is made on the stovetop with Rotel, cumin and jalapeno, and the only rule is not to lift the lid for those last 15 minutes.
4. Call Me Zelda and Cucumber Sandwiches
Erika Robuck’s novel follows Zelda Fitzgerald through a psychiatric clinic and the nurse who comes to care for her. It pulled me in from the first page, and it left me wanting to learn much more about the Fitzgeralds and their circle.
The food comes straight from a passage in the book, when Zelda announces that she is keen on cucumbers. Dainty cucumber sandwiches with dill cream cheese are about the easiest supper on this list, and they feel like an occasion anyway.
Read the review and see the sandwiches
5. The Bell Jar and Avocado with Garnet Sauce
Sylvia Plath’s novel is not exactly light reading, but Esther Greenwood’s love of food is one of its most surprising pleasures. Meals become a window into how she is really doing, which is why I enjoyed reading it with one eye on the menu.
The strangest thing I recreated was her avocado, filled with a warm sauce of melted grape jelly and French dressing. It sounds like a dare, and it looks stunning on the plate. This one is more of an adventure than a dinner, but it will give your book club something to talk about.
Read the post and get the sauce
6. The Persian Pickle Club and Pasta Salad
Sandra Dallas sets this story among a quilting group in a small Kansas town during the Dust Bowl. Hospitality runs all through it, and these women feed each other through some very hard times. The title, by the way, refers to a paisley fabric, so there are sadly no pickles involved.
In the spirit of the book, I made a big pasta salad with a creamy vinaigrette to share with a new mom. It is a dish made for carrying over to someone who needs it, and the leftovers are just as good.
Read the review and get the recipe
7. A Doll’s House and French Macarons
Henrik Ibsen’s play made my blood boil on a reread, in the best way. Nora and her husband Torvald are a study in what a marriage should not be, and those secret macaroons she keeps in her pocket say a lot about her small rebellions.
Those treats gave me the perfect excuse to write about a night of learning to make French macarons. They are fussy, right down to aging the egg whites, but filling them with chocolate ganache is a lovely way to spend a long evening.
Read the post and get the recipe
8. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and Salted Caramel Custard Pie
With a title like that, Alan Bradley’s mystery practically demands dessert. So this one is exactly what it sounds like, a pie built around the idea of a sweet surprise waiting underneath.
A flaky butter crust holds a layer of salted caramel, topped with a gently spiced nutmeg custard. It takes some time between chilling the dough and cooling the caramel, which makes it a good weekend project for a cold day.
9. The African Queen and a Tinned Feast
I found C.S. Forester’s novel in a one dollar clearance section after years of loving the movie. Rose and Allnutt are the most unlikely couple you can imagine, thrown together on a small boat in the middle of World War I.
To honor their rations, I served a dinner straight out of cans, with soup, asparagus, and warm biscuits topped with apricots and sweetened condensed milk. The asparagus was nasty, I will not lie. The dessert, however, was easy and yummy, and it might be the funniest dinner I have ever served.
10. The Book With No Pictures and Blueberry Pizza
Cozy nights are not only for grownups. B.J. Novak’s read aloud is pure silliness, and it became a favorite in our house because it makes the adult reading it say ridiculous things. There are truly no pictures, and it does not matter one bit.
One of those silly lines is about blueberry pizza, so of course we had to make it. Warm naan, a thick layer of cream cheese and a pile of blueberries add up to a simple meal with a name kids will love, and it comes together in minutes.
Read the post and get the recipe
Tips for Your Own Book and Meal Night
You do not need a theme or a big plan to pair a book with a meal. Start with whatever you are reading, and keep an eye out for the food. Once you start looking, it turns up everywhere, from a character’s rushed breakfast to the feast in the final chapter. If a book has no food at all, think about where it is set and cook from there.
Keep it realistic, too. A pairing is supposed to add to the fun of a good book, not turn your evening into a project. Choose something you can make in one pan, or make it ahead, so you can get back to your chapter sooner. Save the fussy recipes for a slow weekend.
These pairings also work well for a book club. Ask everyone to bring a dish inspired by the story, and you will have a built in conversation before anyone even mentions the plot. For more ideas, browse all of my literary meals, or find your next read in the Reading Challenge.
What is the best meal you have ever found in a book? Tell me in the comments. I am always looking for the next one.
