by columnist Wendy Gordon
Any cookbook event that starts off with the author claiming “I don’t cook,” has to be intriguing. But take equal doses of DC Magazine editor-in-chief Karen Sommer Shalett, the HBO series True Blood, and the formidable cooking skills of NOLA recipe maven Marcelle Bienvenu and we have a Vampire inspired cookbook featuring recipes straight from the fictional world of Bon Temps, Louisiana, home to fangers, fang-bangers, fairies, werewolves, shape shifters and the occasional mere mortal; and whether or not some may have a…..…shall we say…..…’liquid’ diet, all of them eat. Just like you and me.
As part of the Writers on the Row series on Bethesda Row, Shalett featured her new book True Blood: Eats, Drinks and Bites from Bon Temps. The book is peppered (pun intended) with a bevy of the Cajun and Creole inspired eat and drink recipes bearing names like “I Wanna Snapper in Two,” “Stake & Eggs,” and Dead on the Beach,” paired with True Blood characters the likes of Jason and Sookie Stackhouse, Sam Merlotte, Lafayette, Terry and more. There are 85 authentic bayou country recipes and 150-plus photos from the series.
Shalett explained how she poured over the five seasons of the series’ episodes over and over again to get a sense of each character’s ‘voice’ and sensibilities in order to decide which recipes would be most indicative of each individual character represented. That’s a lot of food and carnage. Stake Au Poivre anyone?
Why, Karen? Why did you go to the dark side?? “My husband’s family is from New Orleans, and I lived there for several years, “ Shalett explains. “I fell in love with the people and the culture—and the way they support each other which was always through food so I really got to know the cuisine. I fell in love with the show, which aired after we left Louisiana. It was weird, and strange, and supernatural as it was, it still made us feel a connection. So when a friend from New Orleans brought me the project, I jumped at the chance to be involved.”
For those of us who were feeling a little peckish, the book event also included a True Blood recipe cooking demonstration with Vapiano and Le Creuset, plus the extra added attraction of a Fangtasia Blood Red Lipstick Bar by bluemercury.
Although she put together one hell of a cookbook, we’re not surprised Shalett doesn’t cook. As a mother, magazine editor and author, when would she have time? Maybe she keeps Vampire hours.
True Blood: Eats, Drinks and Bites from Bon Temps is available at Amazon, the HBO store, Barnes & Noble and other literary outlets. It’s worth firing up the pot belly stove and sinking your teeth into.
