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A Big Slice's Top Ten Kitchen Tools

For our September Newsletter we thought we would let you know what our Ten Favorite Kitchen Items are. These are the things that we couldn't create A Big Slice without. Plus we will give you the links to the recipes that we refer to in the item description, and, where possible, purchasing information. These items are not in any particular order. Please enjoy and let us know some of yours! Be sure and check out our video below for our Parmesan Crisps recipe and a demonstration of the amazing Silpat baking sheets.

The Book Club Cookbook by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp

The Book Club Cookbook: Recipes and Food for Thought From Your Book Club’s Favorite Books and Authors

The return of September reminds many of us about the start of a new school year. Though, as adults, school is just a distant memory, September can also mean the resumption of book clubs. Having taken the summer months off, book clubs often restart with gusto with the start of fall.

Book clubs are oftentimes about more than just reading, discussion, and fellowship. Indeed, book clubs are often very much about food. Some book clubs build the meeting’s menu to match the book, taking the book’s geography, time period, or ethnic focus as their cue. Some book club members will even recreate recipes mentioned in the book.

Any book club with a strong focus on creating a related menu must have a copy of The Book Club Cookbook. This wonderful book includes 100 book titles with accompanying recipes. Book discussion suggestions are included for each title, and oftentimes the book’s author will contribute to the book’s entry. For example, the section covering Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier gives a solid summary of the novel, information on the novel from the author herself, and a recipe for Griet’s Vegetable Soup (in the opening scene of the novel, Griet is cutting vegetables for soup). The Book Club Cookbook also includes book club profiles, which are fun to read and a good way for readers to find new ideas for their own book clubs.

Though there are 100 titles included in The Book Club Cookbook, the vast majority are fiction and range from classics to contemporary novels. A few examples are: Jane Eyre, The Age of Innocence, To Kill a Mockingbird, Pope Joan, Waiting, and The Weight of Water. Some of the nonfiction titles included are: Nickled and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women, and The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother.

The Book Club Cookbook will give any book club great ideas on what to read next and how to deepen the experience of that book. For book clubs that seem to be waning, using ideas from this book would be a great way to revivify your book club. However, The Book Club Cookbook will not appeal just to readers who belong to a book club. This book can be enjoyed by anyone who loves food and reading and exploring the deep connection between the two sensory experiences.

To order this book, click here.

Parmesan Crisps Recipe

See the video below for a demonstration.

1 pound good parmigiano-reggiano
Silpat baking sheet or parchment paper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Grate the parmigiano-reggiano very fine. The easiest way is to use the food processor with the blade attachment.

2. Place one tablespoon of the grated cheese on the silpat and flatten slightly. Leave about two inches between the crisps.

3. Place the cookie sheet into the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Turn after 6 minutes and watch for the crisps to begin to brown very slightly.

4. Remove from the oven. If you want to shape them, allow to cool slightly and then, using an offset spatula, transfer the warm crisps to a rolling pin or wine bottle and cool completely.

5. These crisps are great with dips or just on their own. Try them during a wine tasting and find out what wine works with parmigiano-reggiano.

How to make it - Parmesan Crisps

It's always better when someone shows you how.
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