Cooking With Fernet Branca

Gerald Samper, an effete Englishman, lives on a hilltop in Tuscany. He is a ghostwriter for celebrities, and a foodie, whose weird tastes include 'Mussels in Chocolate and Garlic' and 'Fernet Branca Ice Cream'. His idyll is shattered by the arrival of Marta, a vulgar woman from a former Soviet republic now run by gangsters, notably male members of her family. She is a composer in a neo-folk style who claims to be writing a score for a trendy Italian film director. The neighbours' lives disastrously intertwine. The entourages of the rock star and the director come and go; mysterious black helicopters bring news of mayhem in Voynova, Marta's homeland; and along the way the English obsession with Tuscany is satirized mercilessly.

"In this sequel to the popular Cooking with Fernet Branca, Gerald Samper is back on his Tuscan hilltop and busily musing on the absurdities of modern life. His entertaining asides - on everything from publishing to penile implants, celebrity sportswomen to Australian media moguls - and his eccentric recipes form the comic heart of this literary romp. Marta, Gerald's nemesis in Cooking with Fernet Branca, is back, along with her penchant for the eponymous potent liquor and her talent for shattering Gerald's evening idylls. But she's not alone: Amazing Disgrace touts a cavalcade of memorable characters, including a foul-mouthed, one-armed yachtswoman, and sees Gerald jettisoned from his Tuscan hideaway into the trendy haunts of his native London."--BOOK JACKET.

"Jayjay recounts in tantalizing detail his journey from the foggy, gas-lit streets of south-east London to life in colonial Egypt. Successive exploits lead him from the Suez of the 1930s, with its flop houses, shady backstreet cafes and burgeoning trade in pornographic images, to Alexandria in the heady months leading to the outbreak of the Second World War. As the months go by and their relationship evolves, the writer comes to question Jayjay's seeming candour and his own role as interpreter and evaluator of another man's life. Finally, as the layers of his constructed identity are uncovered, Jayjay comes to reveal the true nature of his love."--BOOK JACKET.

Popular husband-and-wife bloggers and podcasters (acouplecooks.com) offer 100 recipes with an emphasis on whole foods and getting into the kitchen together. Pretty Simple Cooking was named one of the best vegetarian cookbooks by Epicurious and best healthy cookbooks of 2018 by Mind Body Green. A love story at its finest, Alex and Sonja Overhiser first fell for each other--and then the kitchen. In a matter of months, the writer-photographer duo went from eating fast and frozen food to regularly cooking vegetarian meals from scratch. Together, the two unraveled a "pretty simple" approach to home cooking that kicks the diet in favor of long-term lifestyle changes. While cooking isn't always easy or quick, it can be pretty simple by finding love in the process. A Couple Cooks | Pretty Simple Cooking is an irresistible combination of spirited writing, nourishing recipes with a Mediterranean flair, and vibrant photography. Dubbed a "vegetarian cookbook for non-vegetarians", it's a beautiful book that's food for thought, at the same time providing real food recipes for eating around the table. The book features: 100 vegetarian recipes, with 75 vegan and 90 gluten-free options A full-color photograph for every recipe Recipes arranged from quickest to more time-consuming 10 life lessons for a sustainably healthy approach to cooking, artfully illustrated with a custom watercolor

They had met and married on perilously short acquaintance, she an American chef and food writer, he a Venetian banker. Now they were taking another audacious leap, unstitching their ties with exquisite Venice to live in a roughly renovated stable in Tuscany. Once again, it was love at first sight. Love for the timeless countryside and the ancient village of San Casciano dei Bagni, for the local vintage and the magnificent cooking, for the Tuscan sky and the friendly church bells. Love especially for old Barlozzo, the village mago, who escorts the newcomers to Tuscany’s seasonal festivals; gives them roasted country bread drizzled with just-pressed olive oil; invites them to gather chestnuts, harvest grapes, hunt truffles; and teaches them to caress the simple pleasures of each precious day. It’s Barlozzo who guides them across the minefields of village history and into the warm and fiercely beating heart of love itself. A Thousand Days in Tuscany is set in one of the most beautiful places on earth–and tucked into its fragrant corners are luscious recipes (including one for the only true bruschetta) directly from the author’s private collection.

Nearing the end of his career, Sir Edward Elgar impulsively decides to travel by ship to Brazil, where he encounters a woman from his past. Set in 1923 and based on true events, Gernontius is a modern classic, and takes the great composer out of his depths in this beautiful, episodic, mysterious novel set in 1923.

Raise a glass to the elegant past with this collection of drinks recipes inspired by the beloved historical drama. Cocktails were introduced in the drawing rooms of Downton Abbey in the 1920s, when US prohibition inspired the popularity of American-style bars and bartenders in Britain. This well-curated selection of recipes is organized by the rooms in the Abbey in which the drinks were served, and spans everyday sips to party drinks plus hangover helpers and more. In addition to classic concoctions like a Mint Julep, Prince of Wales Punch, and Ginger Beer, this collection features character-specific variations such as Downton Heir, Turkish Attaché, The Valet, and The Chauffeur. The recipes reflect drinks concocted and served upstairs and down, as well as libations from village fairs, cocktail parties, and restaurant menus typical of the time. The book also includes tips, historical trivia, and over forty color photographs featuring cocktails and cast members.

"From award-winning actor and food obsessive Stanley Tucci comes an intimate ... memoir of life in and out of the kitchen"--