Some of you may have heard of Merlotte's Bar and Grill located in the made-up town of Bon Temps, LA. If so, then you may have heard of Lafayette Reynolds; he's known for his burgers. ; )
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Of course Merlotte's, Bon Temps, and Lafayette are all inventions of Charlaine Harris' Sookie-verse and I love Sookie-verse. It's not enough that I'm completely enthralled with season 5 of HBO's True Blood which is based on Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels, I've also had the pleasure of delving even further into her fantasy by reading book 12 and, now, this book...
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| Looka! It includes a short story!!! |
I've never read Ms. Harris' short stories so this was a first and I really liked it, but the best part of the companion was the inclusion of recipes. I love books with recipes. My favorite authors have been from the South and cooking has found its way into their books: Mary Kay Andrews, Fannie Flagg, & Michael Lee West have all done it (included the recipes of foods mentioned in their novels) so I'm glad to see Arkansas native Charlaine Harris jump on the band wagon. What better way to bring the book experience to life than by touching on our senses through food?!
Tonight, I made not only Lafayette's burgers, but Mrs. Bellefleur's prize-winning chocolate cake.
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| I think my husband is adding this to his favorites list; the icing is sooo good! |
Of course, Mrs. Bellefleur's cake recipe was top secret in the books so I'm not going to give it away here. You'll have to read the "Companion" to find out for yourself. There are many fun recipes included in it. I have it in mind to try the Country Porch Lemonade and the Mardi Gras Corn Salad. You should check out the book, too, if you're interested in trying any of the recipes, AND if these recipes are not enough for you, you will be pleased to know a True Blood cookbook complete with images from the series will be coming out this fall, I hear. Sounds like a perfect Christmas gift. (Hubs- this is a hint. Wink, wink!)
For a sneak peak, here's the recipe for Burgers Lafayette Sauce
Ingredients
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 stick margarine (I used unsalted butter)
1/4 cup vinegar (I used Sherry vinegar since the recipe didn't specify)
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt
Dash cayenne
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup ketchup
Directions
Saute the onion in the butter or margarine. Add all of the other ingredients. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Place the cooked hamburgers or leftover roast in the skillet and steep for at least 10 minutes. Place the meat on a bun and put a spoonful of extra sauce on top. Makes enough for about 4 hamburgers. **Our burgers were on the small side so I was able to place six burgers in the sauce.
Recipe courtesy Charlaine Harris
1 comment:
Yummy!
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