7 Delicious Recipes Inspired by Your Favorite Books
1/9Let’s admit it – part of our fascination with the Harry Potter universe stems from the magical food. Between Honeyduke’s confections, legendary dinners in the Hogwarts Great Hall, and Chocolate Frogs, what’s not to love? If you look closely, food plays an important role in almost every YA classic, from the romantic dinners in Twilight and The Fault in Our Stars to the symbolic bread in The Hunger Games. Here are some of our favorite recipes inspired by books!
2/9Harry Potter's Butterbeer
Ever since the legendary drink first made its appearance at the Three Broomsticks in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, fans have been trying to recreate it in their kitchens. While the "official" version is only served at the Wizarding World theme parks, the Food Network's recipe makes an utterly magical butterscotch milkshake. Or, nowadays, you can just pick one up at Starbucks.
3/9Croque-Monsieur from Anna and the French Kiss
The night Etienne gives Anna her first tour of Paris, they stop for croque-monsieurs near an English-language cinema. “How is it possible I’ve never had a sandwich like this before?” Anna asks. A croque-monsieur is a grilled ham and cheese sandwich at first glance. But what makes it fancy is the creamy Béchamel sauce baked in. Yum!
4/9Hazel and Augustus’ Fancy Dinner in Amsterdam
When they finally reach Amsterdam, The Fault in Our Stars' Hazel and Augustus have dinner at a super-fancy restaurant that serves dishes like “Belgian White Asparagus with a Lavender Infusion,” “Dragon Carrot Risotto,” and “Sweet Pea Sorbet.” While we’re not really sure how to infuse asparagus with lavender, there’s a salad recipe by Epicurious that’s pretty close. You can also watch a video of John Green trying sweet pea sorbet here if you need a pick-me-up (yes, there’s an actual pea in it).
5/9The Bread From Hunger Games
Bread plays an important part in the Hunger Games: Peeta is a baker, “Panem” is Latin for “bread,” and each of the twelve districts of Panem has its own local specialty. Author Suzanne Collins writes that District 3 makes “bite-sized, square shaped rolls,” District 4’s is “fish-shaped, tinted green with seaweed,” and District 11 has dark ration grain shaped like a crescent. (Of course, District 12’s bread is pretty horrible.) But what about the other districts? We’ve got you covered. A Bustle writer got creative and baked her own versions of all twelve districts’ breads. Such a shame there’s no Peeta pita, though.
6/9Dauntless' Chocolate Cake
Chocolate cake is the dessert of choice for the Dauntless faction in the Divergent series by Veronica Roth. But there’s never really a complete description of the cake at any point in the series, so here are 20 mouthwatering chocolate cake recipes from Delish.
7/9Bella's Mushroom Ravioli
On Bella and Edward’s first date at a restaurant called Bella Italia, Bella orders mushroom ravioli. No big deal, right? Well, author Stephanie Meyer wanted to be as accurate as she possibly could, so she called Bella Italia, an actual restaurant near Forks, WA to ask about their menu. The day she called, mushroom ravioli was the special. According to owner Neil Conklin, “Ever since then, we've had travelers from all over the world. We've served more than 10,000 of these iconic pasta plates in the restaurant.” The restaurant ships the ravioli nationwide, but if you want to make your own, we like Martha Stewart’s recipe.
8/9Narnia's Turkish Delight
In The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Edmund betrays his siblings when the White Witch offers him a tin of Turkish Delight. But what actually is Turkish Delight? Turns out, it’s a rose-flavored candy that children used to eat during World War II, when the UK imposed a sugar ration. Some people don’t like the taste of roses, so the good news is that you can make Turkish Delight of any flavor. The gelatinous candy seems a little time-consuming to prepare from scratch, but if author C.S. Lewis’s enthusiasm for the treat is any indication, it’s probably worth it.
