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| Parsley Creswell's "Virtuous Salad," Photo by Linda Olle |
On the Upper East Side, in a breezy apartment,
Parsley Creswell lives a cheese-inspired life. She has a parrot named Gougère, and she dates men with names like Mario
Provolone (a renowned tenor). Of course, I’m making this up, or, well, Linda Olle is.
Linda Olle, a regular reader of this blog, pens faux
gastro-memoirs – a genre she may have invented. The Upper East Side Cookbook: Main Course is the second book in a
trilogy that she’s writing, a series that combines rich prose and even richer
recipes: Haggis Meat Loaf, chocolate nib smoothies, Chartreuse à la Thomas Jefferson, and something called Virtuous
Salad.
In the spirit of Ruth Reichl, Parsley Creswell eats
her way around New York, but not as a writerly gastronome – no, Parsley is an
eccentric ex-fashionista who wears corsets and collects exotic recipes. She’s
Gretta Garbo with a splash of Ru Paul.
Here’s an excerpt:
With an expensive pair of birding binoculars around her neck, a gift from a swain, Parsely foraged in Central Park for mushrooms sprouting high up on a tree trunk….She placed her treasure in tissue paper and a recycled orange-and-white Zabars bag, then dined alone...
If there were a Grey Gardens cookbook, this would be
it. Linda Olle has once again revived her enchanting heroine, Parsley Creswell,
and this time we follow her through dumpsters, across Riker’s Island, and to
Japan. With each episode, she becomes more complex, more tragic, and more
quintessentially New York.
I relate to her upbringing: “…Parsley
grew up in the Midwest and believed that she experienced a form of hypoglycemia
if she didn’t get a constant infusion of calcium in the form of milk, cheese,
or ice cream, especially in the winter.”
Giveaway: So that you can enjoy this curious odyssey -- and perhaps try your hand at Onion Pie or Angels on Horseback -- I’m giving
away one copy of The Upper East Side Cookbook: Main Course. To enter, simply name the richest dish you’ve
ever eaten. Get your comment in by Feb. 14, 2012. I’ll draw a winner the next
morning.
Deep Fried Deviled Eggs (homemade).
ReplyDeleteA strawberry shortcake that was excessively rich and divine.
ReplyDeletersgrandinetti@yahoo(dot)com
The first thing that came to mind was your roquefort meatloaf! :D
ReplyDeleteA James Beard recipe of breaded Pork chops browned in butter, simmered in heavy cream sauce and topped with bacon bits.
ReplyDeleteOne of our favorite places up here in Petoskey had a beef tip risotto last month. It was so savory, and so rich...I tried to make it last on my plate as long as I could.
ReplyDeleteIt has to be a dish that one of our favorite local restaurants in town featured - a beef tip risotto. It was so creamy, rich, and savory...
ReplyDelete~ Jenny (udjenn11@gmail.com)
What a fun & interesting angle - and Greta Garbo with a splash of Ru Paul, lol? She may be having trouble achieving that being alone thing...
ReplyDeleteA super decadent, dense and chocolaty bread pudding - full fat plus!
A large seared disk of foie gras sitting on top of a large searaed sea scallop. A (too rare) dinner out in SF for this Wisconsin girl. No chewing necessary!
ReplyDeletePink Lady Cake, which I believe you made for me, back in our giddy, more processed days: I believe it was butterflied Little Debbies, laid out in a casserole, soaked in a frothy concoction of whipped cream and cherry Jell-O, and left to chill in the fridge. ddaniel4@du.edu
ReplyDeleteIt has to be Pink Lady Cake, which I believe you made for me, back in our giddy, more processed days: as I recall, it was butterflied Little Debbies, laid out in a casserole, and soaked in a frothy concoction of whipped cream and cherry Jello-O, left to chill in the fridge.
ReplyDeleteA very rich, but not heavy meal I enjoyed thoroughly was Kobe beef shabu-shabu on a visit to Tokyo. It was amazing!
ReplyDeleteLinda's books sound delightful. Thanks for hosting a giveaway. I'm off to Amazon to order the first one!
Surprisingly, a Kobe beef shabu-shabu dinner I had on a visit to Tokyo was one of the richest, yet not heavy, meals I've had. It was delicious!
ReplyDeleteLinda's books sound terrific. Thanks for hosting a giveaway. Off to Amazon to purchase the first one...
I'm with Nancy...a large seared fois gras. I think it was the entire liver. I had it at a private dinner at Joseph Phelp's Winery. The chef from the 21 Club in NYC was flown in to cook the dinner. I think it was the first time I had true fois gras and was simply amazed that the meat filled the entire plate. And that was only one of the appetizers!
ReplyDeleteI'm with Nancy...it was a huge fois gras, I think it was the whole liver! I had it many years ago at a private dinner at Joseph Phelps winery. The chef from the 21 Club in NYC was flown in and he brought a lot of his own food, including the fois gras from Long Island. This dish was only one of the appetizers and not even the main course. I don't think I've ever been so full in my life. My husband and I had to work around downtown Napa for a few hours before we could head back to our hotel!
ReplyDeleteThe richest dish I ate was at Chez Bruno in Provence. It was a whole black truffle accompanied with foie gras wrapped in a buttery flakey pastry shell and surrounded by a wine mushroom gravy. I could have died and gone to heaven.
ReplyDeleteI come from a long family tradition of rich meals. As I'm fond of saying, my love of butter is completely genetic. I think the richest thing I used to (okay, I still do, though not as often...) eat was that Central New York specialty: Salt Potatoes. The potatoes themselves were starchy and briny, but it was the large mugs of melted butter that we dunked each bite into that really made that dish completely memorable to me. Oh, I could go for some salt potatoes right this very moment!
ReplyDeleteWhite truffle macaroni and cheese. 3 types of cheese, white truffle oil and butter made for a delicious, but artery closing dish!
ReplyDeleteI think it would be a specialty dessert/ckae that I make, charlotte russe. It's sinfully rich butter, chocolate & cream!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments, darlings. The contest is now closed. I am impressed by your gluttony and descriptive prose. Winner is Comment #12, thanks to the Random Number Generator. Cozy Herbivore, you are a winner!
ReplyDeleteSo glad the winner, CH, admits a little butter into the herbivore diet. Foie gras (often mentioned) is practically my favorite dish, though I usually eat the cheaper version of the same (chopped liver). These comments caused me salivate. Your readership has the blogosphere's most educated palates, Madame Fromage -- I know that you've improved mine! Thanks.
ReplyDelete