cover image Recipes of Romance

Recipes of Romance

Diane Crawford. Media, $8.95 (202pp) ISBN 978-0-939644-39-1

Purely as a collection of recipes, this volume has more weaknesses than strengths; its greatest assets are the contributors. Freelance writer Crawford gathers recipes from some 100 romance authors and, as the introduction notes, ``there seems to be a genuine `sisterhood' of camaraderie among these authors . . . that extends to their fans.'' Some contributors, like Megan Alexander, who offers a crustless quiche, are enthusiastic cooks. Jasmine Cresswell provides a version of traditional Welsh ``speckled'' bread and Bevlyn Marshall adds the veal Marengo that is prepared in one of her novels for a fictional hero named Chuck Dickens. Others give cooking a popularity rating comparable to that of doing laundry. Judith McNaught, who say she has forgotten how to use her oven, limits her entry to hot dog hors d'oeuvres. Bouillabaisse calls for fish to be simmered for 45 minutes, and beef stroganoff is flavored with ketchup. However, many recipes, such as seafood brochettes, Italian stew, butternut bisque and artichoke-and-rice salad, reflect typical and respectable American fare. Each entry includes a list or partial list of the contributor's romance titles. Illustrations not seen by PW. (September)