Are you one of those people who gets caught up in the food that characters in books are enjoying?
I always find myself craving whatever is in the book. I went on a tea and scones binge the entire time I was reading the Tea Shop cozy mystery series by Laura Childs.
This one included a recipe for lemon scones.
Or how about Christmas stories and Christmas cookies.
I could go on and on. Clearly, I'm very suggestible.
The trend also holds true when I'm writing my own books. I'm currently working on one book set in Texas and one set in Maine. Since I often spend summers in Maine, this is a great chance for me to enjoy some of my favorite dishes. All in the name of research and getting in the mood, of course.
In a scene I was writing the other day, my character was enjoying a hearty dish of fish chowder (chowdah!). I was so jealous. I wanted one too. Maybe because it reminded me of a favorite moment I shared with my husband.
Back in 2014, we celebrated my sale to LIS with dinner at our favorite lobster house in Maine.
We started off the meal with their fabulous fish chowder.
Long after we were home, I was craving this haddock chowder, so I played with some recipes and came up with one that I thought came close. (Although nothing could compare to that restaurant deck overlooking the harbor.)
This recipe is really pretty simple.
Start with @ 1 pound of haddock fillet and a pot of boiling water. I like to use my Dutch Oven for this. (You could also substitute cod or any firm white fish if you don't have haddock available.)
Boil the haddock in the water. You'll have to skim off the foam, but after boiling it for about 10 minutes, you'll have a nice fish stock.
Note: Many recipes call for salting the water, but I find the fish salty enough. So, add salt to taste.
Remove the fish and break it into bite-sized pieces. Then add about 3 cups of chopped potatoes and a cup or so each of chopped onion and celery to the stock. Cover and simmer until tender.
When everything looks ready, add the fish back in. You can add some salt and pepper at this point, and then swirl in 1 cup of milk/cream/half and half (depending on richness you want) and a pat of butter.
Add a fresh loaf of crusty bread and you're all set for a hearty Down East meal. My character was sitting in front of a fire during a storm, but imagine sitting with this view.
As I was going through my photos, I found one of this fish chowder from a different restaurant. As you can see, they added shrimp as well as fish. Even more yum!
So, I'm curious. Please tell me I'm not the only one who gets cravings for certain foods either when you read about it them books or write them into your own. Let's here about what tempts you.
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