Byline: Rosalind Bentley, Rosalind Bentley
One of the last times they had a literary dinner event at Restaurant Eugene the meal involved 80 guests, a freshly butchered lamb and an open-air spit, fired up and ready to go.
It was a Buckhead barbecue of sorts to fete the award-winning New York restaurateur and chef Gabrielle Hamilton on the release of her bestselling memoir, "Blood, Bones and Butter." She read. People ate. And by all accounts, there wasn't much left at the end of the night but a carcass and full stomachs.
Had they known about it, Oleta Summers, Alice Hern and Martina Goscha would surely have been there. They are three Delta flight attendants who retired their wings awhile back. The only thing they love better than travel and a well-prepared meal is a compelling read. Which is why, on a bone-chilling evening last month, they drove over from Marietta to the acclaimed, farm-to-table establishment in Atlanta for the latest in its quarterly literary dinner salons.
Chef Linton Hopkins has been orchestrating the public dinners for the past year and a half. He used to work at Oxford Bookstore when he was in college. The store's long gone. Hopkins remained a book worm. He might have gone on to own a small bookstore himself had he not turned to a career in the kitchen. He's a voracious reader with a thing for the classics --- think Homer's "The Odyssey" --- as well as science fiction, though less ants with ray guns and more epics like "Dune" and the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Throw in some autobiographies, 19th century poetry, some cookbooks and he's there.
"I always have books on my shelves at home mocking me, saying, 'When are you going to read me?'" he said.
The author/dinner series, which he does in conjunction with A Cappella Books, represents a marriage of those two loves. It's the sort of regular event that, though not unheard of nationally, is rare among Atlanta restaurants.
Sorry to have missed the lamb, Hern, Summers and Goscha were anticipating something equally hearty during their February visit: rib-eye. They hadn't read a word of the featured book, "The Gorilla Man and the Empress of Steak: A New Orleans Memoir." It's supposed to be a tell-all by Randy Fertel, son of the founder of the Ruth's Chris Steak House empire. All that Fertel didn't tell in the elegant dining room that night, the trio figured they could read about later.
For them this was a chance to spend an evening with 10 people who loved to talk as much as they do about food, and the books they have already read. Precisely what Hopkins had hoped to achieve with the series; not exactly a book club in the living-room-wine-and-snacks sense, but camaraderie among strangers over a $100 meal and the written word.
"There aren't a lot of these around town anymore, and it just crushes my soul," said Summers as she took in the scene through her round, wire-rimmed glasses. By her guess she has 1,000 books at home. A few more fancy places to talk about them would be nice.
"Isn't that the truth," Hern said. "Anything to do with books, we'll show up. Now, this is expensive so I can't do it every week, but maybe once a year."
"I know, I wish I could come here every night, but Social Security doesn't pay that much," Goscha said.
Southern kinship
After cocktails and fried pimento cheese balls were served and consumed, guests were seated. Summers, Hern and Goscha sat hip to hip on a banquette across from Rob and Peggy Whitsit who'd driven up from Newnan. Atop the white linen, where the plates would have been, were signed copies of "The Gorilla Man."
Then, with the tap of a wine glass, Hopkins stepped forward to address his guests. Southerners find kinship in pork-back sandwiches, country ham and stories, he told them.
Fertel's book was a story of his eccentric Southern family, one that could have easily inspired Flannery O'Connor or William Faulkner (long before the phrase "hot mess" entered the lexicon): a father who ran for mayor on the promise of bringing gorillas to the city zoo and a mother who was shot defending her restaurant from robbers and lived to tell about it. And there in the flickering candlelight sat one of their offspring, ready to tell the tale and to indulge in a tributary meal.
This night's dinner was influenced by the original Ruth's Chris menu. Randy's mother, Ruth, launched the famous steak house chain in New Orleans almost 50 years ago. Shrimp remoulade, sweet potatoes dauphine topped with pecan dust, creamed spinach, bread pudding, sherry as thick as sorghum syrup, and, of course, red meat.
As waiters placed the tiniest morsels of brioche on bread plates, Hern jumped in to find out what everybody at the table was reading. "The Invincible Englishman" for Summers, though she'd just finished former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords' book. Goscha, who is a member of three book clubs, was into a book by her favorite author, Daphne du Maurier. Rob Whitsit was in between books.
"Now, if I said John Gault to you, would you know what I'm referring to? " Hern asked.
She didn't wait for an answer.
"'Atlas Shrugged,' by Ayn Rand," Hern said. "Because with the economic situation this country is in, I figured it was time I read it."
By her own admission she didn't discover reading for pleasure until she was 26. She's come a long way. Not long ago she and Goscha went to England for the Daphne du Maurier Festival. That was something.
"I grew up in Kentucky and I thought reading was something they made you do in school, not something you did to enjoy," said Hern, a dazzling woman with hair as big as Texas. "So I'm catching up."
Over the next couple of hours the conversation turned from reading novels on an iPad --- which Goscha loved and Peggy Whitsit could do without --- to whether the smear of spinach on the main course plate was an actual leaf (it was creamed), to who wrote "The Bridges of Madison County," which was infinitely better than the movie.
"It was Robert Waller," Hern said.
"No, it wasn't," said Goscha, and as if for emphasis she adjusted her enormous squash blossom necklace.
"Yes, it was," Hern replied, then promptly turned back to Summers to finish her point.
And by the time Fertel rose to read, at every table in front of him volumes had already been spoken.
Food and books are a natural pairing.
Just ask any book club member.
Which is exactly what authors Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp did in their just-released, revised edition of "The Book Club Cook Book," (Tarcher/Penguin, $21.95). They surveyed members of 500 book clubs around the country to find out not only what their most popular books were, but also what they served at the meetings where those books were discussed.
"These are not all typical, meet-in-the-living-room book clubs," said Krupp. "Some only read African-American authors, some only read Pulitzer Prize winners in order of award. We even included a book club for the homeless."
At Gelman and Krupp's request, several authors contributed recipes inspired by their own books, including Rebecca Skloot ("The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks"), Jennifer Egan ("A Visit From the Goon Squad"), Helen Simonson ("Major Pettigrew's Last Stand") and Queen Noor of Jordan ("Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life").
"There have been authors who say, 'I can't cook,' but then we say, 'That's OK. Do you have a family recipe?' Then they just light up," said Gelman.
There are 100 books in the volume, from Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina" to Arundati Roy, "The God of Small Things," to "The Coldest Winter Ever," by Sister Souljah. Each book reference contains a plot summary and at least one recipe, including a few brunch-ready cocktails (Glogg for "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," Banana-Pineapple Smoothie for "A Prayer for Owen Meany," mojitos for "Love in the Time of Cholera").
And like anyone who has been a member of a reader's group, Krupp and Gelman have learned one thing: "Bringing food into the meeting actually enhances the discussion."
Here are three recipes from "The Book Club Cook Book." For more information, visit bookclubcookbook.com.
Kir Royale Cocktail
Makes: 1 drink
Pair with "Sarah's Key," by Tatiana de Rosnay
1 to 2 tablespoons Creme de cassis liqueur
6 ounces champagne
Pour creme de cassis into a chilled champagne flute. Top with champagne.
Per drink: 187 calories (percent of calories from fat, 0), no protein, 12 grams carbohydrates, no fiber, no fat, no cholesterol, no sodium
Southern Cheese Straws
Makes: About 40 straws.
Inspired by "The Optimist's Daughter," by Eudora Welty
3/4 cup medium or sharp cheddar cheese, grated
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1-2 tablespoons ice water
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Stir the cheese and butter together. Add the ice water and blend.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, and cayenne. Stir into the cheese mixture until blended. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill until very firm, at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350[bar] F. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Using your hands, on a lightly floured surface roll each piece of dough into 1/4-inch-diameter cylinders. If the tubes get unworkably long, just cut them into more sections. Cut dough into straws 7-8 inches long.
Place the straws on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
When cool, store in airtight container.
Per straw: 30 calories (percent of calories from fat, 62), 1 gram protein, 2 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 2 grams fat (1 gram saturated), 5 milligrams cholesterol, 20 milligrams sodium
Black Bottom Pie
Makes: 8 to 10 servings
As made by the Charleston Restaurant Slightly North of Broad. Pair with "South of Broad," by Pat Conroy. (Note: Make a day ahead and refrigerate.)
For the crust
3 cups cream-filled chocolate-sandwich cookie crumbs such as Oreos
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
For the pie filling
11/2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup rum
11/2 tablespoons gelatin
1 tablespoon cornstarch
6 large egg yolks
3 cups whole milk
1 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups dark chocolate (70 percent cocoa), chopped
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
Chocolate curls or fresh berries for garnish
To make the crust: Place cookie crumbs and butter in a large mixing bowl. Mix until combined. Spread into a 9-inch springform pan. Press mixture up the side of the pan.
To make the filling: Pour water and rum in a small bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the water/rum mixture. Set aside.
Combine cornstarch, egg yolks, milk, and granulated sugar in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thick, about 15 minutes, stirring often. Add gelatin and fully combine. Place chocolate in a large mixing bowl, and add 3 cups of the hot custard. When chocolate is melted, stir to combine. Pour mixture on top of crust in springform pan. Set aside and cool to room temperature. Make an ice bath: Fill a large mixing bowl half or two-thirds full with ice and cover with cold water. Place pot with remaining custard on ice bath, and chill until gelatin begins to gel in about 5 minutes. Remove from ice bath.
In a large mixing bowl, whip the cream on with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Add confectioners' sugarand beat on high speed until cream has soft peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the custard. Once well-combined, pour mixture over chocolate layer and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, and preferably overnight. Remove pie from pan before serving. Garnish with berries or chocolate curls.
Per serving, based on 8 slices: 761 calories (percent of calories from fat, 57), 10 grams protein, 85 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 44 grams fat (19 grams saturated), 245 milligrams cholesterol, 317 milligrams sodium
Cover story talking books
Dining Nina Gallant
event preview
Literary Dinner Series
Quarterly. $100. 404-355-0321; www.restauranteugene.com