Top Ten Tuesday – Food in Fiction

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday post should come with some kind of a health warning, because once you start, you may find yourself craving all kinds of foods, and I can’t promise all of them will be kind to your figures! Yes, the girls at The Broke and the Bookish have set a food theme for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday post, so don’t say you haven’t been warned!

A Portrait of Emily Price – Katherine Reay

You can’t really have a book about Italy without mentioning food, can you? Ben Vassallo has come to America to help revive his aunt and uncle’s restaurant, and while he’s there he’s working on the perfect pizza crust. Then there’s his favourite sauce, La bistecca della moglie del pizzaiolo—the steak of the pizza maker’s wife—but one of my favourite scenes is when he is making dinner for Emily and her sister. “He made a shell pasta dish full of fresh vegetables and sautéed shrimp and bound it all in a creamed basil pesto with smoked chilies.” I have to admit, I wouldn’t actually eat it, but I love the way they discuss improving the dish later: “This feels like a good painting. It’s layering, flavors rather than color, and tasting rather than seeing.” Read my review.

Where Two Hearts Meet – Liz Johnson

The opening lines of this book say it all: There was only one thing better than the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls in the morning. The taste of freshly baked cinnamon rolls in the morning. Caden Holt might be known for her cinnamon rolls, but it’s lobster that could be her ticket to success in this novel, if she can just come up with the perfect recipe to win the annual lobster cook-off.
Read my review.
 

Farm Fresh Series – Valerie Comer

Fiction doesn’t come much more organic than Valerie Comer’s Farm Fresh Romance series. Friends Jo, Claire, and Sierra have bought Green Acres Farm, and they’re on a mission: sustainable living. Growing their own food is just the beginning!
 
 
 

True to You – Becky Wade

This book makes it into this list on the strength of just two pages, and just two words: peach cobbler. If you’ve read this book, you’ll know the scene I’m talking about. If you haven’t read this book—*sigh*. You really don’t know what you’re missing. Turns out John can be quite romantic in the kitchen! <3
Read my review.
 
 

Written in the Dust – Christina Coryell

This one doesn’t even need two words. One will suffice: strawberries. I’m with Brooke. I think I’ll never look at strawberries the same way again. If you want to know any more than that, you’ll have to read the book! But I do advise beginning with Written in the Stars so that you get the full story. Trust me. It’s worth it!
Read my review.
 

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl

No fiction food-list would be complete without this book! From the winning chocolate bar all the way through to a chocolate waterfall and square sweets that look round, Willy Wonka has some of the most amazing food out there!
 
 
 

The Recipe – Candace Calvert

Anyone for strawberry rhubarb crumble? That’s the crucial recipe for Aimee in The Recipe. Or is it? At any rate, you’ll be able to make your own strawberry rhubarb crumble with the recipe included. Plus, it’s free right now on Kindle!
 
 
 
 

One Enchanted Eve – Melissa Tagg

Ninety minutes from first egg cracked to complete catastrophe is true to form for Colin Renwycke, the hero in Melissa Tagg’s Christmas novella One Enchanted Eve. But an experimenter like Colin might be just the influence Rylan Jefferson needs in order to come up with an original dessert recipe—something with personality; something that will dazzle Chef Potts and secure her a spot in his new bakery.
Read my review.
 

Then There Was You – Kara Isaac

Paige learns exactly what it means to order a burger in Australia! “The woman at the counter pushed forward a plate with a towering monstrosity—three thick beef patties, bacon, cheese, an egg, a slice of pineapple, what looked like a hash brown patty, lettuce, tomato and something purple. The bottom half of the bun was almost flattened under the weight, and the top half teetered on the leaning pile. Next to it sat an enormous pile of fat fries. She wasn’t sure she could lift the meal, let alone eat it.” I never thought eating a burger could be so suspenseful, but it is in Paige’s hands! Read my review.

Buying Love – Toni Shiloh

Last, but not least, it’s the Maple Pit—the family restaurant run by Dwight Williams and his family. Who could resist eating at a restaurant where they tap their own trees for the maple they use in their recipes? Especially once Nina gets to work on redecorating!
 
 
 

Which of these whets your appetite?