Category: Book of the Month Recipes

1850s Spice Cake

Posted February 13, 2025 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

If you’ve been following along with the rest of my menu inspired by AGNES GREY, then you know it’s time for a Victorian-era dessert! Cakes were a popular Victorian indulgence, and Agnes specifically mentions spice cake in her story, which she says she enjoyed with some currant wine. In fact, the exact word she uses for the cake is that she “demolished” it. Considering what a restrained character Agnes is, I’d say that’s a glowing review of the cake!

I really wanted to use a historically accurate spice cake recipe, which means it would need to come from some time around the 1840s. I decided to go with this 1850s recipe for gingerbread spice cake by Sarah Gonzalez. I love this version because it’s rich and thick in the best possible way. It’s almost as fudgy as a brownie! Sarah’s recipe includes modern mascarpone frosting, which sounds delicious. However, since I’m trying to make something closer to what Agnes Grey would have eaten, I decided to swap it out for just a simple dusting of powdered sugar (though I’ll probably add the frosting next time I make it!).

Thanks for joining me on this Brontë-inspired journey through Victorian recipes! I can’t wait to start my next Brontë book. I think I’ll read VILETTE next!

Victorian Stewed Potatoes

Posted January 30, 2025 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

Today I’m back with another recipe inspired by AGNES GREY by Anne Brontë! Agnes eats a side of potatoes with her steak when she first arrives at Wellwood, so I decided to make stewed potatoes, a recipe from the late 1800s. What makes stewed potatoes different from regular boiled potatoes is that they’re simmered in milk and/or broth until the liquid thickens into a creamy sauce, which is then served with the potatoes. The recipe I’m using today is a combo of two recipes from 12 Tomatoes and CutsFood. I also added a bit of flour to my sauce to make it extra thick—a bit more like gravy.

These are just as easy to make as mashed potatoes and every bit as cozy and comforting. They’re perfect alongside the Stewed Steak with Pearl Onions I posted a couple weeks ago. Enjoy!

Stewed Steak with Pearl Onions

Posted January 16, 2025 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

Hi, folks! I’m back with another recipe inspired by AGNES GREY by Anne Brontë. Most of my blog recipes are inspired by delicious literary dishes, but today’s recipe is unique in that it’s inspired by a comically bad food experience in AGNES GREY. When Agnes first arrives at Wellwood, Mrs. Bloomfield serves her some steak that is so tough that it takes Agnes several tries to even cut into it. But don’t worry—even though that’s the inspiration, today’s recipe is a tasty take on Agnes’ steak!

Like my previous post (1850s-style graham bread), today I’m making a historical recipe from the time period in which AGNES GREY is set. Most steak preparations from that time period are pretty basic (and similar to others I’ve made here on the blog, like butter-basted steak and scotch collops). However, during my research I stumbled across a recipe for stewed steaks in the 1831 edition of THE COOK’S ORACLE that involves simmering the steaks in liquid after a brief sear, then making a sauce with the remaining liquid and serving with boiled pearl onions. I decided to give it a try, altering it a bit to suit the ingredients I had on hand and the conveniences of a modern kitchen.

My favorite part was the rich and robust sauce, which reminded me of a jägerschnitzel recipe I made last year, probably because both are made with beef broth and red wine. The pearl onions were basic and too numerous in my opinion, so in the future I’ll probably make half the recommended amount and just add some on top as a garnish. The steak itself was definitely more tender than Agnes’ steak but still a bit too tough. When I make it again, I’ll cook it longer (I simmered for about 30 minutes, so I recommend 45 minutes to make it more tender).

I’m having lots of fun putting together an AGNES GREY menu inspired by historical techniques. I’ll be back in a couple weeks with my next foray into mid-1800s cooking!

Graham Bread

Posted January 2, 2025 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

Happy New Year, everyone! I’m starting 2025 off with a menu inspired by one of my favorite authors: Anne Brontë. I’m a big fan of all the Brontë sisters, and I’ve done menus for them before (check out my recipes from Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall). Today, I’m making a menu inspired by AGNES GREY, which I read for the first time last year.

I really enjoyed AGNES GREY, though it’s definitely different from other Brontë books I’ve read. While works like JANE EYRE and THE TENANT OF WILDFELL HALL are Gothic romances with a touch of mystery and scandal, AGNES GREY is more autobiographical and realistic—a slice-of-life of a Victorian governess. It deals with a lot of the same themes as other Brontë books, such as isolation and oppression, but it has an Austen-esque sensibility that I appreciated. It’s much less Gothic than what I’m used to seeing from the Brontës but still masterfully written.

Since AGNES GREY is a Victorian novel—not only in its setting, but also in its subject and themes—I decided to give all my recipes for this menu a Victorian spin. Bread is eaten multiple times throughout the story and was a staple of the Victorian diet, so I went on the hunt for an era-appropriate bread variety and stumbled upon graham bread, which I’d never heard of before.

Graham bread is much like a standard yeasted bread, though it’s made with graham flour instead of all-purpose. Graham flour is a more coursely-ground version of whole-wheat flour, which means it has more bran and wheat germ in it. This produces a loaf with a hearty, delightfully nutty flavor, which is accentuated when it’s toasted.

Using these recipes for 1850s graham bread and honey graham bread as a jumping off point, I made some adjustments to suit my needs and developed a recipe that approximates a Victorian-style graham bread while still being suited to a modern kitchen. Since most grocery stores don’t carry graham flour, I made my own by mixing all-purpose flour, wheat bran, and wheat germ (I provide instructions for that in the recipe below). However, you can also order graham flour online.

I love how this turned out, and I’ll definitely make it again. I brought some to Christmas Eve dinner with my husband’s family, and it was a big hit. One of the kids even asked if he could take the rest of the loaf home with him!

Bluey’s Pavlova

Posted December 19, 2024 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes, Pop Culture Corner / 0 Comments

Here she is! The pièce de résistance, the crown jewel, the recipe you’ve all been waiting for. . . pavlova! Of all the foods featured in BLUEY, this one seems to hold the most fascination for fans of the show. Maybe it’s because pavlova originated in Australia, or maybe because the animators’ cartoony rendition of it looks so inviting and whimsical. Either way, this dish definitely received the most votes from my kids when I was deciding what to make for my BLUEY menu. So let’s get started!

If you’re unfamiliar with pavlova (as I was), it’s a large baked meringue topped with whipped cream and fruit. The meringue has a thin, crunchy exterior and marshmallowy interior and should be white to off-white in color. I started with my go-to meringue recipe and the baking instructions from this Blackberry Cardamom Pavlova recipe from Adventures in Cooking. Then I tweaked it all as I refined the results. It took a LOT of experimentation (I lost count somewhere around 8 pavlovas), but I finally found the right combo of ingredients, bake temp/time, and cool time to get the right color and texture. I might play with it some more at a later date, but I’m happy with where it’s at right now.

I’ve got to say, eating pavlova is a truly magical experience. The outside has a delicate crunch, and the inside is soft and fluffy. Adding the whipped cream and fruit adds extra freshness and lightness, preventing the meringue from being too sweet. I love that pavlova has so many flavors and textures and that they all work together instead of competing with each other. I’m planning to make it again for my daughter’s Bluey-themed birthday party next month.

I’ll see you all for another recipe (and a new menu) in a couple weeks. Until then, have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Bandit’s Spring Rolls

Posted December 5, 2024 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes, Pop Culture Corner / 0 Comments

When I decided to make a Bluey menu, I consulted my local experts on iconic Bluey food: my kids! They asked for several items (including the meat pie from “Tradies”), but the one my daughter advocated for most was spring rolls from the episode “Takeaway,” which is the first episode we ever watched.

In keeping with the show, I decided to make my spring rolls in the style of Chinese takeaway. Since we never see the filling inside Bandit’s spring rolls, I made a variation of this Chinese pork-filled spring roll recipe by Sugar Salt Magic, since we know Bandit likes his meat. You could also make these in the style of the Chiko roll, a popular spring roll-inspired snack unique to Australia.

Originally, I tried to make these with rice paper wrappers, but I had trouble getting them to brown nicely (even after brushing them with sugar water, a suggestion I found online). My grocery store had “eggless egg roll wrappers,” which sounds a lot like flour spring roll wrappers to me. That’s what I wound up going with, so I hope it’s true to what you’d find at an Australian Chinese takeaway restaurant.

In the end, I loved these, especially with sweet Thai chili sauce! They were so satisfying, and I loved the crispy exterior combined with the soft interior. This recipe makes twenty rolls—perfect for the legendary appetite of Bandit Heeler!

Rhaenyra’s Lemon Cakes and Arbor Gold Wine from THE OFFICIAL WESTEROS COOKBOOK

Posted November 28, 2024 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book Events and Tours, Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

Hi, everybody! Since today is Thanksgiving, I thought it would be fun to share a special bonus post: a recipe from THE OFFICIAL WESTEROS COOKBOOK by Cassandra Reeder, creator of The Geeky Chef blog. I’ve been a fan of Cassandra’s work since my early days of blogging, and I’ve shared her recipe for Miruvor here in the past. I’m super excited to share an all-new recipe from her latest cookbook with you today. Let’s get started!

Sparky’s Meat Pies

Posted November 21, 2024 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

Today’s recipe is inspired by my all-time favorite BLUEY episode: Tradies! In this episode, some tradesmen (called “tradies” in Australia) come to Bluey’s house to install a fish pond in the backyard, and Bluey and Bingo spy on them. They learn that a tradie called Sparky loves meat pies, but someone called “me missus” (who they believe is his enemy) won’t let him eat them. So the girls leave a meat pie with a ketchup smiley face out for him as a surprise.

This recipe mostly comes from Nagi at Recipe Tin Eats. I made a few minor tweaks to the pie filling to suit my tastes and used my own pie crust recipe for the pie base. The original recipe calls for store bought, which is definitely a viable option (it’s certainly faster), but I decided to include a from-scratch crust option if you want to go that route.

These turned out amaaazing! The filling was rich and satisfying, and the pastry was flaky and delicious. My son especially loved these! However, these pies take quite a while to make, so if you’re planning on making these for a crowd (like for a Bluey-themed birthday party), I recommend making the filling a couple days ahead and chilling it. Then you can make the pastry, assemble, and bake the day before. These pies can be reheated in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy! 🙂

Bluey’s Pumpkin Seeds and Bingo’s “Edna-damee” Beans

Posted November 7, 2024 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

I have a 7-year-old and a 5-year-old, so of course Bluey is extremely popular at our house. If you’re a fan too, you’ve probably noticed there are lots of delicious foods in the show. I’ve been compiling a Bluey menu in the back of my mind for almost a year now, waiting until enough episodes came out that I could get a good sense of the most iconic Bluey foods. Now it’s time to bring them all to life! Let’s start with an appetizer.

Coming up with an appetizer was probably the hardest, since I wanted to stick with kid-friendly finger foods, like you would have a Bluey-themed kids’ party. I decided to do a combo recipe of two foods mentioned in the show: Bluey’s pumpkin seeds and Bingo’s edamame beans. Both foods are ones that the girls are reluctant to try at first but wind up enjoying.

In the episode “Granddad,” Bluey is unwilling to eat the pumpkin seeds her mom gives her as a snack until her granddad helps her realize how important it is to take care of your body, especially as you get older. In the episode, Bluey’s pumpkin seeds appear to be plain, but I decided to toast mine with honey, brown sugar, and sesame seeds—inspired by my favorite Sahale snack mix.

In the episode “Pavlova,” Bingo is reluctant to try edamame beans, the name of which both she and Bluey struggle to pronounce. The girls always call them something different, such as “eda-mommy” and “edna-damee.” Bluey and Bandit create a pretend French restaurant to try to encourage Bingo to try the beans, but despite all their efforts, she doesn’t try them until they get distracted and she can do it without pressure. Since my pumpkin seed recipe was sweet, I decided to take my edamame beans in a savory direction, toasting them with garlic and ginger.

These are both super quick and easy, perfect appetizers for a Bluey birthday party!

BEATRICE’S DIRT: Pudding Cups with Marzipan Mushrooms, Edible Moss, Frog Gummies, and Pumpkin Candies

Posted October 24, 2024 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

When we meet Beatrice’s bluebird family in OVER THE GARDEN WALL, her mother continually reminds everyone to “eat some dirt,” even going so far as to spoon feed it to Wirt. It’s never explained why she fixates on this, though it could be a reference to the fact that some birds eat sand and grit to help grind up their food. I loved the idea of making pudding and Oreo dirt cups for my OTGW dessert, but of course I wanted to jazz it up a little bit!

Instead of topping the cups with gummy worms, I decided to decorate them with stuff from the show: gummy frogs and candy pumpkins! Originally I did chocolate rocks too, but I decided they made it all look too busy in the pictures (you can definitely add the chocolate rocks to yours though!). To make the top of the pudding cups look more like the forest floor of the Unknown, I added a bed of edible moss and some morel mushrooms sculpted from homemade marzipan! I got the idea for the moss from a cake I saw by Must Love Herbs (you should seriously check out all her cakes—they’re sooo beautiful!).

My kids loved these pudding cups! My son, a big marzipan fan, especially loved the mushrooms. These were so fun to make, and I love that all the decorations are little throwbacks to the show. Perfect for an OVER THE GARDEN WALL watch party!