2 Coat the grill with vegetable cooking spray and preheat for 10–15 minutes at medium-high heat. If you're grilling the peaches after grilling your main course, scrape the grill of any clinging meat or fish. You shouldn't need to re-spray.
3 Grill the peach halves for about 5 minutes, face down. You want the peaches to become soft and the juice to bubble. Blackened edges and grill marks are a good sign of when to turn them.
4 Turn the peaches over and grill for about 3 minutes, or until the peach skin has blackened in places.
5 If desired, drizzle with maple syrup, serve with Greek yogurt or vanilla ice cream, and garnish with dried cranberries, raisins, or walnuts.
1 To make broiled peaches: Set your broiler to high. Rinse canned sliced peaches, or thawed frozen peaches in a colander under cold water, and drain. If using canned peaches, you want to remove as much of the sugar water as possible.
2 Grease the bottom of a broiling pan with olive oil. Pour the peaches into the pan and lightly salt. Broil the peaches for 5–6 minutes, or until the edges and points are blackened. Turn the peaches and broil for 2–3 minutes, or until blackened to your liking.
3 If desired, drizzle with maple syrup, serve with Greek yogurt or vanilla ice cream, and garnish with dried cranberries, raisins, or walnuts.
KNIPLINGSKAGER (DANISH LACE COOKIES)
Makes 3 dozen cookies
From The Great Scandinavian Baking Book by Beatrice Ojakangas (Little Brown, 1988)
Several years ago I was in Copenhagen researching my first novel, The Danish Girl. That makes it sound like a more organized and systematic trip than it actually was. I had heard about the remarkable Lili Elbe — a woman all but forgotten to history — and I went to Denmark on a hunch that there was a story to be found. Every day I went around the city, looking for signs of her life — at the Royal Academy of Arts, in the rolls of microfiche at the library — and then, in the afternoon, I'd go back to my little hotel room near the train station and write down what I had seen and learned. On the way, I'd stop at a bakery for a cup of coffee and a few Danish cookies to revive my mind for an evening of work. I've always liked cookies that aren't especially sweet. Something about the flour or, in this case, the oats, I find more satisfying than chips of chocolate or ginger or M&Ms. In any case, I'd buy a few cookies and think about the character I was trying to recover from history's blank memory. Standing at the bar in the bakery window, I'd nibble on the little cookies and sip my coffee and watch the pedestrians pass by on the street. A man walking a little white dog; a woman with a woven basket over her arm; a girl in a summer dress standing on the pedals of her red bicycle. It was in these moments that I began to find the heart of my novel, that I began to discover the heart of this Danish girl. The book would be about many things, but during those afternoons, alert with coffee and cookies, I came to realize that above all it would be about love.
Note: Try to make the cookies on a dry day. On a humid day, the cookies will absorb too much moisture and be chewy instead of crispy.
½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1 large egg
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 Grease two baking sheets and line with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2 Place melted butter in a small bowl. Stir in rolled oats and ginger.
3 In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg with sugar, by hand or with a mixer, until foamy.
4 In a small bowl, stir together the baking powder and flour, and then stir into oatmeal mixture along with the egg mixture. Drop by generous teaspoonfuls onto baking sheet, leaving 2–3 inches between cookies.
5 Bake for 8–10 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven, cool for 1 minute, and gently remove from sheet with a spatula. Store in an airtight container.
Jamie Ford
SELECTED WOEKS
Whispers of a Thunder God (2011)
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (2009)
Inspiration History. I love doing the research for my books — digging in the past, sifting through forgotten or discarded moments that meant so much to the people who lived through those times — and bringing those moments to life, connecting them to today.
Readers Should Know I try to write with all five senses in mind so naturally food plays an important role in my fiction — from the descriptions of dim sum in my first novel to a formal Japanese tea ceremony in my new book. It's no wonder I'm always hungry after a day of writing.
Readers Frequently Ask Book groups always ask about the Panama Hotel from my novel Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. Yes, it's a very real place. And yes it's still there. In fact, they have a lovely tearoom that's become a popular venue for book clubs to meet.
Authors Who Have Influenced My Writing
Harlan Ellison. He's known for science fiction (or speculative fiction), but his essays are where his true brilliance lies. They're honest, irreverent, caustic, and delicious.
Sherman Alexie. A powerful and subtle writer whose poetic language never gets in the way or distracts from the story.
Nikki Giovanni. An amazing poet who reminds us that the work of our hearts is at least as equal to the work of our hands.
HENRY'S FAVORITE HUM BAO (CANTONESE BARBEQUE PORK BUNS)
Makes 22 buns
Food is everywhere in my debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. I don't know if that's because I was always hungry while writing it, or because Chinese food is such an important cultural ingredient that it's impossible to leave out. It's probably a little of both, honestly.
In one particular scene, Henry and his son Marty go out for dim sum — an early lunch of steamed and baked dumplings, egg tarts, and chicken feet. After lunch, Henry sends his son off with a to-go box of a dozen hum bao — one of my personal favorites and something my own grandparents did for me on many occasions.
Basically, there are two major kinds of hum bao: steamed or baked. Both are made with the same pillowy dough and succulent pork filling. Eileen Yin-Fei Lo's The Dim Sum Dumpling Book has a fantastic multi-day recipe if you want to go all out, but here's a short-cut version if you're in a hurry.
Note: The dough is where I cheat. (Sorry Grandma!) Instead of making dough from scratch, I used Rhodes Bake-N-Serv White Dinner Rolls, found in the freezer section. (Do not use Pillsbury Dinner Rolls or other rolls that are found in the refrigerated section because the consistency differs from that of the frozen rolls.) Thawing the dough and allowing it to rise will take several hours.
Chinese five-spice powder is available in the spice aisle of most grocery stores.
You can use ground pork in place of minced pork loin. Be sure to purchase pure ground pork and not seasoned sausage. These buns are also delicious made with beef. Substitute 1 pound of ground beef for the pork loin.
FOR THE DOUGH
22 Bake-N-Serv rolls (see note)
FOR THE FILLING
½ small onion
1 pound pork loin (see note)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons whiskey
1½ tablespoons soy sauce
1½ tablespoons honey
1½ tablespoons oyster flavored sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
½ teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder (see note)
½ teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
1 Thaw rolls and allow dough to rise, following the thawing and rising instructions on the package. Cut 22 2-inch squares of wax paper, and set aside.
2 To make the filling: Mince onion. If using pork loin, trim fat from pork and then mince pork (see note).
3 Heat oil in a wok or sauté pan on high heat. Add onions, reduce heat to medium, and cook until onions turn brown, about 3 minutes. Add pork and stir-fry until brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add the whiskey. Cook for 1 minute, then add the s
oy sauce, honey, oyster flavored sauce, hoisin sauce, five-spice powder, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
4 To make the bao: Place a dough ball on a flat surface. Press the dough by hand into a disk about 4 inches across. (If your hands stick to the dough, place a sheet of wax paper on top before flattening.) Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of the dough. Pinch two sides shut, then the opposite two sides. Pull the open corners together and pinch to seal. Place the bao sealed side down on a 2-inch square of wax paper. Repeat until all dough balls are prepared.
5 Let rest in a warm spot for about an hour to allow the dough to rise.
6 Transfer several buns with wax paper to a steamer, spacing them so they are not crowded. Steam over lightly boiling water 15–20 minutes. Repeat until all buns are cooked. Peel wax paper before eating.
7 For baked bao, brush each bao with a beaten egg after they've risen, and bake at 350°F. for 15–20 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Enjoy!
Lisa Genova
Christopher Seufert
SELECTED WOEKS
Left Neglected (2011)
Still Alice (2009)
Inspiration Life! I only have about fifteen hours a week to write (and often less as minutes here and hours there are siphoned off to my kids, Still Alice promotion, and Alzheimer's speaking events), so that leaves lots of time for living. I believe that a fully lived life is a blessing for the author and the best inspiration for writing that is fully alive.
Getting Unstuck I read and reread books that keep me psychologically “on path” when I write. I read books like The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, Fearless Creating by Eric Maisel, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott, Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg, Wild Mind: Living the Writer's Life by Natalie Goldberg, and On Writing by Stephen King. And if I'm feeling stuck, I get out a notebook and write a couple of pages of unedited stream of consciousness. That usually works to break things open. Get the pen moving, and sometimes some great pieces of wisdom come out. One day recently, stuck and somewhat terrified about writing Left Neglected, I scribbled this:
Lisa, write your book. Let it come through you, however imperfectly. Don't judge it yet. Just get it down. Believe in this story. Have faith that it will come through you. Write it down. Don't be afraid. Don't think about all 300 pages. Think only about the next scene, the next five pages. Don't make it hard. Enjoy it! Be brave and write the next scene.
Readers Frequently Ask The question I receive most from readers about Still Alice really isn't so much a question, but rather a comment that then sparks many heated questions and comments. The comment has been made in many ways, but the gist of it is, “I'm still really mad at John,” and then the conversation really gets going. Was he too selfish? Did he make the right decision? Did he make a fair decision? Did he and Alice have a good marriage? Did he truly love her? What would you have done? I always tell readers to remember that, like all of us, John is flawed. But I have great empathy for John, and I understand his love for Alice, his denial, his suffering as a caregiver, and his rational if flawed decision.
Authors Who Have Influenced My Writing
Oliver Sacks. In fact, The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat was really the spark that ignited my interest in neuroscience to begin with. He has said, “In examining disease, we gain wisdom about anatomy and physiology and biology. In examining the person with disease, we gain wisdom about life.” That's what I hope to accomplish with my writing.
Brunonia Barry. She originally self-published her riveting novel, The Lace Reader, and then went on to obtain a huge book deal with William Morrow. Still Alice was self-published when I heard about her book deal, and so she gave me a concrete example of success. Her achievement fueled my perseverance and gave me the courage to dream big.
Julia Fox Garrison. I love her memoir, Don't Leave Me This Way. Her writing is honest and deeply moving. Her words can make me laugh out loud on one page and go looking for Kleenex on the next.
ALICE'S WHITE CHOCOLATE CHALLAH PUDDING
Makes 6 servings
From The Figs Table: More Than 100 Recipes for Pizzas, Pastas, Salads, and Desserts by Todd English and Sally Sampson (Simon & Schuster, 1998)
This is the dessert in Still Alice that the title character forgot how to make on Christmas Eve. I chose this particular recipe for a couple of reasons. The first is that my friend Judy and I have been obsessed with this dessert from Todd English's Figs restaurant for years. It's rich, smooth, and luscious. I don't care for white chocolate, and I'm not crazy for bread pudding, but somehow the combination is divine!
I also selected it because of my own experience with forgetting. It's an easy recipe to make and an easy one to memorize, especially if you make it often. But every time I make this pudding, I get hung up on the number of eggs. Seven? Eight? Nine? How many are yolk only? Hold on, let me check. And I have to look it up.
Throughout Still Alice, I tried to illustrate the difference between normal forgetting and forgetting due to Alzheimer's. When is forgetting a name, a word, an appointment, or a recipe normal, and when is it not? I realize this can be a scary and troubling question to pose, but I promise there is nothing scary or troubling about this dessert. Enjoy!
7 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
½ cup sugar
10 ounces white chocolate (about 2 cups chopped)
4 cups challah cubes, approximately 1½ inches square (about 1 loaf, crusts removed)
1 Preheat oven to 350°F.
2 Place the egg yolks, eggs, and vanilla in a small bowl and mix to combine. Set aside.
3 Place the cream, milk, and sugar in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until scalded (when bubbles begin to form around the edges and it begins to steam, but has not quite come to a boil), about 7 minutes. Add the white chocolate and mix until fully melted. Gradually add the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking continuously.
4 Place the bread cubes in an 8″ × 8″ × 2″ pan. Slowly pour the egg-cream mixture over the bread cubes. (If cubes bob to the top, pour more slowly to allow time for the mixture to soak into the bread.) Use your hands or the back of a spoon to press the cubes down and let rest for 15 minutes, or until mixture is entirely absorbed.
5 Cover with aluminum foil and place in a larger pan filled halfway with very hot water. Transfer to the oven and bake until firm and the custard does not show up on your finger when you touch the middle, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. After 30 minutes, check on the water level, and replenish water if necessary to keep the level at the halfway point. Serve warm with fresh berries, caramel sauce, or raspberry sauce (see recipe).
RASPBERRY SAUCE
Makes 1 cup
From The Figs Table: More Than 100 Recipes for Pizzas, Pastas, Salads, and Desserts by Todd English and Sally Sampson (Simon & Schuster, 1998)
4 cups fresh or frozen raspberries, thawed
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
6 tablespoons sugar
1 Purée the raspberries, lemon juice, and sugar in a blender and process until smooth. Pour the mixture into a strainer and press the solids through to strain the liquid. Discard the solids.
2 Add water to thin sauce if necessary. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to one week.
NANA'S CREAM PUFFS
Makes 24 cream puffs
Still Alice was inspired by my grandmother, Angelina Genova, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease when she was eighty-five. Although she lost her history and couldn't understand who we were or why we were there (she told people her daughter Mary was a homeless woman who'd wandered in to live with her), there were parts of my grandmother that never left her. As she always had, she loved lively company. We're a loud, Italian family. She delighted in having us there, sitting around her kitchen table, eating,
laughing to tears, telling stories. And she remained good-natured and good-humored, willing to participate. Here's one of my favorite exchanges:
Aunt Mary: Come on, Ma, we're going to the movies.
Nana: Okay, I don't know who you are, but I'm coming!
The reasons why her family loved her, the reasons why we are connected, disappeared for her, but they didn't for us. We continued to love her, and she accepted it. She understood our hugs and kisses and smiles and returned them with great enthusiasm. I know she felt included and loved until the moment she died.
My grandmother made the best cream puffs. In fact, she won $25 from Parade Magazine in 1969 for her recipe. Someone in my family makes her cream puffs for every holiday, and we still fight over who gets the last one.
Note: These will keep if made in the morning and served later in the day, but they become soggy after a day or two in the fridge.
One stick of butter may be substituted for the shortening.
If you're pressed for time, you can make a quick version of the filling. Cook 1 box of vanilla pudding (not instant; with whole milk), and let cool in the refrigerator. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla to 1 cup of heavy cream, and beat until thick. Fold cream into pudding. Done!
FOR THE PUFFS
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter flavor solid vegetable shortening (see note)
1 cup water
4 large eggs, at room temperature
FOR THE CUSTARD FILLING
½ cup granulated sugar
5½ tablespoons cake flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups whole milk
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
Confectioners' sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
1 Preheat oven to 425°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2 To make the puffs: Combine flour and salt in a small bowl. Place shortening and water in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Add flour mixture all at once and stir vigorously until mixture balls up and becomes quite dry. Remove from heat.
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