Skip to main content

A Disappointing Postscript + Bruschetta with Sliced Tomatoes #FoodieReads

 

At the end of last year, I posted a recipe and my thoughts about P.S. I Love You by Cecilia Ahern.* I was way ahead of schedule as we are reading it this month (February 2021) for our online Lit Happens group and watching the movie adaptation next month (March 2021) for the online Food'N'Flix group. You can read my blogpost Dublin Coddle + P. S. I Love You

In any case, I picked up the sequel of the book - Postscript by Cecelia Ahern* and read through it in an afternoon. As is sadly often the case, the sequel didn't live up to the original...in my mind. But it was still an enjoyable way to spend some time in a chaise lounge in the sun this weekend.

On the Page

This book picks up seven years after P.S. I Love You ends. Holly has moved on in both life and love, but agrees to do a podcast with her sister about grief. And that takes her down a rabbit hole of helping terminally ill patients write and deliver letters to their loved ones after they are gone. It was an interesting concept - in giving to others what Gerry's letters had given her - but it felt oddly forced and contrived. Part of my disappointment stems from the fact that the first book was so well done. This one really had no where to go but down.

On the Plate

Like the first book, there was plenty of food mentioned. I had to chuckle at the vegan food mentions that Holly's mom creates...and the inevitable protest from the omnivorous set.  "I sit forward and tuck in. Or try to. Mum’s food, vegan gravy aside, really is delicious and on as many Sundays as possible she tries to gather the troops for a family meal, which we all adore" (pg. 38). Or "'Vegan chili con carne, if you can stomach the lack of the taste of tortured animal?' 'I’m barbecuing steak!' Mathew yells from the back room. 'Tempting.' I smile. 'Thanks, but I’ll go home. I have to start decluttering anyway before I move, so this is a good opportunity'" (pg. 82).


And I was tempted to re-do my Sunflower Cupcakes when Holly shares: "Sunflowers. My October letter from Gerry. A sunflower pressed between two cards and a pouch of seeds to brighten the dark October days you hate so much, he’d written. ...I’d told everyone it was because sunflowers were my favorite flowers. They weren’t. I’m not really the type of person to have a favorite flower; flowers are flowers and they are mostly all attractive. But the sunflowers had a meaning, a story. They started a conversation. Gerry had managed to start a conversation from his deathbed, which was Gerry’s gift" (pg. 70).

But, in the end, I was inspired into the kitchen by her dinner date at an Italian restaurant. "The waitress brings bruschetta and chopped tomatoes to the table while we wait for our main course. Seemingly relieved to have a new distraction, he turns his attention to the food, busies himself with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, giving it more attention than he ever has before" (pg. 130). We are having some weird weather. Our blueberry plant is already producing and there are already tomatoes in the markets. So, I made a plate full of tomato bruschetta for this post.

Ingredients serves 4 as an appetizer

  • 8 slices of baguette
  • butter for greasing the pan
  • 1 burrata, sliced into 8 pieces
  • 8 mini heirloom tomatoes, quartered
  • 10 basil leaves, chiffonaded
  • freshly ground sea salt
  • olive oil
  • also needed: grill or grill pan

Procedure

Heat the grill or grill pan and rub slats with butter. Once hot, place the baguette slices on the grill or grill pan. Watch them carefully so they don't burn.  You just want them crisped with nice grill marks.


Place on a serving platter. Top each grilled bread with a thick slice of burrata cheese and spread it over the bread with a spoon or knife. Sprinkle the toasts with basil and arrange quartered mini tomatoes on top of the burrata. 


Sprinkle with freshly ground sea salt and drizzle with olive oil. Serve immediately.

*This blog currently has a partnership with Amazon.com in their affiliate program, which gives me a small percentage of sales if you buy a product through a link on my blog. It doesn't cost you anything more. If you are uncomfortable with this, feel free to go directly to Amazon.com and search for the item of your choice.
Click to see what everyone else read in February 2021: here.

Comments

  1. When I was a child I felt that sequels were always a come-down from the original -- especially in fantasy stories. Authors would first offer a vivid imaginative almost dreamlike story, but in the sequels they would try to make it realistic, they would explain things and draw maps and present backstories. I kept having that reaction -- it's true of "The Princess and the Goblin" by George McDonald which was my childhood favorite; of the Oz stories which are good but none quite as good as the first over-the-rainbow trip; of Alice in Wonderland, where the looking glass isn't as spontaneous or charming as Wonderland. I think it has some validity in the Lord of the Rings stories where the freshness of The Hobbit becomes so much more rationalized. More recently it applies to the Dark Materials series which get more and more involved with made-up worlds that all demonstrate some theory.

    So your experience doesn't surprise me.

    I think the Harry Potter series is less like this because it was all planned out in advance, and thus it's almost like a 10,000 page single book.

    Sorry to go on and on!

    be safe... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by, Mae. I loved series when I was a kid, especially the Narnia books. I can't remember how many times I read those.

      Delete
  2. Perhaps one of the problems is that it has been so long since the original was published.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy.  Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce