When I think of Gilmore Girls, it’s hard not to immediately think of food. Even the show’s other defining qualities connect back to that in my mind. They're probably talking that fast because they're basically mainlining coffee!
So it wasn’t surprising that, after Netflix announced the show’s return, an unauthorised cookbook, Eat Like A Gilmore, appeared on the scene. Funded by a Kickstarter campaign back in March, the book contains recipes that would be familiar to the show’s legions of devoted fans.
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So, of course, I had to try it out. After all, I needed something to do while waiting for November 25 besides overanalysing every photo still that’s been released. (Where my Team Logan folks at? Never give up hope!)
From Friday night dinners to burgers at Luke’s, I set out to recreate at least one dish from the show’s most iconic meals. I might not be able to visit Stars Hollow in real life, but at least I can eat like I'm there.
Would I feel the magic of living in a small town that is somehow both charming and gratingly annoying? Would I know what it’s like to have caring but misguided grandparents who are also rich? Would I suddenly be averse to anything that remotely resembled a vegetable? The answers, ahead.
Photo: Courtesy of Marshall Bright.
Unlike Richard and Emily, I don't have household help to boss around when I'm hosting a dinner party. Instead, I relied on the assistance of pre-made soup and a slow cooker. Who needs a chef for your dinner when you have yourself — er, twelve hours in the past?
Since I was really committed to replicating the show, we even had cocktails, courtesy of my friend Maureen who volunteered to act as bartender. Hillary, she of the usurped dinner party, supplied the salad. Another friend brought cheese and another dessert. It turned into more of a potluck than a stuffy, sit-down affair, but eating in courses and enjoying a cocktail hour made the thing feel a lot more fancy. And, thankfully, no one fought, not even quippily, or interrogated anyone else about their sexual history.
I was beginning to think Emily and Richard really were onto something with these sit-down, multi-course meals, but at the end of the evening, even with the help of four strangers and Tetra Paks of butternut-squash soup, the kitchen was a wreck. As it turns out, me from twelve hours ago can set the slow cooker to "low," but she can't make the mountain of dishes go away.
Since I was really committed to replicating the show, we even had cocktails, courtesy of my friend Maureen who volunteered to act as bartender. Hillary, she of the usurped dinner party, supplied the salad. Another friend brought cheese and another dessert. It turned into more of a potluck than a stuffy, sit-down affair, but eating in courses and enjoying a cocktail hour made the thing feel a lot more fancy. And, thankfully, no one fought, not even quippily, or interrogated anyone else about their sexual history.
I was beginning to think Emily and Richard really were onto something with these sit-down, multi-course meals, but at the end of the evening, even with the help of four strangers and Tetra Paks of butternut-squash soup, the kitchen was a wreck. As it turns out, me from twelve hours ago can set the slow cooker to "low," but she can't make the mountain of dishes go away.
Photo: Courtesy of Marshall Bright.
I once bragged to someone that I only eat one burger a week. The person then pointed out that that means I'm eating over 50 a year, and suddenly I felt a lot less self-restrained. But while I'm always eating burgers, I'm rarely making them. I mean, what's a burger without fries? So then you're getting the fries out of the oil at the right time and toasting a bun and not overcooking the patty... Yeah, I'd rather just leave it to the experts.
Rather than give up and just go to my local diner this time, however, I went with the burger recipe in Eat Like A Gilmore. The result was a good, but basic burger. But isn't that what you want from a diner anyway? Uncomplicated, predictable, and not over-cooked? Blessedly, this meal resulted in far fewer dishes, though I did over-toast the buns a bit while also trying to melt the cheese.
It then occurred to me that, like the Gilmore grandparents, Luke has ample help in the kitchen from his short order cook, Caesar.
Rather than give up and just go to my local diner this time, however, I went with the burger recipe in Eat Like A Gilmore. The result was a good, but basic burger. But isn't that what you want from a diner anyway? Uncomplicated, predictable, and not over-cooked? Blessedly, this meal resulted in far fewer dishes, though I did over-toast the buns a bit while also trying to melt the cheese.
It then occurred to me that, like the Gilmore grandparents, Luke has ample help in the kitchen from his short order cook, Caesar.
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Photo: Courtesy of Marshall Bright.
I wanted to make a wedding cake, instead, I wound up with a new invention I'm calling cake-pie.
I made all the cake's basic elements the night before and brought it into the office to finish. With the (unpaid) help of my fellow editorial assistant Elizabeth Buxton, I attempted to assemble the image I had in my mind: a layered cake with the marshmallow fluff icing peeking through on the un-iced sides, and a fudge icing dribbling off the top.
What I got was a mostly sunken cake-like thing, and chocolate liquid all over the counter of our office kitchen. Sookie would have pitched a fit and fired someone, but Elizabeth thought quickly. She found an empty pie tin, which we were able to transfer the cake to, allowing us to contain the mess and create the world's first s'mores cake-pie. (As far as I know.)
Marshmallow fluff, as it turns out, is basically edible glue. After we unstuck our knives from the counter and contained the icing flood, we served a very rich, slightly s'mores-y, incredibly sticky dessert to our coworkers. While I wouldn't serve it at the wedding of my best friend, it was a tasty, if messy, dessert.
After that, I was ready to move on to to simpler things. Would a recipe from an actual Gilmore girl prove to be my salvation?
I made all the cake's basic elements the night before and brought it into the office to finish. With the (unpaid) help of my fellow editorial assistant Elizabeth Buxton, I attempted to assemble the image I had in my mind: a layered cake with the marshmallow fluff icing peeking through on the un-iced sides, and a fudge icing dribbling off the top.
What I got was a mostly sunken cake-like thing, and chocolate liquid all over the counter of our office kitchen. Sookie would have pitched a fit and fired someone, but Elizabeth thought quickly. She found an empty pie tin, which we were able to transfer the cake to, allowing us to contain the mess and create the world's first s'mores cake-pie. (As far as I know.)
Marshmallow fluff, as it turns out, is basically edible glue. After we unstuck our knives from the counter and contained the icing flood, we served a very rich, slightly s'mores-y, incredibly sticky dessert to our coworkers. While I wouldn't serve it at the wedding of my best friend, it was a tasty, if messy, dessert.
After that, I was ready to move on to to simpler things. Would a recipe from an actual Gilmore girl prove to be my salvation?
While I'm sure there's a way to mess up bruschetta, it would be hard. Plain tomatoes on bread are already delicious, and anything else you mix in is just a bonus. I added basil, garlic, and a drizzle of nice balsamic and I felt like a modern-day Donna Read.
Photo: Courtesy of Marshall Bright.
A lot has been said over the years about how Rory and Lorelai somehow get to be effortlessly thin despite never exercising and eating like they're storing up for winter. After eating dessert sushi, however, I was less concerned by how they allegedly maintain their figures and more about how they even manage to get up in the morning. How can you find the energy to run a small business or get straight As at an Ivy League institution when you are fuelled by nothing but simple sugar?
I am at a loss to describe how dessert sushi tastes, but suffice to say that, if day-glo had a flavour, it would be this. Or maybe this is what it would taste like if you could consume the spirit of a Lisa Frank folder. I got a sugar headache after two bites and had to throw the rest out.
Clearly, "What would a Gilmore girl cook?" was the wrong question to have asked. Even asking, "What would a Gilmore girl eat?" was wrong, since I didn't have entire staffs and restaurants full of caring people hoping to feed me for free.
Now, I finally asked, "What would a Gilmore girl do?" The answer was obvious.
I am at a loss to describe how dessert sushi tastes, but suffice to say that, if day-glo had a flavour, it would be this. Or maybe this is what it would taste like if you could consume the spirit of a Lisa Frank folder. I got a sugar headache after two bites and had to throw the rest out.
Clearly, "What would a Gilmore girl cook?" was the wrong question to have asked. Even asking, "What would a Gilmore girl eat?" was wrong, since I didn't have entire staffs and restaurants full of caring people hoping to feed me for free.
Now, I finally asked, "What would a Gilmore girl do?" The answer was obvious.
Photo: Courtesy of Marshall Bright.
The answer was, of course, order takeout.
Eating like a Gilmore by cooking their favourite foods would never get me the full Gilmore-girl experience. It was only by surrendering to temptation and placing an order for pan-fried noodles and dumplings that I truly felt in communion with Lorelai and Rory.
And let me tell you, it tasted great.
Eating like a Gilmore by cooking their favourite foods would never get me the full Gilmore-girl experience. It was only by surrendering to temptation and placing an order for pan-fried noodles and dumplings that I truly felt in communion with Lorelai and Rory.
And let me tell you, it tasted great.
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