Five Quarters of The Orange by Joanne Harris. January Recipe by Jenny Linford
This months read is by one of my favourite authors, Joanne Harris and the recipe is from one of my favourite writer, reviewer and advocates of all independent foodies , Jenny Linford, but first let chat about Joanne Harris and Januarys read.
Like a lot of people i came across Joanne Harris after i watched her 1999 novel Chocolate, to the big screen.
“Joanne Harris is an Anglo-French author, whose books include fourteen novels, two cookbooks and many short stories. Her work is extremely diverse, covering aspects of magic realism, suspense, historical fiction, mythology and fantasy. She has also written a DR WHO novella for the BBC, has scripted guest episodes for the game ZOMBIES, RUN!, and is currently engaged in a number of musical theatre projects as well as developing an original drama for television.” (Goodreads)
Goodreads writes
“ The novels of Joanne Harris are a literary feast for the senses. Five Quarters of the Orange represents Harris's most complex and sophisticated work yet - a novel in which darkness and fierce joy come together to create an unforgettable story.” A good start, right ?
And about Five Quarters of The Orange Goodreads writes. “When Framboise Simon returns to a small village on the banks of the Loire, the locals do not recognise her as the daughter of the infamous Mirabelle Dartigen - the woman they still hold responsible for a terrible tragedy that took place during the German occupation decades before. Although Framboise hopes for a new beginning she quickly discovers that past and present are inextricably intertwined. Nowhere is this truth more apparent than in the scrapbook of recipes she has inherited from her dead mother.
With this book, Framboise re-creates her mother's dishes, which she serves in her small creperie. And yet as she studies the scrapbook - searching for clues to unlock the contradiction between her mother's sensuous love of food and often cruel demeanour - she begins to recognise a deeper meaning behind Mirabelle's cryptic scribbles. Within the journal's tattered pages lies the key to what actually transpired the summer Framboise was nine years old.
Rich and dark. Five Quarters of the Orange is a novel of mothers and daughters of the past and the present, of resisting, and succumbing, and an extraordinary work by a masterful writer.”
Well i know that if i’d read this before i’d actually read the book, it would have made me go out and get myself a copy, but I’m still only giving the book a 3 1/2 egg rating.
Why this egg score? To be honest i’m not quite sure. I only know that there was a little something too melodramatic in this book for me, but i’ll let you decide for yourself.
Let me know what egg rating you’d give this months read, and if you’ve any fiction books with ingredients in the title that you think our groups will like to read, send me an email.
Five Quarters of The Orange
by Joanne Harris
Five quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris. 3 1/2 egg rating.
ORANGE JELLY
by Jenny Linford
Jenny Linford
I can never in my wildest dreams write anything about Jenny that will do her justice and big up how talented she is, so instead of waffling on about Jenny, i decided to use her own words straight from her website and Linkedin profile.
Jenny Linford “is a freelance food writer, a member of the Guild of Food Writers and author of fifteen books, ranging from cookery books to ingredient guides. Over the years i’ve written for a variety of publications, including The Guardian, Time Out’s Eating Out guides and The Times. My website work has included researching and writing for the British Library’s Food Stories website, a fascinating project using audio-clips from the Life Stories collection.
Born in London, my interest in food stems from living as a child in Singapore and Italy, places where good food is important to the community, both taken for granted and relished as a great pleasure
I’m an inveterate food shopper, always on the look-out for ingredients to cook with or delicious things to eat, whether it be tangy barberries from an Iranian supermarket or a freshly baked barbecued pork bun from one of Chinatown’s bakeries. London’s fantastically diverse food scene offers constant inspiration for recipes, articles and books such as Food Lovers’ London and The London Cookbook.
In 2020, the Covid-19 crisis changed many aspects of our lives, including how we shopped for and consumed food. Beginning with my British Cheese Crisis piece – written off my own bat to highlight the disastrous situation facing British cheesemakers with the closure of hospitality which struck a remarkable chord with people – I’ve written a series of pieces exploring and charting through producers and retailers the impact of the pandemic on people in the British food scene.
With 15 published books including Food Lovers’ London, The London Cookbook and Great British Cheeses, a longstanding champion of independent food shops, in 1994 Jenny set up Gastro- Soho Tours offering guided tours of London’s historic and diverse food shops.
She offers bespoke tours for companies including Harbour and Jones and also works with the cultural organisation The School of Life leading their voyage in Epicuriosty.”
ORANGE JELLY
Serves 6
“Winter is the best time to enjoy citrus fruit at their seasonal best; their uplifting fragrance is very welcome during the cold, dark days of January. Home-made jellies are easy to make, look appealing and are a light, refreshing dessert. “ Jenny
Ingredients
2 tbsp sugar
600ml orange juice
5 leaves of gelatine
2 tangerines or clementines, peeled and separated into segment
cream or evaporated milk, to serve
Method
Stir the sugar into the orange juice until dissolved.
Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 4-5 minutes to soften.
Remove from the water and lightly squeeze out some of the excess moisture then place in saucepan and gently heat stirring until melted.
Remove from direct heat and stir in the orange juice, mixing together well.
Place the tangerine segments in a serving bowl.
Through a sieve, pour in the orange juice mixture; the fruit will float to the surface.
Cool, cover and chill until set, around 6 hours or overnight. Serve with cream or evaporated milk.
Jenny Linford
