When we were kids, we always wondered what that pound cake in Anne of Windy Poplars tasted like. A recipe that called for 36 eggs! We were dying to know. Not to mention Doc Spencer's meat pie, Bruce Bogtrotter's chocolate cake, Mr. Tumnus's tea, Heidi's grandfather's bread with cheese.... We spent our childhoods a teeny bit sad that we'd never get to try these fictitious dishes.
And then we grew up and became librarians, and suddenly, everything was possible.
Difficulty Levels
We have chosen well-known book titles to represent the levels of difficulty for making our dishes:
1. Green Eggs and Ham: Very Easy
You could do this without any extra tools, and it doesn’t require heating of any kind.
2. Harry Potter: Easy
There is a chemical process involved, but just about anyone can do it. You should be able to make this in a basic dorm kitchen.
3. Little Women: Medium
Basic cooking experience is required, but it’s doable with instructions. You may need equipment that’s not in the basic kitchen set.
4. Pride and Prejudice: Hard
You will need a tool or two that's not available in a standard kitchen. The recipe takes sustained attention or manual dexterity, or requires cooking instincts that come with varied cooking experience.
5. Anna Karenina: Very Hard
It takes a really long time, maybe multiple days. The recipe requires sustained attention and specialized equipment. You may need to consult various experts. Cooking the dish becomes a project that takes strategic planning.
6. Ulysses: Pretty Much Impossible
You can probably only manage this dish if it’s a family recipe you’ve been making every day with your grandmother since age 4, or you are a professional chef.
Deliciousness Ratings
We have found OWL marks from Harry Potter to be a useful rating scale for deliciousness:
1. Troll: Absolutely inedible. We couldn’t even finish a bite.
2. Dreadful: We hated it.
3. Poor: We did not like it.
4. Acceptable: It was okay.
5. Exceeds Expectations: We liked it.
6. Outstanding: We loved it.
7. NEWT: True love. It was magical. A once-in-a-lifetime experience.