In October, three new cookbooks based on hit TV shows will help you take your fandom to the next level—into the kitchen.
Title: Baking Bad
Author: Walter Wheat
Publisher: Hachette Books
Publication Date: October 28
The Scoop: Divided into five seasons to coordinate with the TV series Breaking Bad (which concluded in September 2013), the parody cookbook (not officially associated with the show, or approved by its producers) features more than 20 recipes for baked goods, all made in reference to “everyone’s favorite chemistry teacher-turned drug-baron.” The author, using a pseudonym that plays on the main character of Breaking Bad, Walter White, is a self-described super-fan who, bereft at the conclusion of the series, decided to “combine this great love with my other passion (baking treats) to create the ultimate tribute to the ultimate show.” In it, he hopes to “look back at the cultural touchpoints [the show] has given us and - with eggs, flour, sugar, and water - make a comment.” The publisher released a trailer on October 14, which it touted at New York Comic Con last week.
Fans Will Love: Punny recipes (think Ricin Krispie Squares, and Mr. White’s Tighty Whitey Bites), inside jokes about the series, visual and textual references. "No gasmask required," says Hachette.
Title: The Portlandia Cookbook
Authors: Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, with Jonathan Krisel
Publisher: Clarkson Potter
Publication Date: October 28
The Scoop: Armisen and Brownstein, stars of Portlandia, alongside Krisel, the director of the series (which enters its fifth season on IFC in January 2015), serve up 50 recipes inspired by the show. Food plays a prominent role in Portlandia, a satirical sketch series about the eponymous city’s hipster population, and the tie-in offers the meals that define it, according to the publisher, making it “perfect for every freegan, organic farmer, food truck diehard, and dumpster diver.” At launch, Armisen and Brownstein will be cooking on Good Morning America and The Rachael Ray Show.
Fans Will Love: Recipes like Butterflied Chicken Roasted Over Bread (and yes, the chicken is local), and Nance’s Lavender Shortbread Cookies; sidebars with advice on how to choose a bed-and-breakfast, and the proper communal table etiquette.
Title: Orange Is the New Black Presents: The Cookbook
Authors: Jenji Kohan, Tara Herrmann, Hartley Voss, and Alex Regnery
Publisher: Abrams Image
Publication Date: October 14
The Scoop: A cookbook, based on a TV show, based on a book (Piper Kerman's 2010 memoir of the same name). Insiders Kohan, the showrunner, and producer Herrmann, with writers from the hit Netflix original series about life in a women’s federal prison, cover three square meals a day, plus snacks, sides, desserts, and drinks.
Fans Will Love: Headnotes, written by the characters, for recipes including Red’s Chicken Kiev, Miss Claudette’s Coconut Cake, and Prison Punch; a sidebar with character Taystee’s suggested prison reading list.
