Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol: A Book-to-Table Classic

This innovative holiday outing—the kick-off to a series—integrates the complete text of Charles Dickens’s Christmas classic with integrated seasonal recipes sampled from Giada de Laurentiis, Ina Garten, Martha Stewart, and Trisha Yearwood. Chapters—or “staves,” as Dickens called them—feature recipes in different food categories: hors d’oeuvres and starters, entrées, side dishes, and desserts. The traditional dishes, which are moderately difficult to execute, include stuffed mushrooms, roasted turkey breast, candied carrots, and cran-apple crisp. Culinary and textile designers Cherry and Hernando include photographs of objects crafted from food, which correlate to moments in Dickens’s tale; Marley’s face (as it appears on Scrooge’s doorknob) is rendered in what resembles mashed potatoes, while Scrooge’s grave is crafted from a crackerlike headstone, fallen snow that looks like feta cheese, and sprigs of rosemary for grass. Ornaments and other food-made decorative objects embellish the pages. A rich amalgam of culinary arts and classic literature. Also available: Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Ages 10–up. (Oct.)