Food Ideas for "The Devil in the White City" {by Erik Larson}

The Book we read this month was "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson. Many of us started reading this book without knowing what it was about. About a third of the way through it some of us thought, "Is this fiction or non fiction?" The H.H. Holmes plot was like something out of a fiction novel, truly an unbelievable story that unfortunately, really happened.



This book is about the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago and about the infamous serial killer H.H. Holmes. Since this book was about a fair we decided to do a FAIR THEMED MENU! Voila, what a great idea. We had not done a fair theme yet and this worked perfectly for the book.

{Drinks}

First up is the Drinks. We had bottled Cokes and Rootbeer with also a very yummy Strawberry Lemonade that we drank out of mason jars.

P.S. Don't forget the bottle cap opener if you get bottles that don't twist off. (Note to Self) Sorry Julie, it will not happen again and maybe I'll sneak you a Dr. Pepper next time to make up for it ;)

{Side Dishes}

We nibbled on Sweet Corn, individual Veggie Cups with dip already in the bottom of the cup (this is genius and I think it should be a staple for future book club meetings) we also couldn't get over how divine these Strawberries were!

We couldn't have a fair without POPCORN and the lovely Whitney had a popcorn machine we used. If you don't have a friend like Whitney whom you could borrow one you can also buy one here.

Kelly found these cute popcorn boxes on Amazon. We love Prime.

{Main Dish}

We had Carnival Corn Dogs and Chicago Style Pizza!

{Desserts}

On to the sweetest thing of the night, all the yummy treats!

We tried The original Palmer House Brownies which were INVENTED at the 1893 Chicago Worlds fair which is the fair we read about so we HAD to try them right? (Let's just say they didn't taste like any brownie I'd ever had.)

Cotton Candy with a twist. They are Cotton Candy Suckers!
 Personally I could have eaten all of them. I LOVE Cotton Candy.

Kelly bought premade cotton candy in a tub that you can find at most stores and reformed the pieces around sucker sticks. She then put a small bag over the top and tied it off with a bit of string to keep the cotton candy fresh.

Don't forget the authentic Cracker Jacks Boxes with real prizes inside that each member got to take home.

Robin, one of our fabulous members, is SO talented in the kitchen and she created these adorable mini pies! These Country Fair Style Mini Apple and Cherry Pies were the perfect addition to the table and I find myself craving them daily now!

 You can make these perfect pies for yourself or next event with Robin's step by step tutorial  found here.

We couldn't get over how cute this Mini Cupcake Ferris Wheel was. I mean, come on!

 It was perfect for our Fair Themed Night as well as the delicious mini red velvet and coconut cream Cupcakes  that were provided by Dippidee bakery. If you're local you all NEED to check out their new location by Thanksgiving Point in Utah to try their sinfully good treats, thanks Dippidee!

The fair food was perfect for this book club meeting. Thanks Kelly D. for moderating and coming up with such a great menu.

Enjoying our Delicious Read and Dish!

I hope this gave you some inspiration for your book club night.

To see more inspiration and magic from another fair theme book club, take a look at our photos from THE NIGHT CIRCUS meeting. 

xoxo,

Kellie

* All Picture were taken by book club members Robin, Kelly and me. Thanks for helping out ladies!*

PS!!

My friend and fellow book lover Elle Jauffret creates the most DIVINE dishes based on books she's read and enjoyed and guess what, she just read "The Devil in the White City" and you can see from the photos below that she is one talented woman! 

Elle is graciously sharing two of her recipes that she created for this book with us and I can't wait to try them for myself!

Now, who am I going to get to make them for me....

Potatoes à la Duchesse

2 pounds potatoes 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup heavy cream
salt, pepper, nutmeg – according to taste

Directions: Peel, and cut potatoes in cube. Cook in boiling water.
Drain and mash potatoes. Add other ingredients and mix until well combined.
Place “purée” in a piping bag and pipe on a cookie sheet. Cook at 425 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.


FILETS MIGNONS À LA ROSSINI

3 tbsp truffle oil (or vegetable oil)
4 shallots
1 tbsp flour
1 cup dry Madeira wine
1/2 cup concentrated beef stock, fat skimmed off
truffles shaving/slivers
Salt and pepper

Directions: Cook the filets mignons for 20-25 minutes in a 425°F oven (or more depending on their sizes and the desired on well done you want them).

Meanwhile, peel and chop shallots. Sauté them in 1-2 tbsp of truffle oil in saucepan over low heat. When they are soft, add the flour and the Madeira wine. Mix well and add the beef stock. Stir well and cook until reduced by half (the sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon).

Remove the filets mignons from the oven, and dress it with sauce and truffles shaving/slivers.

"Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood." D.H. Burnham
"I was born with the devil in me. I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing." Dr. H.H. Holmes
THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY by Erik Larson
Menu (Paperback Edition p.98): Filet Mignon à la Rossini; Fond d'Artichaut farci (stuffed artichoke heart); Potatoes à la Duchesse.

Thank You Elle!

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