NOVEL THOUGHTS
………
DIAL PRESS, 2008
(available in paperback from Dial Press, 2009)
IT IS 1946. London-based writer Juliet Ashton is seeking an idea for a new book when she receives a letter posted from Guernsey, one of a cluster of English Channel islands. Farmer Dawsey Adams has found Juliet’s name and address penciled into an old book by Charles Lamb, one of his favorite authors, and is writing to her in hopes of finding a London bookstore from which to order more of Lamb’s writings. Juliet responds immediately. She is intrigued by Dawsey’s passing mention of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a group formed hurriedly during the German occupation as an alibi for a dinner party featuring a forbidden roast pig. As Juliet and Dawsey’s correspondence continues, and other members of the literary group join in, Juliet finds herself drawn to their tales of life on Guernsey under German occupation—the arbitrary curfews, the conditions of the Todt slaves brought over to fortify the islands, the occasional liaisons between German soldiers and civilians—and the islanders’ unique and clever defiance. Through letters, Juliet has met a group of new friends, and knows she has found her next book idea.
A story told entirely through the letters of Juliet, her friends and colleagues, and the islanders, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society paints a complex, charming portrait of Guernsey island: its colorful inhabitants, and the transformational effect they have on the life of Juliet Ashton.
Annie Barrows generously supplied two potato peel pie recipes—one authentic, one less so: culinary inspiration for any group curious about the occupation-era dish that gave the book club its name.
(See photo insert.)
Barrows writes:
My aunt and coauthor Mary Ann Shaffer was not so much a bad cook as a noncook. I don’t think I ever ate a meal she made in my life (though we did eat a lot of candy together), and, as far as I can remember, she didn’t own a cookbook. She would certainly be surprised to find herself in these pages, inspiring a recipe for potato peel pie, and after she had finished laughing, she would probably say, “Anyone who cooks a pie I made up gets what she deserves.”
Potato peel pie is a semifictitious concoction. Several first-person accounts of the Occupation of the Channel Islands refer to pies made with potato peelings, but Will Thisbee’s version, the favored refreshment of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, is Mary Ann’s creation. However, it is true to the spirit of Guernsey cookery during the occupation, by which I mean that it’s pretty dismal. A historically accurate potato peel pie is easy to make, but difficult to digest, and I warn you, it tastes like paste. Nonetheless, for rigorous readers, the following recipe is terribly authentic:
2 or 3 medium potatoes, any kind available 1 medium beet 2 tablespoons milk (this is probably too deluxe for a true occupation pie, but if you aim to eat the thing, you’ll want the milk in order to reduce lump-size) |
Scrub potatoes and pat dry. Peel the potatoes and lay the peelings evenly in the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. Don’t cook the peels, because you’re in the middle of an occupation and you don’t have any fuel.
Peel and trim the beet. Place the potatoes and the beet in a saucepan and cover with salty water. Bring to a boil and cook, but not for very long, due to the fuel problem—just until you can stick a fork into the potato, say.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Drain the potatoes and beet, transfer them to a bowl, and mash them up with the milk. Pour the glop into the pie pan. Bake for as short a time as is consonant with digestion (fuel again), maybe 15 minutes.
The finished product will be a lovely pink color. If you cross your eyes, you might be able to imagine you’re eating a raspberry tart. This dream will be short-lived, however, because this doesn’t taste a thing like raspberry tart.
Yield: 8 peacetime servings; 12 to 16 wartime servings
(See photo insert.)
Barrows writes:
For those of you who, like me, prefer taste to truth, I recommend the following recipe for a nonoccupied potato peel pie.
1½ −2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes (about 4 medium or 6 small potatoes) No beets ½ cup (1 stick) butter, cut into pieces ½ cup milk 1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese and maybe some sour cream, too (about G cup) |
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Go ahead and use the peelings as the crust, but cook them first: Scrub potatoes and pat dry. Peel potatoes and lay peelings evenly in the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. Place in oven and cook for about 15–20 minutes, because it would be nice if they were a little crispy. When they’re done, reduce oven heat to 350°F.
In the meantime, place potatoes in a large pot, cover with salted water, and boil until they’re soft, however long that takes (about 30–40 minutes). Then, drain the potatoes and mash them up with the butter until they’re nice and fluffy. Add milk slowly and stir until milk is absorbed. Stir in that delicious cheese and the sour cream, too, if you want it (and who wouldn’t?).
Pour the potato mixture on top of the crispy skins. Then, without even thinking about fuel, put the pie in the oven for about 30 minutes until it’s all melty and glorious (and lightly browned). Allow to cool for about 15 minutes, until it sets. Serve warm. To reheat: Cover with foil and heat for 15–20 minutes in an oven preheated to 300°F.
Yield: One 9-inch pie, 6 to 8 servings
NOVEL THOUGHTS
The Page Turners of Fallston High School in Fallston, Maryland, were struck by the epistolary style of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. “Our book club enjoyed discussion about the dying art of letter writing, and how putting one’s thoughts and feelings down on paper by hand is still very important for the writer and welcomed by the recipient, although we are living in a world of e-mail,” says Dawn Higinbothom, a school nurse at Fallston High School. The group of high school teachers and staff compared past wars, including World War I, World War II, and the German occupation of Guernsey Island, with current-day conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and found some similarities, including the exorbitant amount of money spent on war. They appreciated the book’s colorful, nuanced characters, and found details of their lives during the Occupation to be “eye opening.” Finally, the Page Turners enjoyed the book club thread in the story. “Reading about the birth of another book club—completely by accident—was quite interesting,” says Higinbothom.
More Food for Thought
Grilled kielbasa slices, carrot sticks, and chocolate were on the menu for the Page Turners of Fallston High School. “The night the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was discovered, the members were secretly feasting on roast pig,” says Dawn Higinbothom, explaining the choice of kielbasa. Carrots and chocolate were rationed foods that the islanders were provided with during the German occupation, according to Higinbothom.
The Pre-Oprah Saturday Morning Book Club (meaning they get to the good books before Oprah does) of Dallas prepared an elaborate luncheon to accompany discussion of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, including a trio of salads (chicken salad with balsamic vinaigrette, fruit salad with poppy-seed dressing, and potato-ham salad), cream scones with Guernsey butter, and tea. Rita Atkins, who hosted the meeting, selected each food or ingredient for its symbolism: The balsamic vinegar in the chicken salad represented the sourness of life under enemy occupation; the fruit salad with poppy-seed dressing signified the sweetness that life can hold, regardless of circumstances; and the potato-ham salad reflected the three cultures related to the story (potatoes for Britain, Dijon mustard and mayonnaise for France, and the chopped Black Forest ham for Germany). “The scones were an obvious selection for a story set in Britain, and I was delighted to serve them with Guernsey butter made from the milk of Guernsey cows from nearby Plano, Texas,” says Atkins. (She adds that Guernsey-produced butter is also available at Whole Foods.) Beverages included coffee and Twinings English Breakfast tea.
While dining, several older group members shared their memories of living through World War II and the sacrifices made by those at home. Susan Hamm commented: “We were thankful we could enjoy such a delicious meal rather than the sad fare of a potato peel pie and all the privations that the war involved.”