Joined in 2023 
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63 About this deal
Bake the crust by itself at 375 degrees F for 7 minutes. Remove from oven, remove the pie weights, and set aside. The book includes a cross referenced index which lists individual ingredients (and authors/literary references). The photography and illustration included in the book are -wonderful-, and the nerdy geeky commentary is amazing. The author is a geek, indeed.
There are a lot of fantasy lovers out there, so this cookbook fills a need, and will be one that belongs on the cookbook shelves of anyone who wants to prepare the foods in favorite fantasy books and video games. While there are excellent photographs of a few of the dishes, this cookbook could be improved if it had more. Otherwise, it is well-written, the recipes are easy to follow, and the end results are actually good enough to eat. Reeder has included recipes such as Treacle Tarts and Cauldron Cakes from Harry Potter, as well as Cheese Buns from The Hunger Games. The recipe for Highland Sandwiches from The Outlander is fairly involved (luscious handmade chutney), but well-worth it. Everybody, it seems, loves The Hobbit, and that series is represented in several recipes, including Seed Cakes, Cram, and Lembas. The legend of Zelda, Pokémon, and Super Mario Brothers video games have appealing recipes, and there are also several from Game of Thrones. Remove from heat, then add the butter and vanilla and stir some more, until both are completely incorporated.
Listen. I am a nerd. I am a huge, capital 'N' Nerd and I love all things bookish, tv-series-ish, film-ish or anything else geeky-ish. That obviously includes the food. I mean, what is Harry Potter without the constant mention of treacle tart, really? Or the twelfth Doctor without his fishfingers and custards?
Many of the recipes are accompanied by lovely full-colour pictures. However, I really would have liked photos of all the finished dishes. I like the themed photos which often subtly reflect the media they are inspired by. But, some pictures are a little generic and I couldn’t immediately figure out the associated media. Also, this book is so quirky that I wish that the layout had been as fun as the unique recipes. The recipes would have been nicely elevated by a more vibrant design. As for the entrée, if you have started with the Plommek Soup why not cook some Gagh, a dish that any fun loving Klingon love. The recipes often look great, but what I particularly liked about this cookbook, except for the research that went into designing foods that have something very meagre descriptions in the works they originate from, was the sheer number of different fandoms that the book touches upon. I think it is simply impossible, if you even slightly identify as geeky, to not find at least some of your favorites here. Have you ever wanted to throw a theme party? Or just wanted to throw together a special dinner for you geek girlfriend/boyfriend? Now you can!Now, I am an absolute noob in the kitchen, but most of the recipes are so simple and great that even I can do them and they look AMAZING (my personal favourite are the Pumpkin Pasties, SO GOOD!), which means that you definitely have no excuse not trying these out. The pictures along want to make you be really good at cooking, I promise you. The recipes themselves are easy to read and understand. They include a header bar along with prep info, yields and a description. Ingredients are listed bullet point in a sidebar. Measurements are given in US standard measures with metric measures in parentheses. Preparation instructions are enumerated step by step. Substitutions and alternative preparation or serving information are given in a footer bar at the end of the recipe.
Which means that I could not be more excited that there is a book for people like me. To re-make, re-live and be part of their favourite fantasy world through the fabulousness that is good food. I admit that I am 100% the audience for this book as I am a self-professed geek/nerd person. However! I will say that not only does this book tap into favorite series, films, and books of mine, but it delivers in the recipe department as well! These recipes, and the perfectly-lengthed descriptions for each, were a delight to read through, and I am excited to prepare several. Also, there is some nod to those of us who pursue plant-based living, and that is appreciated. Reeder pulls her inspiration from a multitude of sources: books, movies, television shows, and video games. If you haven't heard of a certain title, don't despair: Reeder includes a brief synopsis of each piece of media - and the food's place in it - in the recipe intro. While most of the source material only has one associated recipe, there is a little repetition ( Star Trek, Legend of Zelda, and Harry Potter receive the most attention).Anyway. My point is: Pop culture and food? Totally my jam. Even though I thought it unlikely that I'd actually make anything from The Geeky Chef Cookbook - or at least precisely as directed - I suspected I might enjoy it anyway, maybe even come away with some new ideas and a list of recipes to veganize. Cassandra Reeder’s The Geeky Chef Cookbook is a fun collection of unique recipes which are inspired by popular media like Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, The Hunger Games and The Legend of Zelda. I love Reeder’s writing style and the detailed recipe instructions. I also like the pictures but I would have liked to see all the finished food as well as a more exciting book design. Now, I know what you’re thinking. “but Mal, do I have to be a geek to enjoy The Geeky cookbook?” To that I say, “Dwight, you ignorant slut!” Even if you’ve never watched an episode of Game of Thrones (seriously?). Even if you’ve never heard of Harry Potter (really?). Even if you have no idea whether you’d join the Imperials or the Stormcloaks (come on?!?). I still think you’d enjoy the recipes that Reeder has created. The pictures are shiny and each recipe is accompanied by a paragraph that explains what fandom the recipe is inspired by and a little context of what and how the food came about.
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