Welcome and Introduction to "Scarlet" by Marissa Meyer

Welcome to BiblioNibbles, a books-and-food blog. Here you will find brief book reviews followed by recipes mentioned in or inspired by the books. This blog will highlight books from multiple genres, so be ready for anything! 

Scarlet 

by Marissa Meyer

Scarlet is the second book of the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, a series that mixes classic fairy tales with science fiction. Start with book one, of course (Cinder), but this blog wasn't on my radar when I listened to it a couple weeks ago.

Scarlet is a French farmer/produce supplier whose grandmother is missing. Receiving no help from the authorities, Scarlet decides to find her grandmother herself with the help of Wolf, a mysterious fighter who is somehow connected with her grandmother's disappearance.

The best thing about Scarlet is how the reader, even knowing the plot of Little Red Riding Hood, is drawn to trust Wolf. He has a shady past, and we all know better than to trust the wolf, but...Wolf is appealing. The reader wants to trust him. Scarlet struggles with this question, too. She is no dummy and can take care of herself—unlike the original Little Red. Nevertheless, her decision to trust Wolf creates a lot of nail-biting tension! 

Link to Cinder  on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cinder-Book-One-Lunar-Chronicles/dp/1250007208/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453833425&sr=8-1&keywords=cinder

Link to Scarlet on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Scarlet-Lunar-Chronicles-Book-The/dp/1250007216/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0E6PS1611RCREYWVHST0

Simple French Tomato Tart

No one eats a tomato tart in Scarlet, but I believe it is an appropriate accompaniment. This recipe is adapted from David Lebowitz's French Tomato Tart, found here: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2010/05/french-tomato-tart-recipe/

In addition to being French, this recipe is fitting because Scarlet first meets Wolf while delivering produce. Bullied into doing a little waitress work while waiting, Scarlet busses Wolf's table and teases him for removing the tomatoes from his sandwich. Wolf has never eaten tomatoes—doesn't hardly know what they are. Scarlet cajoles Wolf into trying them (she did, after all, grow them herself), and they are a hit.

I cut out the most time-consuming part of the original recipe—the homemade crust. Feel free to make your own crust, but if you use a store-bought crust, the tart only takes about seven minutes to throw together(!). Very simple—my husband says that it would probably be good with the addition of anchovies or olives.

Finally, it is the middle of January—and I can only imagine how much better this would be in the summer with some farm-fresh tomatoes, herbs and goat cheese. But you can always play around with it now, figure out what you like best, and—when the farmer's markets open up again—you'll be all set to make your ideal Simple French Tomato Tart.

Simple French Tomato Tart

Ingredients (enough for two):

1box (contains 2) Pillsbury pie crusts

Dijon Mustard

4 small tomatoes

8 oz fresh goat cheese

olive oil

Herbs to taste (I used fresh chives, tarragon and a hint of oregano)

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Unroll pie crusts and lay out on baking sheet.

2.Spread a generous layer of mustard over the crust, stopping about 1 ½ -2” from the edge.

3. Slice tomatoes and arrange to cover mustard. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle half of your herbs on top.

4. Slice goat cheese into rounds and place on top of tomatoes. Sprinkle with remaining herbs. 

 5. Pinch the edges of the crusts so that they overlap the very edge of the toppings and will stay in place as it bakes.

6. Place tarts in oven and bake for 25-30 min, until cheese starts to brown. Let cool briefly before serving.