If you’re a Browncoat in search of the best gorramn recipe collection this side of the ‘Verse, then you’re in the right place.
Firefly – The Big Damn Cook Book is an in-world collection of recipes, contributed by the crew of Serenity to the cookbook kept in the ship’s galley. It features memorable dishes as seen in the show, like Simon’s birthday cake and Shepherd Book’s couscous. And of course, what collection would be complete without Mudder’s Milk? In total, there are over 70 recipes that will help you make the jump from our universe to theirs.
But it also gives a little peek into the hearts of the characters through the lens of the foods they hold near and dear. Written from each character’s perspective, you’ll see how the dishes are part of the bigger world. Like the show itself, the recipes are a combination of influences, from Chinese cuisine to the foods of the Westward Expansion on Earth-that-Was. The book goes on sale September 24th.
I went on a lot of jumps to distant systems while brainstorming for this book. Despite the brevity of the show, it features a rich world of very interesting characters, and I wanted to try and reflect that through the recipes. As such, the recipes are broken down into dishes made and eaten on Shipboard, in the Core Worlds, and out in the Border planets. I covertly asked online for ideas of good wild west and wagon train foods, what might keep well on a spaceship, and other wacky inquiries. To my knowledge, only one of you put it all together and guessed what I was working on.
I only had a short window in which to create, test, and shoot the dishes, so I set to crafting a few key backdrops right away, including the engine room, a section of sleeping bunk, and the bridge. I ordered a few props that would be recognizable (although not all of them made it into the final product!), and set about shopping for some unusual dishware. It was a whirlwind effort, but once I had the dishes picked out, the recipes went surprisingly smoothly, and in the end, I’m very happy with the finished book.
As a long time Firefly fan, this project was a joy to work on, so I hope that you all enjoy cooking your way through the ‘Verse as much as I did!
My Favorite Recipes:
Wash’s Snack Mix, Shepherd’s Chicken Soup, Corn Dodgers, Molasses Taffy Twists, Golden Milk, Shimmerwine!
What People are Saying:
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