Two Fat Ladies

Book excerpt: You know them from their eponymous hit television series and their three previous cookbooks: Cooking with the Two Fat Ladies, The Two Fat Ladies Ride Again, and The Two Fat Ladies Full Throttle. Restoring passion to cooking and outspoken humor to the world of food, Clarissa Dickson Wright and Jennifer Paterson have brought joy to millions of fans. In Two Fat Ladies Obsessions, they turned their attention to what turns them on, taking an in-depth look at thirty-four of their favorite ingredients, ranging from Oysters, Chicken, Chilies, Lamb, and Olives to Raspberries, Chocolate, Peaches, Salt, Butter, and Coffee. More than 150 recipes -- all written in true Fat Lady style -- reveal not only the history of these foods, but also why they are so near and dear to their hearts. Jennifer's fondness for Lobster Puffs, Maine Style, stemmed from the time she spent cooking on a boat off the coast of New England, while her Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe was a favorite from a childhood stint in Sicily. Clarissa's first food memory, at age 3 1/2, of eating a cold sausage and a hard-boiled egg, leads to a wonderful recipe for Simple Sausage Ragu, and her years spent working on a pheasant farm provide a variety of ways to prepare the bird, including delectable Georgian Pheasant. Other recipes, such as T-Bone Steak a la Castle Floors, Ceviche of Salmon, Duke of Hamilton's Fig Ice Cream, Walnut Pancakes, and Raspberry and Chocolate Millefeuilles, offer a new twist on foods we all love. Uniquely personal and highly entertaining, Two Fat Ladies Obsessions will delight old and new fans alike and serves as a fittingly robust tribute to the memory of Jennifer Paterson.