The Last Night on the Titanic

Book excerpt: “Veronica Hinke has taken a story that we all know so well and interwoven delicious recipes that are historic and old, but classic and worthy of any modern-day table. She has unearthed a vibrant culinary subtext that often left me breathless and dreamy-eyed. She skillfully captures the magical avor of a fascinating era in our history. Two spatulas raised in adulation.” — CHEF ART SMITH, James Beard award winner, Top Chef Masters contestant, former personal chef to Oprah Winfrey April 14, 1912. It was an unforgettable night. In the last hours before the Titanic struck the iceberg, passengers in all classes were enjoying unprecedented luxuries. Innovations in food, drink, and de´cor made this voyage the apogee of Edwardian elegance. Veronica Hinke’s painstaking research and deft touch bring the Titanic’s tragic but eternally glamorous maiden voyage back to life. In addition to stirring accounts of individual tragedy and survival, The Last Night on the Titanic offers tried-and-true recipes, newly invented styles, and classic cocktails to reproduce a glittering world of sophistication at sea. Readers will experience: Recipes for Oysters a` la Russe, Chicken and Wild Mushroom Vol-au-Vents, and dozens of other scrumptious dishes for readers to recreate in their own kitchens A rare printed menu from the last first class dinner on the Titanic Drink recipes from John Jacob Astor IV’s luxury hotels, including the original Martini The true story of “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” An extraordinary eyewitness testimony to Captain Edward Smith’s final moments Intimate and captivating stories about select passengers—from millionaires to third class passengers.