Tasting our way through the Unofficial Bridgerton Cookbook

Rumor-Stirring Blueberry Lavender Fizz and The Viscountess Vinaigrette with Stilton Cheese, pair perfectly with the second season of Bridgerton.

Join us as we cook our way through the book in the month of April while watching the second season.

I had the pleasure of chatting with award-winning chef and author Lex Taylor, creator of this rich and sumptuous cookbook. We go further into depth in our early summer issue of Basil & Salt Magazine, and I invite you to join us for the 2022 release during our May Soiree in Seattle. We will of course also post the digital copy here online. Please stay tuned for details.

Scroll down for both recipes and giveaway info!

The Unofficial Bridgerton Cookbook: From The Viscount’s Mushroom Miniatures and The Royal Wedding Oysters to Debutante Punch and The Duke’s Favorite … 100 Dazzling Recipes Inspired by Bridgerton

RUMOR-STIRRING BLUEBERRY LAVENDER FIZZ

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What goes better with teatime scones than a delicious fruity drink? This nonalcoholic recipe pairs delightfully with good company (and gossip), with its glorious meringue-like foam that is sure to ruffle Lady Trowbridge’s feathers. Garnish with a fresh lavender flower if your heart desires.

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers
• 1 tablespoon blueberry jam
• 1⁄2 ounce lemon juice
• 1⁄2 ounce lime juice
• 1⁄2 ounce heavy cream
• 1 large egg white, pasteurized
• 8–12 ounces cooled sparkling water
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest

Directions

1. Muddle lavender in a cocktail shaker.
2. Add remaining ingredients except sparkling water and lemon zest. Shake vigorously until texture changes to a foam, about 10 seconds.
3. Fill cocktail shaker with ice. Shake 15 seconds or until the cocktail is well chilled.
4. Strain into a Collins glass. Top with sparkling water and garnish with lemon zest.

Lavender

Not only is lavender a beautiful plant that was used for table decorations, but it was also used during the Regency as a perfume and a medicine because it was thought to help with romance and love. Both men and women of the ton used considerable amounts of perfume, as bathing was not a major part of their hygienic practice.

THE VISCOUNTESS VINAIGRETTE WITH STILTON CHEESE

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Being of such remarkable grace, Lady Bridgerton surely knows about the finer things in life. The secret to achieving divinity in food is to use only the finest ingredients. This recipe requires strict attention to the quality of the cold-pressed olive oil and the white balsamic vinegar. The greens, too, must be hand-pulled in the morning, they are to be prepared and brought to town by the fastest carriage. Garnish with edible flowers of your choosing.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup high-quality cold-pressed olive oil
• 2 tablespoons high-quality white balsamic vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 1⁄2 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 4 ounces fresh, washed mixed greens
• 3⁄4 cup walnuts
• 2 medium ripe pears, sliced or diced
• 1⁄3 cup cold, crumbled Stilton cheese

Directions

1. Add oil, vinegar, garlic, mustard powder, salt, and pepper to a small container and whisk or shake. Vinaigrette will last up to 5 days in refrigerator. Whisk immediately before serving.
2. In a large bowl, mix together greens, walnuts, pears, and cheese. Toss with dressing and serve immediately.

Ketchup

Ketchup was a popular sauce during the 1800s, and those with means would make it at home with vinegar, beer, wine, soy sauce, anchovies, and all sorts of other ingredients. Balsamic (meaning “restorative”) vinegar comes from crushed Trebbiano grapes, seeds, skins, and stems, creating a “must.” This liquid is placed in a series of casks for a minimum of 12 and up to 25 years.

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Excerpted from The Unofficial Bridgerton Cookbook by Lex Taylor. Copyright © 2021 by Alexei Taylor. Photographs by Harper Point Photography. Used by permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

He has made several appearances on Food Network, Esquire, and Sponsored Media Tours. As an explorer, Lex has travelled extensively throughout the world, learning and working with cultures who still rely on ancestral knowledge for survival. From the Sahara desert, to the Atacama Desert, the jungles of Central America and West Africa and throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, his quest is not just to learn but to share that knowledge back home through field guides, workshops, and lectures with the outdoor company, Fjall Raven (Field guide and spokesman since 2016). In appreciation of his work compiled while living and hunting with Inuit of Baffin Island, Lex has been invited to become a member of the Explorer’s club (2021).