Book Review and Bake 1 - The Pumpkin Spice Cafe
Warm, spiced pumpkin pie and a cozy autumn romance? What more could you want?
Alrighty! Let's ignore the fact that it has been six months since I last wrote anything, and then our attention to the first installment of Book Review and Bake, the series where I review a book and bake something loosely related to the story and share the recipe and my literary opinions with you lovely people.
As it is officially autumn, I thought, what is more appropriate than a cheesy fall romance and pumpkin pie. Thus, I dusted of the copy of ‘The Pumpkin Spice Cafe’ that had been sat neglected on my bookshelf since last year, cracked the spine in two, and started reading. So let's get into it.
Title: The Pumpkin Spice Cafe.
Author: Laurie Gilmore
If you are a fan of cozy small town romance, or the grumpy x sunshine trope, you will probably like this book. We have our leading lady Jeanie, who unexpectedly finds herself in Dream Harbour, as the new owner of her aunt's café and her brooding male counterpart, Logan, the local farmer and self proclaimed ‘village orphan’.
The story follows Jeanie as she transitions into her new life and her unexpected (yet totally predictable) romance with Logan. The two of them having less of a ‘meet cute’ and more of a ‘meet turns potential murder’, when Jeanie almost hits Logan over the head with a baseball bat, having mistaken him for an intruder. She then forces him to help her as she believes the cafe (and flat she lives in above) is haunted and he is the only person in the village she knows. Spoiler alert, the ghost is actually just a cat. Now Logan, begrudgingly accepts and the two begin this sort of friendship, in which he tries to keep her at arms length but just finds her ‘too darn cute’. His words not mine.
The book follows their relationship as their feelings grow, as well as Jeanie and Logan's own personal growth. Jeanie getting over her old life, stressful corporate job and trauma of finding her boss dead at his desk. While Logan attempts to move on past the heartbreak and embarrassment of having his proposal rejected in front of the whole town.
Jeanie, I love. She is likeable and a bit of a hot mess (so relatable too). Logan on the other hand, in theory, I should like. He's grumpy, but kind hearted and cares about Jeanine, despite his heartbreak. However, I just could not stop picturing his character as Kirk Kirkendall, the woodcutter from Hoodwinked.
And well, once that is all you can picture, it's very hard to take a romance book seriously. But hey, that's on me. Unfortunately as a result, I just could not enjoy the romance of book. That being said, I will give credit as the writing is easy, and the story simple. The setting is charming and the dialogue amusing enough to invoke a giggle or two. Making it a great read for a cozy afternoon in.
I would recommend it to fans of Hallmark movies, cozy mysteries, and anyone looking for a warm, easy read. But don't be like me and fan cast Logan as Kirk Kirkendall.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Hana’s (I winged it) Pumpkin Pie
Onto the pie, the most important part. Following in the footsteps of Jeanie, I too, can be a bit of a hot mess. So in classic style, I thought an afternoon of manic baking would fix it.
Spoiler alert, it did not. But I did end up with a pie and a damn good one at that considering the following;
I have never made a pumpkin pie before
I have never tasted a pumpkin pie before
I did not use a recipe
That being said. It turned out as a (rare) success. Some may say a fluke. But hey potato tomato.
Now if your anything like me you will dislike two things. The first being pastry, which is why I used a pre-made pastry case. The second being when people jibber jabber before giving you the recipe and tell you their entire life story. So before I start on a tangent, let's make some pie.
Ingredients:
Pre-made sweet pastry case
1 can condensed milk
1 can pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Clotted cream (optional)
Directions
Pre heat the oven to 180c
In a bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree and condensed milk.
Add in the eggs and whisk to combine.
Add the vanilla and spices and whisk again.
Place your pastry case on a lined oven tray.
Pour in the pumpkin filling.
Bake for 20-30 minutes, checking half way. The filling should be mostly set with a little ‘jiggle’ for lack of a better word in the center.
Remove from the oven.
Allow to cool for 20 minutes before slicing and topping with a scoop of clotted cream.
There you have it. Easy as pie, so long as there is no actual pastry making involved that is. Otherwise there will probably be tears involved.
Let me know if you enjoyed the first installment of Book Review and Bake! You can find more food content on my Instagram @forkandtrowel