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Firefly: The Big Damn Cookbook
Cook your way across the 'Verse using over 70 recipes inspired by Joss Whedon's cult TV show with Firefly: The Big Damn Cookbook.
Treat your friends, family, and crew with Firefly: The Big Damn Cookbook. Featuring 70 recipes inspired by the cult television show and illustrated with gorgeous full-color photography, you'll never have to settle for protein blocks again. From Simon's protein birthday cake to River's problematic ice planet, this collection of recipes will keep you and your fellow Browncoats well fed even on your longest smuggling runs.
Also Includes...
• Mudder's milk
• Zoe's 'Wife Soup'
• Fresh bao
• Southdown Abbey couscous
• Gunpowder gimlet
• Fruity oaty bars
• Mama Reynold's shoofly pie
Treat your friends, family, and crew with Firefly: The Big Damn Cookbook. Featuring 70 recipes inspired by the cult television show and illustrated with gorgeous full-color photography, you'll never have to settle for protein blocks again. From Simon's protein birthday cake to River's problematic ice planet, this collection of recipes will keep you and your fellow Browncoats well fed even on your longest smuggling runs.
Also Includes...
• Mudder's milk
• Zoe's 'Wife Soup'
• Fresh bao
• Southdown Abbey couscous
• Gunpowder gimlet
• Fruity oaty bars
• Mama Reynold's shoofly pie
160 pages, Hardcover
First published September 24, 2019
3 people are currently reading
260 people want to read
About the author
Chelsea Monroe-Cassel
25 books137 followersChelsea grew up in rural New York, surrounded by cows and an appreciation for small farms. However, her real love affair with food began during a year abroad in Turkey, which sparked a passion for both food and history, as well as leading her to a degree in Classical History. A lifelong artist and fantasy fan, she greatly enjoys foreign languages, treasure hunting, and all things honey. She currently lives in Boston with several other cooks, and even more eaters, including one very happy Manx Cat.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 26, 2026
In brief: This is an eclectic cookbook full of western, Asian and in-between recipes. It ties in nicely to the series and I feel like the author took a lot of care in constructing this book.
The full review:
As a longtime Firefly fan, I cannot imagine being more excited for a cookbook!
We start with a word from Kaylee about why they want to put together a cookbook.
From there, the cookbook has five major recipe sections. They are as follows:
The Basics - these are your sauces, spice mixes and various doughs that other recipes rely upon.
Recipes for Shipboard Living - These recipes are a bit basic, normally pretty good to eat on-the-go - they are made with minimal ingredients but still taste good. Like Zoe's Shipboard Crackers (like hardtack, but for spaceships), Jayne's Pork Jerky, Book's Shepherd Chicken Soup, and Wash's Crunchy Snack Mix.
Recipes from the Border & Beyond - These recipes have more of a western vibe to them since they come from the border. Items like Mal's Corn Doggers, Wash's Bread Pudding, Simon's Molasses Taffy Twists, and Inara's Border Berry Cordial.
Recipes from the Core Worlds, Upper Crust - The uber-fancy upper crust recipes are all rather fancy (as excepted) and often have an Asian twist. There's Inara's Lotus Chips, River's Saffron Rice Pudding, Mal's Almond Cookies, or Simon's Sake Cocktail.
Recipes from the Core Worlds, Underbelly - The far less fancy, but also just as tasty recipes give more of a street-food vibe. Such as, Jayne's Sausage Rolls, River's Meat Pies, Book's Street Chicken Skewers, or Kaylee's Youtiao Fried Cruller's.
Overall Thoughts
I really liked how each recipe was attributed to a specific character and we were given a blurb about the recipe from that character's perspective.
For example, for Jayne's Pork Jerky, he says:
This feels like an extremely solid cookbook and I'm happy to add it to my collection.
The full review:
As a longtime Firefly fan, I cannot imagine being more excited for a cookbook!
We start with a word from Kaylee about why they want to put together a cookbook.
Then the cookbook splits into a brief overview of food in their universe and various examples of holiday-themed meals.
"We're like a family, so a family cookbook would be just shiny."
From there, the cookbook has five major recipe sections. They are as follows:
The Basics - these are your sauces, spice mixes and various doughs that other recipes rely upon.
Recipes for Shipboard Living - These recipes are a bit basic, normally pretty good to eat on-the-go - they are made with minimal ingredients but still taste good. Like Zoe's Shipboard Crackers (like hardtack, but for spaceships), Jayne's Pork Jerky, Book's Shepherd Chicken Soup, and Wash's Crunchy Snack Mix.
Recipes from the Border & Beyond - These recipes have more of a western vibe to them since they come from the border. Items like Mal's Corn Doggers, Wash's Bread Pudding, Simon's Molasses Taffy Twists, and Inara's Border Berry Cordial.
Recipes from the Core Worlds, Upper Crust - The uber-fancy upper crust recipes are all rather fancy (as excepted) and often have an Asian twist. There's Inara's Lotus Chips, River's Saffron Rice Pudding, Mal's Almond Cookies, or Simon's Sake Cocktail.
Recipes from the Core Worlds, Underbelly - The far less fancy, but also just as tasty recipes give more of a street-food vibe. Such as, Jayne's Sausage Rolls, River's Meat Pies, Book's Street Chicken Skewers, or Kaylee's Youtiao Fried Cruller's.
Overall Thoughts
I really liked how each recipe was attributed to a specific character and we were given a blurb about the recipe from that character's perspective.
For example, for Jayne's Pork Jerky, he says:
Then there's Wash's Goat Curry:
"Now these are a real good snack for when you're on a job, stuck on a hillside waitin' on spoilin' an ambush or the like. I usually get 'em when we're planet-side, but if I gotta make 'em myself, I do."
Little details like that made the cookbook feel fun to read and I really appreciate how each recipe was given a bit of grounding. We know who it was inspired by, why it was chosen and are given a bit of 'flavor' in the brief description as well.
"Have you ever met a goat? They're these beady-eyed little creatures who'll soon as bite you as look at you. And let me tell you, they'll eat anything. The only way to be safe is to eat them first. It's a man-eat-goat world."
This feels like an extremely solid cookbook and I'm happy to add it to my collection.
January 6, 2021
“If wishes were horses, we’d all be eating steak.”
If you lived on a spaceship, you might enjoy a horse steak every so often, I guess.
This is a fun cookbook, based in the Firefly/Serenity universe, and features recipes from all around that ‘Verse. (Real recipes, actual food) Starting with what you might eat onboard - stuff that gives energy, is long lasting, or could come together from pantry staples, with a few calling for fresh items for those days when you’ve managed to hit a market. It also includes recipes from the Border planets - they’re terraformed so they have some fresh things (and stuff like honey, kind of expensive in the Core), and the Core (both the high class folks and the seedier streets). Also, some recipes have been generously provided by Blue Sun, featuring their products, of course.
As you might guess, there is a heavy Asian influence. A recipe for a five spice blend is provided, and it’s used in several recipes. There are a couple of Asian inspired sauces as well. There is a recipe for bao and a couple of fillings, plus one or 2 other things you could do with bao dough - youtiao looks really good (you can never go wrong with fried dough!)
Salads, soups, bread, snacks, entrees, drinks. Plenty of ideas to keep life and dinner interesting out in the black!
If you lived on a spaceship, you might enjoy a horse steak every so often, I guess.
This is a fun cookbook, based in the Firefly/Serenity universe, and features recipes from all around that ‘Verse. (Real recipes, actual food) Starting with what you might eat onboard - stuff that gives energy, is long lasting, or could come together from pantry staples, with a few calling for fresh items for those days when you’ve managed to hit a market. It also includes recipes from the Border planets - they’re terraformed so they have some fresh things (and stuff like honey, kind of expensive in the Core), and the Core (both the high class folks and the seedier streets). Also, some recipes have been generously provided by Blue Sun, featuring their products, of course.
As you might guess, there is a heavy Asian influence. A recipe for a five spice blend is provided, and it’s used in several recipes. There are a couple of Asian inspired sauces as well. There is a recipe for bao and a couple of fillings, plus one or 2 other things you could do with bao dough - youtiao looks really good (you can never go wrong with fried dough!)
Salads, soups, bread, snacks, entrees, drinks. Plenty of ideas to keep life and dinner interesting out in the black!
July 29, 2019
A friend picked this up pre-release at Comic Con, and sent it to me (along with a promotional apron). It's wonderful, I'm absolutely tickled by it. The book feels like it comes from the world of the show, which many writers attempt with their branded books, but which few achieve. There are all sorts of little things that help (the Chinese at the bottom of the pages, the pages meant to look like they were taken from a magazine, etc), but the best is that the voices match. The recipes are a wide and interesting selection, and from my cooking experience I believe they'll be successful, though I've not yet had time to test. I'm really very pleased with this, and look forward to cooking from it.
November 7, 2021
not bad as gimmick books go. i'll be trying the wife soup tuesday and i'm intrigued by the ice planets but i think i'd need to see a video to grasp how exactly you're meant to get the chocolate balls on a string
3 stars
3 stars
December 29, 2019
This was a LOT of fun. Recommended for Firefly fans, anyone else will be sorta confused.
December 29, 2022
Ever wonder what Fruity Oaty Bars would taste like? This great cookbook holds the answer! The approach to the food of Firefly was perfect in this book. The book is formatted by chapters for each world or class explored in the show and contains recipes as if they were written by the characters. She even changed the dialect of the recipes to fit the characters. The recipes we tried were easy to follow and delicious. As you can see even in the title, there is some language that you might not want little eyes to see.
Disclaimer: Sometimes I will review cookbooks we haven't finished or even tried, but it's because we have a system for checking if a cookbook is worth owning or even trying and I want to keep track of the books we've checked out. It started with a Star Wars cookbook my brother-in-law gave us the first Christmas after my husband and I got married. When May 4th rolled around, my husband and I decided to do a whole day of recipes from the Star Wars book and we were hooked. We started cooking our way through the cookbooks we owned and analyzing and rating recipes as we go. We especially love nerdy cookbooks. This is what we look for in a good nerd cookbook:
-Should Taste good
-Hopefully looks appealing
-Not too many exotic foods or unique equipment
-Must fit the theme by delving deeper into the world than just cookies in the shape or characters. It has to make us believe it’s food that characters from that world would actually eat. Typically this looks like taking a known recipe and makes it special to the theme.
-Bonus if it has notes and stories that connect it with the world.
-We have found that official books are typically better than unofficial books.
Disclaimer: Sometimes I will review cookbooks we haven't finished or even tried, but it's because we have a system for checking if a cookbook is worth owning or even trying and I want to keep track of the books we've checked out. It started with a Star Wars cookbook my brother-in-law gave us the first Christmas after my husband and I got married. When May 4th rolled around, my husband and I decided to do a whole day of recipes from the Star Wars book and we were hooked. We started cooking our way through the cookbooks we owned and analyzing and rating recipes as we go. We especially love nerdy cookbooks. This is what we look for in a good nerd cookbook:
-Should Taste good
-Hopefully looks appealing
-Not too many exotic foods or unique equipment
-Must fit the theme by delving deeper into the world than just cookies in the shape or characters. It has to make us believe it’s food that characters from that world would actually eat. Typically this looks like taking a known recipe and makes it special to the theme.
-Bonus if it has notes and stories that connect it with the world.
-We have found that official books are typically better than unofficial books.
June 16, 2021
3 and half stars based on what I've made so far. I don't think I got Wash's Chicken & Dumplings quite right, and Zoe's garlic green beans were alright. Hands down I've had the best success with Shepherd Book's Chicken Soup.
October 2, 2019
So I'm doing a brand new thing for TheFrumiousConsortium.net where I get to put my food blogging skills to work showcasing some of the recipes in this cookbook. First post tk shortly, and then every week for a month! I'll update this space every time I post.
Tl;dr beautiful book, terrific recipes, click on the link for pictures and details.
9/25/2019 Part 1.
10/2/2019 Part 2.
Tl;dr beautiful book, terrific recipes, click on the link for pictures and details.
9/25/2019 Part 1.
10/2/2019 Part 2.
September 30, 2019
Review originally published with photos Sept. 30, 2019, at BORG.com.
Review by C.J. Bunce
A new cookbook has the recipes to get you through your travels wherever you are in the 'Verse. Firefly: The Big Damn Cookbook pulls together foods seen throughout the series and some just inspired by it with lots of good in-universe commentary from Mal Reynolds and his crew. I've been a fan of the sci-fi series since the San Diego Comic-Con 10th anniversary reunion, and have reviewed every tie-in from the series released so far here at borg. Banter of the crew is a great feature of many of the Firefly books published in the past ten years, and author Chelsea Monroe-Cassel gets all the characters right in her latest cookbook. Firefly: The Big Damn Cookbook is now available for all Browncoats from Titan Books.
Among all the tie-ins, this is the first foray into the food of the series. A great focus is placed on the types of meals that make sense in the 'Verse for a ship's crew, as well as Joss Whedon's incorporation of a future filled with Asian influences. Five-spice is a common seasoning incorporated into the recipes, along with ginger and soy sauce, and that simplicity of nomadic life that underscored the travels of Serenity come through, too, with everyday ingredients, like honey for a sweetener, and white sauce, brown sauce, and biscuits a key component. You'll find foods discussed on the series by the crew of Serenity, other foods tangentially seen on screen, with some added in a creative way to fill in the blanks in between. The author includes appropriate specs for meals with simple ingredients but also some dishes from more extravagant fare (like you might find at a formal shindig on Persephone). The only way to tell if a cookbook is good is to dig right in. So I tested four of the recipes that appealed to me the most on paper.
First I made Simon's Eggy Oat Mush from the Recipes for Shipboard Living section. This turned out to be a hearty breakfast concoction, a savory oatmeal cooked with veggies, egg, and garlic. The egg brings the flavors all together and it will fill you up for the day. It had a unique flavor profile for anyone only accustomed to oatmeal with brown sugar, cinnamon or other sweeteners--different enough that you could see being stuck on a ship and coming up with this as a staple. It took only 15 minutes to prepare, and would also make a good dinner side dish.
The prep for River's Meat Pie could hardly have been simpler. This recipe was in the Recipes from the Core Worlds--Underbelly section (as opposed to an "upper crust" item). The result was a tasty dish, highlighted by the right amount of fennel, onion, and garlic, and a perfect pastry dough crust (pictured above, top). I halved the cookbook recipe and it made four perfect hand pies, great for carrying to lunch any day of the week (think Hostess fruit pies, but savory). The crust was well-suited for a hand pie, sturdy enough to hold everything in, yet nice and flaky.
Next up was the Blue Sun Canned Peach Cobbler. If you've watched the series you know the Blue Sun label is everywhere. It's the corporation known for distribution of all kinds of products, including fruits. Like canned peaches. The recipe had a puffy, cake-like cobbler with good cinnamon sauce for the peaches, although I'd have liked more fruit filling. This was another great dish, (and it didn't last very long in my house).
My last recipe is the famed Fruity Oaty Bars. Fans of the show will know these from the advertisements in the Maidenhead bar on Beaumonde--one of the ads for this snack triggered River to start a nice brawl. "Fruity oaty bars make a man out of a mouse"--remember the rest of the jingle? You'll be happy to know the bars are as advertised (except no fights broke out). Made with raspberry jam and a mix of cinnamon, oats and flour, the sweet fruit is balanced by the grains. Tasty and filling--the recipe calls for nine bars but I cut that back to 16 2"x2" bars and think that's the ideal snack size for this recipe.
Altogether these were four very good recipes, and this book will remain in my own kitchen for future culinary projects.
Firefly: The Big Damn Cookbook features time to prepare and dietary notes (gluten free, vegetarian, or vegan), with difficulty (easy, middling, complex, and the humorous problematic). As with any book, you should adapt it to your personal tastes. That wasn't difficult with these recipes. Swap out the lard, as you'd like, and it's simple to adapt the recipes swapping out beef for vegetarian meat substitutes.
But beware: The book is smartly arranged with enticing photographs that will prompt you to want to make everything. I may make the dumplings next. Firefly: The Big Damn Cookbook includes 70 recipes. Other foods in the book you'll find are mudder's milk, Zoe's wife soup--a creamy pea soup, a soldier survival hard cracker, dried spiro-balls, fresh bao, Southdown Abbey couscous, Shepherd's soup, gunpowder gimlet, and Mama Reynold's shoo-fly pie.
Just released from Titan Books, Chelsea Monroe-Cassel's Firefly: The Big Damn Cookbook is available now in a full-color hardcover edition.
Review by C.J. Bunce
A new cookbook has the recipes to get you through your travels wherever you are in the 'Verse. Firefly: The Big Damn Cookbook pulls together foods seen throughout the series and some just inspired by it with lots of good in-universe commentary from Mal Reynolds and his crew. I've been a fan of the sci-fi series since the San Diego Comic-Con 10th anniversary reunion, and have reviewed every tie-in from the series released so far here at borg. Banter of the crew is a great feature of many of the Firefly books published in the past ten years, and author Chelsea Monroe-Cassel gets all the characters right in her latest cookbook. Firefly: The Big Damn Cookbook is now available for all Browncoats from Titan Books.
Among all the tie-ins, this is the first foray into the food of the series. A great focus is placed on the types of meals that make sense in the 'Verse for a ship's crew, as well as Joss Whedon's incorporation of a future filled with Asian influences. Five-spice is a common seasoning incorporated into the recipes, along with ginger and soy sauce, and that simplicity of nomadic life that underscored the travels of Serenity come through, too, with everyday ingredients, like honey for a sweetener, and white sauce, brown sauce, and biscuits a key component. You'll find foods discussed on the series by the crew of Serenity, other foods tangentially seen on screen, with some added in a creative way to fill in the blanks in between. The author includes appropriate specs for meals with simple ingredients but also some dishes from more extravagant fare (like you might find at a formal shindig on Persephone). The only way to tell if a cookbook is good is to dig right in. So I tested four of the recipes that appealed to me the most on paper.
First I made Simon's Eggy Oat Mush from the Recipes for Shipboard Living section. This turned out to be a hearty breakfast concoction, a savory oatmeal cooked with veggies, egg, and garlic. The egg brings the flavors all together and it will fill you up for the day. It had a unique flavor profile for anyone only accustomed to oatmeal with brown sugar, cinnamon or other sweeteners--different enough that you could see being stuck on a ship and coming up with this as a staple. It took only 15 minutes to prepare, and would also make a good dinner side dish.
The prep for River's Meat Pie could hardly have been simpler. This recipe was in the Recipes from the Core Worlds--Underbelly section (as opposed to an "upper crust" item). The result was a tasty dish, highlighted by the right amount of fennel, onion, and garlic, and a perfect pastry dough crust (pictured above, top). I halved the cookbook recipe and it made four perfect hand pies, great for carrying to lunch any day of the week (think Hostess fruit pies, but savory). The crust was well-suited for a hand pie, sturdy enough to hold everything in, yet nice and flaky.
Next up was the Blue Sun Canned Peach Cobbler. If you've watched the series you know the Blue Sun label is everywhere. It's the corporation known for distribution of all kinds of products, including fruits. Like canned peaches. The recipe had a puffy, cake-like cobbler with good cinnamon sauce for the peaches, although I'd have liked more fruit filling. This was another great dish, (and it didn't last very long in my house).
My last recipe is the famed Fruity Oaty Bars. Fans of the show will know these from the advertisements in the Maidenhead bar on Beaumonde--one of the ads for this snack triggered River to start a nice brawl. "Fruity oaty bars make a man out of a mouse"--remember the rest of the jingle? You'll be happy to know the bars are as advertised (except no fights broke out). Made with raspberry jam and a mix of cinnamon, oats and flour, the sweet fruit is balanced by the grains. Tasty and filling--the recipe calls for nine bars but I cut that back to 16 2"x2" bars and think that's the ideal snack size for this recipe.
Altogether these were four very good recipes, and this book will remain in my own kitchen for future culinary projects.
Firefly: The Big Damn Cookbook features time to prepare and dietary notes (gluten free, vegetarian, or vegan), with difficulty (easy, middling, complex, and the humorous problematic). As with any book, you should adapt it to your personal tastes. That wasn't difficult with these recipes. Swap out the lard, as you'd like, and it's simple to adapt the recipes swapping out beef for vegetarian meat substitutes.
But beware: The book is smartly arranged with enticing photographs that will prompt you to want to make everything. I may make the dumplings next. Firefly: The Big Damn Cookbook includes 70 recipes. Other foods in the book you'll find are mudder's milk, Zoe's wife soup--a creamy pea soup, a soldier survival hard cracker, dried spiro-balls, fresh bao, Southdown Abbey couscous, Shepherd's soup, gunpowder gimlet, and Mama Reynold's shoo-fly pie.
Just released from Titan Books, Chelsea Monroe-Cassel's Firefly: The Big Damn Cookbook is available now in a full-color hardcover edition.
October 1, 2024
Fun book to skim through. Great pictures.
January 4, 2020
I think this is my favorite cookbook by the author so far.
Whereas the Elder Scrolls book includes recipes from the dishes and drinks you find in the game, and the Star Wars book is written from the perspective of an alien chef who used to work at Maz Kanata's castle and now works at the Black Spire and includes recipes for what I assume are the dishes and drinks you can get at the theme park, the conceit in this one is that it's a cookbook put together by Kaylee and the whole crew of the Serenity volunteers their recipes with a brief intro by the character who shared it.
So you get recipes from Kaylee (obviously), Simon, Jayne, Zoe, Inara, Wash, Shepherd Book, Mal, and even River. Hell, you get one from Saffron while she's pretending to be Mal's wife.
Another thing I thought was really great is that, in keeping with the conceit that these are mostly recipes the characters prepare on a spaceship and many are taken from ranching and soldiering backgrounds on Outer Rim worlds or from overpopulated planets, they are usually easy to make on small kitchens without fancy appliances, and are designed to work even if you switch ingredients, emulating the scarcity people in the 'Verse would experience.
That's not to say there aren't any fancy recipes from the Core Worlds' Upper Crust included, though.
I also loved how the recipes mimic the mix of Western and Chinese culture the show's future portrays. Awesome book, loved it.
Whereas the Elder Scrolls book includes recipes from the dishes and drinks you find in the game, and the Star Wars book is written from the perspective of an alien chef who used to work at Maz Kanata's castle and now works at the Black Spire and includes recipes for what I assume are the dishes and drinks you can get at the theme park, the conceit in this one is that it's a cookbook put together by Kaylee and the whole crew of the Serenity volunteers their recipes with a brief intro by the character who shared it.
So you get recipes from Kaylee (obviously), Simon, Jayne, Zoe, Inara, Wash, Shepherd Book, Mal, and even River. Hell, you get one from Saffron while she's pretending to be Mal's wife.
Another thing I thought was really great is that, in keeping with the conceit that these are mostly recipes the characters prepare on a spaceship and many are taken from ranching and soldiering backgrounds on Outer Rim worlds or from overpopulated planets, they are usually easy to make on small kitchens without fancy appliances, and are designed to work even if you switch ingredients, emulating the scarcity people in the 'Verse would experience.
That's not to say there aren't any fancy recipes from the Core Worlds' Upper Crust included, though.
I also loved how the recipes mimic the mix of Western and Chinese culture the show's future portrays. Awesome book, loved it.
April 15, 2024
Aim to misbehave and cook interesting food…
Firefly - The Big Damn Cookbook by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel is meant as an in-universe artifact, a cookbook used by the crew of the Serenity.
Ranging from appetizers, main courses, deserts, and drinks, each recipe is either taken from a Blue sun catalog or associated with a particular crew member, including quotes by the person often speaking to the significance of the meal and/or their backstory…
The food styles range from traditional cuisine to Asian fusion to southern whatever…but assume that most of the best earth that was culinary memories are documented.
For some added setting content, there’s also comments on sourcing particular ingredients in the verse for that extra layer of authenticity…
Highly recommend for the firefly fans out there…
Firefly - The Big Damn Cookbook by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel is meant as an in-universe artifact, a cookbook used by the crew of the Serenity.
Ranging from appetizers, main courses, deserts, and drinks, each recipe is either taken from a Blue sun catalog or associated with a particular crew member, including quotes by the person often speaking to the significance of the meal and/or their backstory…
The food styles range from traditional cuisine to Asian fusion to southern whatever…but assume that most of the best earth that was culinary memories are documented.
For some added setting content, there’s also comments on sourcing particular ingredients in the verse for that extra layer of authenticity…
Highly recommend for the firefly fans out there…
January 7, 2020
Very appealing recipes packaged with stills from the Firefly sets and good quality, styled food photographs. Every recipe is labeled with dietary notes (gluten free, vegan, etc.) and difficulty estimates, along with prep + cooking or baking time. Table of contents is laid out well, sorting dishes by the fictional worlds of the TV series and, of course, shipboard.
Notable:
Wife Soup
Gunpowder Gimlet
Five-spice Caramel
Shipboard Crackers
Goat Curry
Fresh Bao
Spotted one error in the Spiced Lamb recipe which includes a food-processor step to make a pistachio and spice grind, but doesn't explain when or how to use it!
Fun to read, perfect for Firefly fans and also intriguing for cooks who like to try new takes on Earth-that-was standards.
Notable:
Wife Soup
Gunpowder Gimlet
Five-spice Caramel
Shipboard Crackers
Goat Curry
Fresh Bao
Spotted one error in the Spiced Lamb recipe which includes a food-processor step to make a pistachio and spice grind, but doesn't explain when or how to use it!
Fun to read, perfect for Firefly fans and also intriguing for cooks who like to try new takes on Earth-that-was standards.
September 16, 2021
To be honest when I am watching Firefly I am often not thinking, "oh yes I want to try all the food in this universe. It is not a show that screams we're eating well. However despite that and some of the issues I have with female representation on the show, I really enjoy Firefly. This book seems to capture the essence of the show while making the food palatable. I want to try a couple of recipes to decide if this is one I would like on my shelf. Overall a strong sense of place is evoked, I think the author did a great job of capturing the essence of the show.
Likes:
Includes vegan, vegetarian and gluten free information on each recipe and a chart in the back.
Has a list of recipes to make for a family celebration or a formal party.
Has conversion charts in the back.
Graphics visually easy to follow and clear. Time, course, dietary, difficulty, ingredients and method laid out clearly on the page.
Most of the recipes have a picture.
Obvious which character the recipe comes from.
Dislikes:
While there is a section in the back that provides recipes by course the book is set up to be based on location (Shipboard, the border & beyond, core worlds(upper crust and underbelly)). While I understand why it is set up this way I think I would rather have it set up by course. Just a personal preference.
There are a few more full pictures of the characters and quotes than I feel is necessary but honestly that's me being kind of nitpicky.
Likes:
Includes vegan, vegetarian and gluten free information on each recipe and a chart in the back.
Has a list of recipes to make for a family celebration or a formal party.
Has conversion charts in the back.
Graphics visually easy to follow and clear. Time, course, dietary, difficulty, ingredients and method laid out clearly on the page.
Most of the recipes have a picture.
Obvious which character the recipe comes from.
Dislikes:
While there is a section in the back that provides recipes by course the book is set up to be based on location (Shipboard, the border & beyond, core worlds(upper crust and underbelly)). While I understand why it is set up this way I think I would rather have it set up by course. Just a personal preference.
There are a few more full pictures of the characters and quotes than I feel is necessary but honestly that's me being kind of nitpicky.
January 15, 2020
I very rarely rate cookbooks.
I very rarely am impressed by 'thematic' cookbooks- usually we find recipes that are modified to fit the theme; for example calling butterscotch butterbeer. Or inserting someone's name in the recipe and deciding that makes it fit while lacking any substance or connection to the show/book.
I was blown away both by how well the recipes fit the narrative of Firefly but also the detail that went into the stories and little blurbs throughout the book. The character's voices shone through their recipes and were representative of them as people.
I very rarely am impressed by 'thematic' cookbooks- usually we find recipes that are modified to fit the theme; for example calling butterscotch butterbeer. Or inserting someone's name in the recipe and deciding that makes it fit while lacking any substance or connection to the show/book.
I was blown away both by how well the recipes fit the narrative of Firefly but also the detail that went into the stories and little blurbs throughout the book. The character's voices shone through their recipes and were representative of them as people.
August 7, 2020
I loved the recipes that different characters put forth, with lots of references to events from the show. However, with each recipe it would mark it as gluten free, vegetarian, and/or vegan. As a person who has been gluten free almost 8 years, there were recipes marked "GF" that most definitely were not. Ingredients such as soy sauce and malt syrup both contain gluten. So while I wouldn't have been tripped up, someone who is new to gluten free or cooking for someone they know, people would've gotten sick. I wish the author had done a tiny bit of research to give accurate information. On the plus side, the photos are wonderful.
July 10, 2023
As a Browncoat, huge fan and lover of themed cookbooks, sci-fi and Firefly, I was super excited to have this on my book shelf.
I was hoping the recipes would be more featured in the show than inspired by, but there aren't many eating scenes in the series/movie.
It's a great book that makes me want to watch the series again.
Definitely looking forward to trying some.
I was hoping the recipes would be more featured in the show than inspired by, but there aren't many eating scenes in the series/movie.
It's a great book that makes me want to watch the series again.
Definitely looking forward to trying some.
December 27, 2019
A very entertaining cookbook especially if you are a fan of the television show. It is also a very well planned and thought out cookbook with really good recipes. The recipes are introduced by the different characters and related to the different worlds the crew were involved on. Very inventive.
December 25, 2020
All of the in-series food is here, plus other modern and kind-of-frontier recipes. And a lot of drinks! I've only made a handful thus far, but they've mostly turned out well. The Gunpowder Gimlet is a new favorite.
January 2, 2020
What a fun experience to read and flip through - must have for Firefly fans that enjoy making food.
January 15, 2022
Oh what fun! Written by Kaylee with contributions from the crew. On top of being fun there are some terrific recipes here. Shiny!
January 26, 2022
Such fun recipes in this book. So many to try.
December 31, 2019
I didn't realize how badly I needed this until I had this book in my hands. If you are a Firefly fan, you will adore this. This cookbook was clearly made with love and affection for the show, and the author did a fantastic job incorporating the characters' voices into their various recipe contributions. I absolutely loved this and can't wait to try out some of the recipes!
September 26, 2024
I enjoyed reading this cookbook. I didn’t find a lot of recipes I personally wanted to try but they all looked yummy. The book is very well organized and gorgeous.
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