Tequila Mockingbird (13 page)

Y
ou haven't made it as an author till they've built a theme park around your phenomenon. First published in England—reportedly after seven publishers turned it down—
Harry Potter
leapt the pond to America before zooming around the world on a magic broomstick of success. A bona fide sensation,
Harry
introduced the world to new words (Muggles), sports (Quidditch), and billionaires (J. K. Rowling). Written when she was a broke single mum, Rowling's fantastical adventures eventually became the top-grossing film series of all time. Move over, Luke Skywalker, and make room for a classic British meringue as sweet and saucy as Rowling's delectable franchise.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

4 cups fresh mixed berries (all varieties), washed

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

5 teaspoons pomegranate juice (like POM Wonderful)

½ ounce lemon juice

2 cups whipping cream

4 small store-bought meringues

Toss together the berries, sugar, and juices in a bowl, then set aside. Whip your cream in another bowl and crumble the meringue on top. Add half the berry mixture to the meringue-cream, folding over once. Dollop into four containers (ramekins or glass mugs work just fine) and top the whole affair off with the remaining berries. The result could have children (and adults) lined up around the block overnight.

Q
uixotic, indeed: fed up with the lack of chivalry in his day and age—and this was the 1600s!—the retired Alonso Quijano changes his name to Don Quixote, throws on a suit of armor, and sets out for adventure with a fat sidekick and a model-thin horse. He meets whores, priests, and convicts, and if that sounds like a setup to a joke, you're right:
Don Quixote
is an elaborate romantic parody that, though written in two parts that were separated by a decade, is best consumed in one volume. Our classic shrimp cocktail gets a galloping-hot Spanish twist, with a result that's impossibly dreamy—and good fuel for your next quest.

MAKES 3 SERVINGS

½ cup ketchup

2 tablespoons horseradish

1½ ounces lemon juice

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced

Salt and pepper, to taste

Hot sauce, to taste

10 to 15 fresh jumbo shrimp (about ½ pound), cooked and peeled

Cook the shrimp (or thaw according to the package directions, if frozen). Combine the ingredients, except the shrimp, in a small bowl, then spoon the sauce into three stemless wine glasses—you know, the kind that wobble all over the place. Arrange the shrimp artfully along the glass rims, and your guests will be tilting at windmills.