Broken Hearts on Horseback?  What kind of a name is that I hear you ask.  Well, you’ve heard of Angels on Horseback and Devils on Horseback? Broken Hearts on Horseback are my contribution to the genre.  They were inspired. by the book Why We Broke Up written by Daniel Handler and illustrated by Maira Kalman  I read this book recently and absolutely loved it!

Why We Broke Up – The Plot

Why we broke up is the story of Min and Ed and why they broke up.  Min is arty, no different, no weird, no offence as Ed would say.  Ed is co-captain of the basketball team.  High school being high school, these are two people whose paths should never have crossed but for the brief time they did, it was glorious!

Their story is recounted by Min and is set around a box of objects that had significance to their relationship – bottle-tops from the first bottles of beer they drank together, cinema tickets, a bought coat, a stolen sugar pourer.   Min is returning them all to Ed as she no longer wants to be reminded of their love.  (I remember doing something very similar after my own first love breakup.  Which, if you are contemplating this…don’t do it.  Those things that are so precious to you will only either be thrown in the bin or worse still, given to the new girlfriend!).

Why Should You Read It?

• If you have ever been in love.
• If you have ever had your heart broken.
• If you have ever fallen for someone who was not of your social set.
• If you are madly in love
• If you are in the deepest darkest throes of a break up
• if you have forgotten what love feels like

Then this is the book for you.

And if the love story reasons don’t convince you, then there is this – Min is a passionate film buff and is constantly referring to her favourite films. I also consider myself somewhat knowledgeable about movies and was surprised, after the third or fourth reference that I had never heard of any of the films, actors or directors she mentioned.  The reason?  They only exist in the universe of the book.  I had to Google them to find this out though.  I thought this was so clever.  It would have been easy to use real films but inventing so many?  Genius!

There are also two books (also which don’t exist in real life) that are referenced throughout the book.  Both of these made me think of the lovely Jenny from Silver Screen Suppers. I so wished both  Real Recipes from Tinseltown and When The Lights Go Down were real just so I could send them to  Jenny and brighten her days in lockdown!

Broken Hearts on Horseback – The Inspo

” I think I read, ” Al is saying now , “About an appetizer thing with chestnuts though.  You wrap them up in prosciutto I think, brush them with grappa, and roast them and put a little parsley on top.”

“Or maybe blue cheese”, I said.

“That’d be good.”

“Could we use chestnuts from a jar?”

“Sure.  Wrapping something in proscuitto cancels out from a jar.  Wrapping in proscuitto cancels out anything.”

Why We Broke Up – Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman

Broken Hearts on Horseback – The Recipe

Broken Hearts on Horseback

Print Recipe

A delicious appetiser inspired by the book “Why We Broke Up” by Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman

• Author: Taryn Nicole
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Appetisers

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

I pack pre-cooked chestnuts (The pack I used had about 25 chestnuts inside).

4 slices of proscuitto

1/2 tbsp Calvados*

1 wedge of blue cheese

2 tbsp chopped parsley

Smoked Paprika (optional)

Olive oil and Balsamic Vinegar (optional)

As many toothpicks / cocktail sticks as you have chestnuts

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Preheat your grill to 150C.

Cut or tear each slice of prosciutto into 6 pieces.

Wrap a prosciutto strip around each chestnut.

Place the wrapped chestnuts onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper.

Brush with the calvados and place under the grill for around 10 minutes or until the proscuitto is crispy.

Meanwhile, cut as many small chunks of blue cheese as you have chestnuts and roll them in the chopped parsley.  Place a cocktail skewer through each chunk of cheese.

Once the chestnuts are cooked, add a chestnut to each of the blue cheese skewers.  The cheese may melt a little.  Sprinkle with a little smoked paprika if you wish.

Serve with a little dipping sauce of olive oil and balsamic vinegar if you wish.

 

Notes

*The original recipe used Grappa.  I did not have Grappa so subbed in some Calvados I found in the liquor cupboard.  Brandy would also be a good substitute.  if you do not want to use alcohol, you could try an unsweetened apple or grape juice.

Happy Valentine’s Day friends, may your hearts never be broken and your plates full of cheesy meaty goodness on a stick!