There are many things I don't know about Lorelai and Rory Gilmore. For example, I don't know who Rory will end up with, (#TeamJess4Eva) and I definitely don't know how Lorelai really feels about her difficult-but-loveable employee, Michel. But there is one thing I know to be true of the Gilmores, without a doubt: Lorelai and Rory love to eat, and that's why every true fan needs to have some Gilmore Girls recipes prepared to enjoy while watching the revival this Thanksgiving weekend.
You may be thinking to yourself, "More food?? But I *just* had Thanksgiving dinner! I can't eat a single bite!" To that, I shake my head and say, "What would Lorelai and Rory do?" Lorelai and Rory would skip the bread rolls and forge ahead, tasting every pie, potato dish, and turkey in sight. If you don't have a Luke or Sookie available to do your baking, you'll have to make these dishes yourself, but I promise these recipes are easy enough for even the most Lorelai among us to handle.
You'll definitely recognize these recipes from the show, so make 'em for your friends and quiz them on the corresponding episode! See the recipes below, and for more authentic Stars Hollow cuisine, check out Eat Like A Gilmore by Kristi Carlson, available now:
Excerpt written by Kristi Carlson and published with permission from Skyhorse Publishing.
Rocky Road Cookies
When Rory meets Dean, once she gets past her extremely awkward phase, she becomes completely smitten by him. The two begin to revolve their lives around each other. Ah . . . young love. In a gesture to show her love, Rory goes to the Independence Inn after school and asks Sookie for some of Dean’s favorites: Rocky Road Cookies. Sookie happily obliges. Rory and Lane sit on a bench waiting for Dean’s bus, and Rory presents Dean with the cookies. Dean’s happy. Rory’s happy. Lane rolls her eyes and feels sick.
The next time the sappy sweetness of your friend’s new romance makes you feel sick, bake a batch of these and eat them while you list out all the benefits of being single.
- 2¼ c Flour
- 1 t Baking soda
- ½ t Salt
- 1 c Butter, room temperature
- ¾ c Sugar
- ¾ c Brown sugar
- ¾ c Unsweetened cocoa
- 2 Eggs
- 1 t Vanilla
- ¾ c Chopped pecans
- ¾ c Mini semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 c Marshmallow creme (Fluff® recommended)
Prep oven and pan: Place oven rack in center of oven. Preheat to 350°F. Place parchment paper on 2 cookie sheets. Set aside.
Combine dry ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Combine wet ingredients: Place butter in a large mixing bowl. Add both sugars. Mix, using a hand mixer on medium-low speed. Once fully combined, add cocoa, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until combined and smooth. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Make dough: Add dry ingredients to wet, in thirds, mixing after each. Combine using electric mixer, until all flour has been mixed in and dough forms. Scrape down sides of bowl. With a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in pecans and chocolate chips. Add marshmallow creme and gently fold in, so the chocolate is swirled with white from the marshmallow.
Bake cookies: Using a 1½-inch cookie scoop or a tablespoon, place rounded scoops on cookie sheet: 3 cookies wide by 4 cookies long. Bake for 10–12 minutes. Prep second cookie sheet while the first is baking. Cookies are done once they turn a bit darker brown (not too brown!). Remove from oven. Let cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet. Move cookies to cooling racks. Cool fully before storing.
Makes approximately 30 cookies.
Note: Mini marshmallows may be substituted for marshmallow creme. Do not add them to the batter. Bake the cookies without marshmallows. As the baked cookies come out of the oven, insert 4–5 marshmallows into each cookie. Let them cool for 10 minutes, then serve.
Fried Chicken & Fried Chicken Sushi
What happens when you combine the creativity of a master chef like Sookie with the creativity of a master nut like Lorelai? Fried Chicken Sushi.
So while Luke made Fried Chicken earlier in the show, this Sookie/Lorelai brainstorm yielded one of the greatest culinary ideas in its entire run. Make the Fried Chicken any time the mood strikes. Make the sushi version whenever you need to recreate Asia in your living room.
- Vegetable oil
- 1 Egg
- 2 c Buttermilk
- 1 T Hot sauce (Frank’s RedHot®, recommended)
- 2 c Flour
- 2 T Kosher salt
- 1½ T Black pepper
- 2 T Smoked paprika
- 1 Whole chicken, 3–4 lbs, cut into parts, washed and patted dry.
- 1½ c Medium-grain rice
- 2 c Water
- 2 T Sushi-seasoned rice vinegar
- 1 c Thinly sliced red cabbage
- 1 c Thinly sliced green cabbage
- ¼ c Peeled, finely grated carrot
- 2 t Minced chives
- 1 T Sesame oil
- 1 T Rice vinegar
- ½ t Tamarind
- ½ t Black pepper
- Seaweed sushi paper
- Pieces of fried chicken
- ½ c Mayonnaise
- 4 t Sriracha sauce
Heat oil: Add vegetable oil to a Dutch oven until the oil is 3 inches deep. Insert a candy thermometer. Bring to 350°F over high heat.
Prep cooling racks: Place 1–2 cooling racks on work surface, with paper towels beneath each. Set aside.
Make batter: In a medium, shallow bowl, mix egg until yolk and white are fully combined. Add buttermilk and hot sauce. Stir until fully combined.
Batter chicken: In another shallow bowl, combine flour, salt, pepper, and paprika until fully mixed. One by one, place each piece of chicken into the flour mix; flip it and move it around until it’s completely coated. Then place it in the batter. Again, flip it around and move it until it is completely coated. Place the batter-coated piece back into the flour mix for a second coat. Then dip it into the batter for a second coat. Place the piece on a plate and allow it to sit for a few minutes. Repeat this for each piece.
Fry chicken: Use tongs to slowly and carefully place the battered chicken pieces into the hot oil. Cook batches of 2–3 pieces at one time. (Having too many pieces in the oil at once will lower the temp of the oil and make your chicken soggy.) Keep the oil temperature between 330°F and 350°F. If the oil gets hotter than 350°F, the outside will burn before the inside is fully cooked. If the oil is too hot, quickly turn down the burner and/or add more oil, ½ cup at a time, until the temperature comes down. To test doneness, insert a meat thermometer. When it reads 160°F, the meat is done. Use tongs to remove each piece and place it on the cooling rack. Repeat until all pieces are cooked. Serve.
Makes 8 pieces.
Make Fried Chicken Sushi:
Cook rice: Rinse and cook rice per package instructions. Fold in sushi-seasoned rice vinegar. Set aside.
Make coleslaw: In a medium bowl combine both cabbages, carrot, chives, sesame oil, rice vinegar, tamarind, and black pepper until blended. Set aside.
Make sushi: Cover half a sheet of seaweed with a thin layer of cooked rice (about 1 cup). Cover the center of rice with a 1–1½ inch layer of coleslaw. Top the coleslaw with cut pieces of fried chicken. Starting with the rice side, roll seaweed into a tube/roll. Use a sharp knife to cut the roll into 6–8 pieces.
Make sauce and serve: Mix mayonnaise with sriracha. Drizzle sauce on sushi pieces or serve sushi pieces with sriracha-mayo as dipping sauce.
Makes 4 servings.
Deviled Eggs
Throughout the series, Lorelai and Rory show us they know how to put their own feelings aside, in order to do something nice or supportive for people they love. A clear example of their ability to rise above was Sherry’s baby shower. A few short months after suffering the disappointment of Chris leaving Lorelai, again, they both attended and participated. Granted, Lorelai had a mini fit in the bathroom. But, overall, they put on a good act.
Afterward, they let their bottled-up anger fly, when they pelted Jess’s car with leftover Deviled Eggs.
One aspect of this story is slightly far-fetched, though. There’s no way any Deviled Eggs were left over. See for yourself—serve these and watch them disappear.
- 12 Eggs
- Water
- 2 T Mustard
- 2 T Mayonnaise
- 3 T Sour cream
- 1 T Dill relish
- ¼ t Kosher salt
- ¼ t Black pepper
- ¼ t Cayenne pepper
- Paprika, for garnish
Boil eggs: Place eggs in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Fill pan with water just until eggs are covered. Place pan on burner over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Boil for 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Let eggs remain in the hot water for 5 minutes. Drain hot water from pan. Fill pan with cold water and let sit for 2–3 minutes. Repeat, continuing to fill/drain pan until eggs are cool to the touch. Then crack and peel each egg. Carefully cut each egg in half, lengthwise. Remove the cooked yolks and place them in a small mixing bowl.
Make filling: To the bowl containing the egg yolks, add mustard, mayonnaise, sour cream, dill relish, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Combine ingredients using a hand mixer or a fork.
Fill eggs: Fill a pastry bag or a zip-locking bag with yolk mixture. Cut tip off pastry bag or corner off plastic bag. With a steady hand, hold the tip of the bag right over the rounded-out part of each egg and pipe filling until it comes up, over the edge. Lightly sprinkle each egg with paprika. Serve.
Makes 24 Deviled Eggs.
Eat Like A Gilmore by Kristi Carlson, $15.61, Amazon
