The April/May selection for Cook the Books is The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson. Simona is hosting.

About the book:

A timeless comedy of manners—refreshing as a summer breeze and bracing as the British seaside—about a generation of young women facing the seismic changes brought on by war and dreaming of the boundless possibilities of their future, from the bestselling author of Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand

A PARADE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

It is the summer of 1919 and Constance Haverhill is without prospects. Now that all the men have returned from the front, she has been asked to give up her cottage and her job at the estate she helped run during the war. While she looks for a position as a bookkeeper or—horror—a governess, she’s sent as a lady’s companion to an old family friend who is convalescing at a seaside hotel. Despite having only weeks to find a permanent home, Constance is swept up in

the social whirl of Hazelbourne-on-Sea after she rescues the local baronet’s daughter, Poppy Wirrall, from a social faux pas.

Poppy wears trousers, operates a taxi and delivery service to employ local women, and runs a ladies’ motorcycle club (to which she plans to add flying lessons). She and her friends enthusiastically welcome Constance into their circle. And then there is Harris, Poppy’s recalcitrant but handsome brother—a fighter pilot recently wounded in battle—who warms in Constance’s presence. But things are more complicated than they seem in this sunny pocket of English high society. As the country prepares to celebrate its hard-won peace, Constance and the women of the club are forced to confront the fact that the freedoms they gained during the war are being revoked.

Whip-smart and utterly transportive, The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club is historical fiction of the highest order: an unforgettable coming-of-age story, a tender romance, and a portrait of a nation on the brink of change. (From Penguin Random House)

About the author:

Helen Simonson was born in England and spent her teenage years in a small village in East Sussex. A graduate of the London School of Economics, she has spent the last three decades in the United States and currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. Simonson is married, with two grown sons, and is the author of the New York Times bestselling debut novel Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand. This is her second novel.

Helen Simonson is available for select readings and lectures. To inquire about a possible appearance, please contact Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau at speakers@penguinrandomhouse.com or visit www.prhspeakers.com. (From Penguin Random House)

What I thought…

I did enjoy this book and I was caught up in the lives of Constance and Poppy. I guess I never really thought about the war effort during WWI and the strides that were made (for a short time) for women in the workforce. (Rosie the Riveter is famous for her WWII exploits and advances but I guess pretty much the same thing happened after WWII.) I was constantly rooting for Constance and Poppy and the rest of the “club.”

I found it hard to understand this world though. These women were able to manage estates and farms, transport goods, and provide essential services but when the men returned, they were tossed aside. (And some of the wounded veterans were dismissed as not being worthy of honest work as well.)

Constance is an outlier. She has grown up around the upper British crust but is literally an unpaid servant. She should be happy with being able to serve her “friends” (or so they lead her to believe).

Poppy, the strong and brave leader of the club, lost a lot of merit in my eyes by the conclusion.

Mrs. Fog might be my favorite character and I adored that Simonson had her triumph in love and happiness.

Klaus was just a tragic figure from the get-go.

The end of the book is a whirlwind. A lot is revealed (even about minor characters) and I found it all a bit odd at times. I did like the book and would recommend it though.

The food:

There was a surprising amount of food from the beginning. As Constance is almost forcibly removed from the hotel’s dining room, the theme of the book is set up (along with the start of a food list).

Would this quiet young woman eating tonight’s chicken quenelles behind a potted palm have been more scandalous than the women who would come later in the evening to dine intimately or in great parties, with men, laughing openmouthed over champagne and bending the fringed edges of their décolletages into the mock turtle soup?

There is a lot of standard British fare—tea, sardines and toast, Dover sole, cheese sandwiches and scones. Champagne, cocktails and wine flow, too. 

I know this isn’t very original, but I had to go with a version of Tilly’s Famous Bacon Sandwich (with sauteed onions).  I was going to just recreate the recipe from the back of the book but then I ran across an onion jam recipe in by Heart by Hailee Gatalano and I had to try a version of that on this sandwich. This is a great recipe for bacon sandwiches before summer tomatoes are ripe. Feel free to add them if they are available and tasty where you are. Otherwise, make the jam! (More to come about by Heart and Gatalano.)

Woven Bacon Sandwich with Onion Jam

By Debra 

You don’t have to weave the bacon, but it makes an interesting and easy-to-eat sandwich.  I added the bread and butter pickles (from a previous post) and swapped in Dijon for Coleman’s.

Ingredients

• 8 slices of thick cut bacon 
• 2 T. olive oil, divided
• 1 large white or yellow onion, sliced thin
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 t. tomato paste
• 2 T. water
• 1 T. brown sugar
• 1/2 -1  t. red pepper flakes (your choice of heat preference)
• 1 1/2 t. vinegar (use your choice–apple cider, red wine, etc. I used a chive vinegar.)
• 1/4 t. smoked paprika
• 4 slices hearty bread (like sour dough or Italian bread), toasted
• Bread and butter pickles
• 2-4 t. Dijon mustard

Instructions

1. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Cut each bacon strip in half so you have 16 strips of bacon. Use 8 pieces for each weave. (Refer to photo if you have to.) You can also make them fit to your bread size so you don’t need to do perfect squares.
3. Watch carefully and bake for 20-30 minutes. Flip bacon weaves about halfway through cooking. When done to desired crispness, remove bacon from the baking sheet and drain on paper towels. 
4. While the bacon is cooking, make the jam. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and add about 1 T. olive oil. Add the onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until very soft and browned, 15-20 minutes.
5. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly until it slightly darkens in color, about 2 minutes.
6. Stir in the water, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, vinegar, paprika, and remaining 1 T. of olive oil. Cook until mixture is thick and jamlike, about 2-3 minutes. Season with more salt if needed. Set aside to cool slightly.
7. Construct the sandwich: Take two slices of the toasted bread and spread with 1-2 teaspoons of Dijon on both inner sides. Place the woven bacon on one side, top with pickles and then top with the onion jam. Place the other piece of bread on top. Repeat to make the other sandwich.

Yield: 2 sandwiches

I could also dub these  “Winter Bacon Sandwiches” because they truly are delicious without the fresh tomatoes on a traditional BLT.

And this onion jam is delicious and is great on a charcuterie board or on other sandwiches.

What’s up next for CTB readers? We have a guest host! Wendy (A Day in the Life on the Farm) chose the historical novel A Bakery in Paris by Aimie Runyan. This will be the June/July selection. Look for an announcement post soon at Cook the Books.