Calling All Cooks: Middleburg Books’ Supper Club
Written by Bill Kent | Photos by Caroline Gray
Middleburg has a Monday night hot ticket. Beginning in February of this year, Mary Beth Morell has hosted a monthly Monday night supper club at Middleburg Books, her South Madison Street shop. Admission is by online ticket only, and since April, those tickets have disappeared hours after they are posted.
“The ticket price covers the cost of the beverages, and includes a discount if you buy the cookbook we’re [featuring] from us,” Morell says. “We only have 20 seats, so selling out doesn’t sound remarkable. But, honestly, when we came up with this, we were terrified that no one would come.”
But people have come, through word of mouth that has brought cookbook fanciers, remote workers, influencers, family and friends, mothers and daughters, dog walkers and swimming instructors, from as far away as Pennsylvania and Kentucky to just around the block.
“It’s great fun,” says Nature Composed’s Rachel Minchew. “I’ve been to every one so far. The conversation’s good and the food is even better.”
Maggie Siciliano, an internet influencer based in Harrisonburg, calls the club “a brilliant example of small-town community building.” How did she hear about it? “Middleburg is one of my favorite small towns, and Middleburg Books is my favorite indie bookstore in Virginia. And I love to cook.”
A shared joy in cooking, and cookbooks, lit the fire, Morell adds. “Shayne Johnson, [an employee], and I were standing around talking,” she says. “We both love books, we love to cook, and we love cookbooks. Why not put it all together and invite everyone we know who feels the same way and is free on a Monday night?”
For the first gathering, Morell chose a recently published cookbook — Yotam Ottolenghi’s “Shelf Love” — that “had recipes that were absolutely delicious and easy to follow, and wasn’t too fussy about ingredients, so if people didn’t like an ingredient, or they couldn’t get it, they could toss in something else and get a good result,” Morell notes.
Buying a ticket provided participants a link to a website spreadsheet where they could write the name of a recipe from the book. The day of the meeting, everyone would prepare the dish in sufficient quantity to feed 20 people.
“But again, I was terrified,” Morell continues. “What if nobody cooks anything, or if what they cook turns out bad and they just don’t show?”
Twenty people cooked and brought dishes artfully displayed on antique serving plates, copper pots, hand-thrown pottery bowls, and wooden cutting boards that Morell put on a table in the shop that would normally be piled high with books. They dined at a long table that stretched the entire length of the bookshop, on glass plates and metal cutlery, and drank wine and sparkling water from crystal glasses.
“It would not be respectful to eat on paper and plastic,” Morell says. “We have some legitimate chefs here!”
At July’s meeting, inspired by recipes from Jess Damuck’s “Salad Freak,” Morell asked the attendees to form a circle around the assortment of dishes and introduce themselves by saying which dish they made, and then mention their favorite beach.
Megan Ritzert, an event coordinator from Marshall who brought a zucchini, corn, basil, and lime salad, added a quick apology for being late. “I had a cow in my backyard and I had to ask it to leave.”
Once seated, conversation shifted quickly away from food to summer vacation plans, horses, family visits, more horses, and real estate: who just bought what, and what they might do with it.
Sarah Stittinius of Upperville had brought five family members to the supper club — each cooking a different dish — because “every time we come here, it’s different. This bookstore is such a wonder.”
At the end, cards were distributed so attendees could vote on the best dish, though the odds-on favorite was Morell’s Heath Bar Crunch cookie, provided because while some salads tasted sweet, none would qualify as a dessert.
In the future, Morell plans to have supper clubs based on cookbooks from local authors. She’s also considering having larger cookbook-oriented events at other venues.
“I’m new to this community and I am amazed at how warmly we’ve been embraced here.”
Then she adds, “Make sure you put espresso powder in the cookies. It makes all the difference!” ML
For more photos from the event, visit MiddleburgLife.com.
Coffee Heath Bar Crunch Cookie Recipe
Written by Mary Beth Morell
A trio of my favorite things: coffee (serious addiction issues going on here), Heath bars (second only to Twix on my list of the best candy bars of all time), and a perfect salted chocolate-chunk cookie. They’re ridiculously tasty. This recipe is also a nod to one of my favorite Ben & Jerry’s flavors of all time, my beloved Coffee Toffee Bar Crunch.
Let’s ponder for a moment the origin of the Heath bar. I wandered down an internet rabbit hole and discovered that the Heath bar was created by a school teacher named L.S. Heath in 1928 to sell in his confectionary and ice cream shop in Robinson, Illinois. Gotta love a teacher with a sweet tooth. L.S. and his sons, Bayard and Everett, called it “Heath’s English Toffee” and declared it “America’s finest.” Fun fact: An early ad read “Heath for Better Health!” apparently because they used only the best milk, chocolate, almonds, creamery butter, and “pure sugar cane.”
Makes about 3 dozen cookies
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups of dark brown sugar, packed (I like the Trader Joe’s brand)
- 1 heaping teaspoon of espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup of chopped dark chocolate bars, or chocolate chunks (I like the Trader Joe’s brand)
- 1 cup of Heath bar bits (or chopped Heath bars, if you can’t find the bits)
- 1 cup of chopped almonds (again, love Trader Joe’s!)
- Coarse sea salt, to sprinkle (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl, and set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, espresso powder, and vanilla extract until creamy. Add the egg and beat well.
Gradually add in the flour mixture, but DO NOT overmix. Stir in the chocolate chunks, Heath bar bits, and chopped almonds by hand.
Using a cookie scoop if you have one (which I highly recommend), scoop the batter into rounded tablespoons onto a dinner plate.
Pop the batter into the refrigerator for at least an hour, but preferably overnight.
When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and place the cookie dough balls onto the sheet — about a dozen per sheet.
Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.
While cookies are still hot, sprinkle very lightly with coarse salt. Let cool for 2 minutes, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Published in the August 2024 issue of Middleburg Life.