What you CAN’T say in a book (plus a recipe!)
After my last update, you may be wondering what—if anything—the attorney flagged in my manuscript.
There were only two things.
First, it turns out that there was a possible “invasion of privacy.”
What exactly is that?
It’s not that I revealed something unsavory about someone else…but that I disclosed a medical condition related to one of the romantic interests in the book.
Now, I’ve given nicknames to all the romantic interests (yes, you will read about several!) That means people in the book are not identifiable by the general public. Still, I decided to err on the side of caution—and respect—by taking this detail out. And now I know better—people’s medical information should stay private.
Second, the attorney asked if the recipes in the book were original. Recipes themselves aren’t copyrightable, but you’re not supposed to copy them verbatim.
My answer was this:
I wrote the recipes over a decade ago while I was in London, and my approach to recipes has always been to look at several of them and then create my own version. Plus, the recipes in the book have now been refined by the helpful comments of my recipe testers (thank you, testers)! In addition, the Cuban recipes are from my family.
So I’m good, except I decided to reinforce the credit for the grilled cheese recipe I loved at Borough Market. I’m still a (recovering) worrier, and credit should be given where credit is due!
For your eating pleasure this weekend, here it is:
ONE-AND-ONLY GRILLED CHEESE
Adapted from Bill Oglethorpe
Makes one sandwich
¾ cup (75 g) of the best grated cheddar you can find
¼ cup (25 g) grated Gruyere
Small handful of chopped shallots
Clove of garlic, crushed
Two slices of good sourdough (from the middle of the loaf for a big sandwich)
½ tablespoon of butter for greasing
1. Assemble the sandwich and place it on a hot, lightly greased griddle. Press the sandwich down with a cast-iron panini press, or use a heavy frying pan.
2. Cook for about 3 minutes until the crust starts to brown and the cheese melts through.
3. Flip and cook on the other side until golden. Slice in half and surrender.
