Lindsey Bowden - Damn Fine Cherry Pie: And Other Recipes from TVs Twin Peaks

From the blinking BBC2 logo which led into the haunting theme tune, I was hooked. I was fascinated by this small town where nothing was as it seemed and everyone was asking the same question: Who killed Laura Palmer? Fastforward to 2009 and, at the age of 33, working as a Producer in the film and theatre industry, I was still obsessed with the show. I had fallen so deeply in love with this fictitious world, I felt like I knew every corner of it. One day, while working from home with an episode of Twin Peaks flickering away in the background, it struck me that the following year was the 20th anniversary of my favourite series. Yet there were no celebrations taking place in the UK. Why would there be? Was a 20-year-old show at the forefront of anyones mind? But I knew the impact Twin Peaks had had on me, and how many fans were still out there.

I decided to do something, for all of us, and created the Twin Peaks UK Festival. The idea was simple: include guests from the show, screenings and performances, and engulf fans in the world of Twin Peaks and David Lynch. From that first event in 2010, the festival has grown. We have just celebrated our 6th annual festival with a special event dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Twin Peaks. And the festival continues to grow. Food plays a crucial role in the Twin Peaks universe and I am always inspired to grab a bite to eat when watching the programme.

I love cooking and the idea of food as an experience, from styling and setting to texture and flavours it should be a celebration. I wanted to bring my interpretation of the food in Twin Peaks to life in the real world and so I began to write this cookbook a perfect way to unite my two passions. In this book you will find all your Twin Peaks favourites, as well as recipes that have been inspired by characters, storylines and locations. There are food symbols that are important to the programme: the cherry pie served at the RR Diner, the donuts in the Sheriffs Department and the Great Northern breakfasts not to mention coffee. No cookbook would be complete without these favourites, but there is so much more to explore. I wanted to play around with the idea of food that is wholesome and American on the surface tempting, comforting and classic but also explore the darker, more seductive themes in the programme.

Using the locations and characters as a foundation, I started to devise recipes such as hearty breakfasts and a diner menu that would celebrate 1950s American culture. I got carried away with an extensive list of pastries and donuts to whet your appetite and share with friends. I thought about how fans love to immerse themselves in the world of Twin Peaks, and the recent trend for hosting supper clubs and themed dinner parties. I created a White Lodge chapter that summarized a sense of safety, purity and family life. And I created a Black Lodge dinner chapter full of richer, darker, moodier recipes to set the scene. Finally there are a host of cocktails to get your party started with a swing the perfect way to toast your favourite show.

The Twin Peaks UK Festival continues to grow and grow. Over the years we have been joined by some incredible guests from the show, including Sheryl Lee, Dana Ashbrook, Madchen Amick, Sherilyn Fenn, Catherine E. Coulson, Al Strobel, Charlotte Stewart, Lenny Von Dohlen, Phoebe Augustine, Kimmy Robertson, Ian Buchanan and Julee Cruise, who has performed live twice at the festival. As those of you who have been to the Twin Peaks UK Festival know, we relish the idea of surrounding you in the world of Twin Peaks. My intention is to do the same with these recipes bringing that wonderful world into your own home to share with friends. I am honoured to have the opportunity to combine two of my great passions, Twin Peaks and food, and to bring you this little slice of Twin Peaks-inspired culinary heaven.

I sincerely hope you have as much fun cooking these recipes as I did creating them! Hang loose Haoles! The fictional town of Twin Peaks is actually the towns of North Bend, Snoqualmie and Fall City in Washington State. Just down the road is Roslyn, the town where Northern Exposure was filmed.THE BEST TV SHOW EVER MADE 24 February 1989 and the lifeless body of Laura Palmer, wrapped in plastic, washes up next to a giant log, in the town of Twin Peaks. This simple idea from co-creators David Lynch and Mark Frost created a television show that turned into a cult phenomenon. A brutal murder, a small American town and nothing is quite as it seems. David Lynch was known as a film director who created surreal, almost nightmarish movies such as Eraserhead and Blue Velvet. Mark Frost was a television writer known mostly for his sterling work on Hill Street Blues.

With the unique mix of Lynchs abstractism and Frosts insight into everyday America, it seemed the perfect match to create this town and indeed this world. Twin Peaks first aired on April 8 1990 in the USA and six months later in the UK. It ran for two seasons before being cancelled by ABC due to declining figures, figures which only declined after Lynch was asked by the network to reveal who the killer was part-way through Season 2. However, even though the series had been cancelled, a prequel movie followed, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me with Robert Engels on board as co-writer and David Lynch back at the helm as director as well as co-writer. Initially panned by the critics, FWWM (as Peakies lovingly refer to it) has become something of a cult classic and is considered by many to be the masterpiece of Lynchs films. And 25 years later, were still talking about it, were still theorizing over it, and the show itself is making a welcome return to our screens in 2017.

At the time of writing, the new Twin Peaks (or is it Season 3... ) is currently in production. The recipes contained in this book are inspired by the TV show, but it has not been prepared, approved or licensed by any entity or individual that created or produced the show. So what is it that makes Twin Peaks so special? Is it the innovative writing? Is it the dynamic combination of a cast of young professionals such as Sheryl Lee, Sherilyn Fenn and Madchen Amick with older veterans of the acting world such as Piper Laurie, Russ Tamblyn and Richard Beymer? Or is it simply because it allows us to enter a world wed never seen before? Twin Peaks has pushed boundaries and inspired writers from the time of airing right up until the present day. TWIN PEAKS AWARDS1990 Emmy Awards Outstanding Achievement in Costuming for a Series Patricia Norris Outstanding Editing for a Series Duwayne Dunham 1990 Casting Society of America Artios Awards