When Bee and Puppycat creator Natasha Allegri sketches out her drawings, she secretly hopes someone who loves food just as much as she does will be inspired to make those drawings into real life dishes. As a huge Bee and Puppycat fan myself, I can attest that I have paused episodes and sketched out recipe ideasâsome of which have even come to life, like the Burger cookies I made right here on Nerdist.
Now, fans inspired by the show have a reference book, as Viz Media has released Easy Eats: A Bee and Puppycat Cookbook featuring fun to make recipes with illustrations by series creator, Natasha Allegri.
Recipes for the cookbook were submitted by fans of Bee and PuppyCat and the team behind the cartoon before being tested by a food editing team in Italy. The book is a fun mix of beginner and experienced recipes that even an intergalactic temp worker could handle.
I decided to test out one of the recipes for myself. Sure, I could have made an adorable Puppycat rice ball or Deckardâs delicious curry, but much like the show, it was the most absurd recipe that seemed to be the most intriguing. I mean, Chocolate Cherry Tomatoes definitely sounds like something that an alien cat-dog hybrid would eat regularly. Right?
I spoke with Allegri, who reminisced about her grandmotherâs cooking that consisted of comfort foods with a side of Japanese flair. Pancakes and bacon with a side of miso soup may not be a traditional breakfast, but it was the memories of that combination that made them comforting and inspiring.
Allegri said sheâd love to do a full blown recipe comic book, and mentioned that she’s especially inspired by Japanese food mangas. So what”s the current food obsession for the food-loving creator? Kimchi. The spicy Korean condiment is easily adaptable and Allegri puts it in almost everythingâfrom eggs to grilled cheese sandwiches. Sounds delicious! Let’s just say if Puppycat decides to teleport to a Korean BBQ dimension, Iâm all in.
Inspired by our food conversation, Allegri sketched up three food-centric sketches just for Nerdist, all featuring Puppycat living his best life. Gaze upon their deliciousness in the gallery belowâhere’s an example to get you excited:
Easy Eats: A Bee and Puppycat Cookbook is available in stores and online now.
What Bee and Puppycat inspired recipe would you make? Let us know in the comments and tag @nerdist and @justjennrecipes on instagram to show us your handiwork!
Chocolate Cherry Tomatoes
via Easy Eats: A Bee and Puppycat Cookbook
Ingredients:
-6 oz. dark chocolate
-15 cherry tomatoes
Melt chocolate in a bain-marie (water bath). Using the tomato stems or a slotted spoon, dip the tomatoes into melted chocolate until they are fully covered.
Place chocolate-covered tomatoes in fridge for about 20 minutes or until chocolate is solid.