Whether you’re a diehard Friends fan or not, you likely still vividly remember Season 6 Episode 9 titled “The One Where Ross Got High.” You know the one: where Rachel Green made an English trifle — with beef. Ah, we can still hear Ross squeal “it tastes like feet!” upon tasting it. In the more than 20 years(!) since that episode aired, many have dared to replicate Rachel’s version of the desert, boasting layers of ladyfingers, jam, custard, raspberries, sliced bananas, whipped cream, and — of course — beef sautéed with peas and onions. But now, we can all try our hand at making the real recipe, thanks to the official Friends cookbook set to be published this fall.
Written by Amanda Yee, Friends: The Official Cookbook includes more than 70 recipes inspired by the show, including Ross’ Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich (“You-you-you ate my sandwich? MY SANDWICH?!”) and Phoebe’s grandmother’s “Nestle Toulouse” cookie recipe (“Oh, you Americans always butcher the French language!”).
Available for purchase on Sept. 22, which happens to be a day of Friends‘ 26th anniversary, the cookbook is currently available for pre-order on Amazon for $29.99.
Seriously, though, flipping through this book is basically like an interactive way of reliving some of the Friends’ most iconic episodes — in your own kitchen. From Monica’s Friendsgiving Feast to Chandler’s “Cheese: It’s milk that you chew!”, you’ll find everything from appetizers and drinks to main courses and desserts, each one tied to a very specific Friends moment. There’s even a recipe dedicated to that one episode where Joey couldn’t stress enough that he never, ever shares his food. The recipe’s called — you guessed it — the Just for Joey Fries Board, comprised of three different types of fries and three dip options.
“Complete with … beautiful full-color photography, this charming cookbook is both a helpful companion for home cooks and a fun homage to the show that’s always been there for you,” the book description states.
The recipes should be spot-on, too. Yee not only has extensive experience cooking in critically acclaimed Californian and Danish restaurants, but she also has experience operating a community-based supper club called Five & Dime. Not only that, Yee was the assistant and sous chef to James Beard award-winning chef Bryant Terry. In other words, she’s a culinary boss.
The Friends: The Official Cookbook release announcement follows news that the Friends reboot is postponed due to the coronavirus and that the HBO Max Friends reunion will likely air in the fall.
“At first we thought, shows will be delayed for a month or two at the most, and now it seems like it’s going to be far longer than that,” Bob Greenblatt, WarnerMedia Entertainment and Direct-to-Consumer chairman, told Variety. “We’re holding out for being able to get this special done hopefully by the end of the summer if the stars align and hopefully we can get back into production.”
Whenever the specials happen, we’ll be there for them — and eagerly awaiting our Friends cookbook in the mail.