True Blood Cookbook Released Today

A True Blood cookbook? Believe it. Cajun chef Marcelle Bienvenu has partnered with HBO to compile a collection of recipes inspired by the cable network's hit vampire drama, "True Blood."

That means recipes for such delicacies as blood-red beet bisque and sweet tea "bloodied" with pureed strawberries and raspberries.

"True Blood" is filmed partly in Louisiana and is set in the fictional Louisiana town of Bon Temps. The state's cuisine is often referenced in the series, where vampires and mortals mingle over bowls of okra gumbo, jambalaya, and red beans and rice.

The cookbook, "True Blood: Eats, Drinks, and Bites from Bon Temps," is being released in bookstores on Wednesday, shortly after Sunday's broadcast of the show's fifth-season finale.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.)