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Sydney Food - Bill Granger
If you live in Sydney or at least have occasion to visit from time to time, and you haven't eaten at Bill's, shame on you. Down the hill on Liverpool St, Darlinghurst is Bill's and it's a great and very popular little cafe. So popular that Bill's 2 was opened a little over a year ago in Surrey Hills to cope with demand. When I've visited Sydney over the past few years I've gone to great lengths to arrange my program to allow for at least one breakfast at Bill's. The ricotta hot cakes with honeycomb butter are to die for - but how does he make them so light and fluffy? The muffins are the stuff of legends and the corn fritters are amazing - crispy, yet moist. The secrets are now available in Sydney Food - a compilation of his favourite recipes. Be warned however - he has kept a bit in his back pocket. For example, upon interrogating a waitress I learned that the Ricotta hot cakes go in the oven for a couple of minutes at the end to crispen the surface ever so slightly - this is not mentioned in the book. Just one thing - if anyone tries the oven baked peaches as a desert (and this I recommend) and also does the caramel sauce and gets it to work let me know how. My caramel sauce was a disaster! (BK) ISBN: 0-86411-911-7
Cooking Class - Meera Freeman
Let me tell you how this book came to be, and came to be called cooking class. Meera Freeman is a cooking teacher - and a good one. She teaches Italian, Thai, Vietnamese and Middle Eastern cuisine in Melbourne - and does it well. So well in fact that the waiting list for her 5 week courses is just silly. I've attended 4 (2 Italian, 2 Thai) and have enjoyed every one.This book is actually a compilation of the class notes from those courses. We, her students said how about putting all the course notes in a book? She did. Meera's recipes work - well. In fact her (and now my) pesto is the best I've ever had, the Thai curry pastes will eclipse anything you've had before. This is not an extravagant promise - you've probably never tasted hand pounded curry pastes - certainly not in a restaurant in any case.
Trust me - go and buy this book. It is getting a wee bit hard to get now, so don't leave it too long. make sure you pay attention to the hints scribbled in the margins - they are truly the good oil (Tuscan or Ligurian you ask?). (BK)
ISBN: 1-86508-345-3
The Australian Cook's Dictionary - Denise Greig
There are times when even an experienced cook is baffled by the ingredients in a recipe. For the novice, recipes which assume too much foodie knowledge can a real discouragement. A Cook's Dictionary is the answer, and this is a good one. I've only used it a few times, but it has been invaluable. It was great to real about Kale, for example, which Nigella used in a salad in the Nigella Bites show which aired in Australia on 5 September. ISBN: 186436564-1
Barbecued! - Peter Howard
I am amazed at the lack of Australian BBQ stuff in books and on the web. Peter Howard's Barbecued! is a welcome find. There's lots of ideas for spicing up the barbie with asian flavours and more besides. A little arty for a BBQ book, with those tricky shots with narrow depth of field and only a bit of each dish in focus, there are pics of every secind recipe - it's only Stephanie Alexander that we forgive for using any less than that. There's starters, fish, meat, poultry, sides and some great dessert ideas even. Each recipe is fabulously set out, with the preparation split in to "In the Kitchen", "At the BBQ", and "At the Table". I'm filling up the gas bottle ready to cook through this book this summer. ISBN: 186436642-7
Sizzle! - Allan Campion & Michele Curtis
Sub-titled "modern barbecue food" (no capitals, please note), like Peter Howard's book, it has an exclamation mark in the title! However, Sizzle! is a great BBQ cookbook. For every recipe, cooking time and BBQ type is listed, even which plate to use (open grill or solid plate). There are tips on buying BBQs and food, a glossary, some thoughts on wine, and some suggested menu plans (we like that!). Heaps of recipes cover lost of tastes and origins, although unlike Peter Howard there are no BBQ desserts, only desserts that go with BBQs. Photographs are in relatively short supply, and they are arty rather that illustrative. A recommended buy in readiness for summer grilling. ISBN 0-9586195-1-4
Cooks Companion - Stephanie Alexander
What can we say? A huge source of ideas, recipes and guidance. Old favourites to high adventure. The ultimate Australian cookbook. Large and luxurious, but hardly any photos. ISBN: 0670863734
Check out the recipes recommended by Cookings Cooks from this book.
Marie Clare - Food Fast - Donna Hay
Slick, sleek, fresh and USEFUL. Not just a pretty face, FOOD FAST is full of ideas for producing tasty and impressive meals for self and drop ins. The three main chapters (10 Mintues, 20 Minutes and 30 Minutes) give you an idea of how long things will take. Beautifully presented with photos of every recipe (we like that at Cookings), this is a book to cook through. You may well need to use the Glossary as there are some less well known ingredients, but use this as a guide for building up a more adventurous pantry. ISBN: 0864119100
Check out the recipes recommended by Cookings Cooks from this book.
Marie Claire - Flavours - Donna Hay
Yep - she's done it again with what I'd argue is her best book yet. And this time, it's a little different. While it is, as always, a cook book with a bunch of tantalising recipes, it is also an exploration of a number of different flavour types, for example citrus, ginger and vanilla. We've cooked some delicious numbers from each of these chapters and have enjoyed them in their own right - but wait - there's more. By reading about the ingredient groups, cooking a number of dishes from the various chapters and understanding of the flavour type is developed so that when you look in the fridge and see that amongst the usual bits and pieces there happens to be a couple of limes you can immediately begin to understand how to turn the vanilla (only a metaphor - I actually like vanilla) stir fry into something special.I can imagine that over time, with continued use of the book, it will become easy to combine ingredients from the various groups in new and exciting ways and even create daring new recipes - maybe even a cookbook!
If I could have just 4 cookbooks, this would be one (Along with The Cook's Companion by Steph, and Jamie Oliver's 2 exciting volumes) $35 RRP, on special after Christmas for $25 in some places.[Reviewed by Bill K]
ISBN: 0864119925Check out the recipes recommended by Cookings Cooks from this book.
The Naked Chef - Jamie Oliver
Expanding on the funky first TV series from UK chef Jamie Oliver, this book has been a best seller in Oz. Straightforward and tasty recipes. The English feel will make some recipes a bit hard to grapple with, and there is almost no beef (it's a mad cow thing). Jamie's roast lamb is to die for, and the range of pasta and risotto will keep you going for ages. ISBN: 0718143604
The Return of the Naked Chef - Jamie Oliver
More pukka food from raging young English chef Jamie Oliver. A useful and fun book, if lacking the grungy charm of the Brit-pop sound track of the TV show (second series). More pasta and risotto with straighforward instructions and simple ingredients, and no-nonsense guidance on everything else. An essential companion to the first best seller, but still no beef. Suggestion for next time: reproduce the menus from the show, to help us put it all together into an event. ISBN: 0718144392
L Plates - Ian Parmenter
Aimed at the "culinary challenged" without being overly simplistic, this book by Consuming Passions host Ian Parmenter is a must for those of us with a fledgling interest in gourmet cooking, but without the time or inclination for intensive preparation.
Well presented with photos of every recipe, L-Plates removes some of the guess-work that leaner cooks face (such as ourselves) by providing a guide on recipe cost, how long it will take, how many it serves, wine choices, how well it keeps and special serving suggestions.
This book was given to us by the Cookings Webchef in the hope that we might find cullinary enlightenment. We are proud to say that we have (to use a Don Burke term) 'roadtested' several of the recipes including the Thai Potato Soup, Chicken & Almond Pilaf, Aussie Goreng, Steak Diane and our favourite, the Rainbow Stirfry. Maybe next on the list is the Tiramisu Ice Cream or White Chocolate Mud Cake (both of which sound sensational).
In fact, we cooked the Steak Diane for some friends and it took some convincing for them not to believe we had ordered it in from the local gourmet take-away!!
The bad news is, we went to find a copy of L-Plates for a family member and the ABC shop advised that it's now out of print, however, you may be lucky to score one through Angus & Robertson or Dymocks. It'll make an ideal addition to anyone's collection or equally, a great present for those just starting out. TY & MD
The Surreal Gourmet Entertains by Bob Blumer
Subtitled "high-fun, low stress dinner parties for 6 - 12 people", this is Bob Blumer's second cookbook. A few well chosen recipes, but the real value is in the entertaining ideas - music, menus, planning, tips. Special ideas for the adventurous cook, such as 6 "mono-cuisine" menus. (Check out a mono-cuisine menu) Only criticism is that Bob short changes desserts. Not widely available in Oz. [Reviewed by DC] ISBN: 0811808041
The Surreal Gourmet (Real Food for Pretend Chefs) by Bob Blumer
Bob's first recipe book, and one that has really encouraged me to be more adventurous. Clear instructions, music to dine by, wine suggestions, how to get the guests involved. Great artwork. Not widely available in Oz. [Reviewed by DC] ISBN: 0811801217
Off the Eaten Path - Bob Blumer.
After 8 weeks off the beaten path travelling from the US, Bob Blumer's latest book has found its way into my letterbox. And it was worth the wait. Off the Eaten Path takes the Surreal Gourmet concept further with an even more useful cookbook. There are 5 killer dinner party menus, with recipes and photos. There are 5 cinematic suppers, with food related videos teamed with a menu related to the movie. Bob has also introduced the concept of the Not Luck dinner, where guests bring specified ingregients, and a straigthforward (but tasty and interesting) menu plan sets out the blueprint for a great night. Some great surreal meals lerk near the back, but we could take or leave the so called adventure cooking chapter, with its engine block/dishwasher/iron cooking techniques looking a little silly in the company of the other chapters. Despite that, wholeheartedly recommended. Check Out Psychadelic Coleslaw. [Reviewed by DC] ISBN: 0345421507
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