Secrets of Scandinavian Cooking: Scandalicious by Signe Johansen
Scandalicious is the first book from Nowegian chef Signe Johansen, who now lives and works in London. Following from her popular blog, which focuses on Scandanavian cooking and baking is this comprehensive and beautifully designed cookbook. It’s release coincides with a rising interest in Scandanavian food. We’ve long looked to Southern Europe for food inspiration, but what about the North? An region with similar seasons and produce to Britain. Scandalicious brings mouth-watering recipes for breakfasts, lunches and dinners including Banana and cinnamon crispbread, Beetroot and Ginger Soup, Scandilious Macaroni Cheese and Nowegian meatballs. For baking enthusiasts like myself the Afternoon Tea chapter includes recipes for Daim Cake and Lemony Choux Buns.
Published by Saltyard Books £20 hardback
The Constance Spry Cookery Book by Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume
One of the best known cookery books of all time has been reissued with it’s recipies newly metricated (meaning in grams and kilograms for our generation instead of confusing pounds and ounces). Originally published in 1957 it was for a time an essential part of each British kitchen. Constance Spry is lengendary for creating Coronation Chicken, first served at the coronation in 1953. Much in the same vein as Mrs Beeton this 1,000 page tome is filled with wonderful recipes and non-nonsense, practical advise to cooking. It teaches you everything from how to bone a chicken to how to feed invalids.
Published by Grub Street £30.00 hardback
The Primrose Bakery Book by Martha Swift and Lisa Thomas
The second book from London’s Primrose Bakery and a massive step up from the first, which focused on cupcakes. Swift and Thomas have produced a comprehensive baking book that stands out from its competitors because of it’s focus on Australian baking (Thomas is Australian) and several traditional Australian recipes are included including Afghan Biscuits, Friands and Neenish Tarts.
Published by Square Peg £17.99 hardback
Perfect: 68 Essential Recipes for Every Cook’s Repetoire by Felicity Cloake
With it’s delightfully retro looking cover, this book is a collection of Cloake’s popular columns from The Guardian. Each week she takes a popular dish and tries and tests the recipes from greats such as Nigella, Delia and Jamie and then pulls together the best points from each to create her defintive version of each dish. The idea is appealing, instead of flitting from cookbook to cookbook trying to decide just plump for the version in here instead. Included in the classics are roast chicken, spaghetti bolognese, leek and potato soup, meringues, and a Victoria Sponge. A perfect Christmas present for someone who is learning to cook and wants a few basics under their belt.
Published by Penguin Fig Tree £18.99 hardback
Leon Baking & Puddings by Claire Ptak & Henry Dimbleby
The Leon chain is well established in London and with good reason as they produce consistently yummy and healthy food. So you can imagine my happiness when I was sent a copy of the third Leon Book, Baking & Puddings. Frequenters of this blog will know that I am a baking obsessive and this book is filled with mouthwatering baking tips and recipies. Co-authored by Clare Ptak of the wonderful Violet Bakery and Leon co-founder Henry Dimbleby the book follows the Leon ethos that food can both taste good and be good for you. In keeping with this three quarters of the books recipies are sugar, dairy, wheat and gluten free. Clearly you can have your cake and eat it two. As with the previous Leon books (they really are superb) this book is divided into two sections. The first, titled Every Day, includes chapters on breakfast, afternoon tea, power snacks, cooking with children and puddings. The second section, titled Celebration, features recipies for occasions including EAster, Christmas, Wimbledon, Bonfire Night, Eid, birthdays, christenings and wakes. The introduction provides a guide to to different baking ingredients and technqiues and is so through and well thought out that even the most seasoned baker is bound to learn something. The recipies are exciting varied and have been collective by the authors’ and their friends and families. A particularly fun section entitled Leon’s Pie Fest, contains pie recipies contributed by known foodies.
Published by Octopus £20
Baked in America by David Lezniak and David Muniz
When it comes to baking we have a lot to thank the American’s for, a plethora of a American style bakeries have opened up in London in the past few years most notably the Hummingbird. Baked in America, is a different sort of offering, written by the Two David’s of the Outsider Tart Bakery in Chisick the book is notable for eschewing the cupcake and instead focusing on other American baking traditions. They are speaheading the revival of the American pie and muffin and cookie and introduce us to whole variety of American treats that are little known in the UK. A stand out recipe is the Katherine Hepburn Coffee Brownies.
Published by Ebury Press £16.99 hardback
Pierre Herme Macarons by Pierre Herme
Finally the king of macarons and French Patisserie Pierre Herme has published his book on macarons in English and what a delight it is! Two hundred pages of macaron recipes with the most sumptulous photography. Herme really was ground breaking with his macarons, as he explains the book there was a time when using flavours such as lemon, rose and raspberry was considered unusual! As well as classics such as these and chocolate, coffee and pistachio are more the more unusual combinations he is known for such as passion fruit with orange and cream cheese and lychee with rose and raspberry.
Published by Grub Street £25.00 hardback
I was sent copies of all the above to review, but never feature any product that I dislike and would not recommend.
