Off The Shelf - 'Taverna' by Georgina Hayden

Kath June 12, 2019

Bought from: Booktopia - I preordered this one as I had seen some behind the scenes of the book on Georgina’s Instagram and knew it would be worth getting as soon as it was released!

Recipes Made: Chicken Cinnamon and Sweet Tomato Orzo p.162, Coriander and Lemon Roast Chicken p.165, Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder with Quince p.170 and Bergamot Loukoumia p.247.

I made the Chicken Cinnamon and Sweet Tomato Orzo as a nice tasty weeknight meal. It was delicious and the leftover orzo was enjoyed for a couple of days after. I would even make it again without the chicken as the pasta element was so good. I didn’t like using chicken thighs with the bone in as the recipe suggested though. It think it is the chicken I have available to me, but the pieces were just massive and hard to eat and also difficult to fit into the pan. Next time I would buy boneless thighs or drumsticks just because that is what my family generally prefers.

The Coriander and Lemon Roast Chicken is a recipe that is right up my families alley so to speak. We love a good tasty roast chicken, and coriander and lemon are flavours we often use and enjoy a lot. This roast chicken is a low fuss affair compared to some other recipes we make which was great, and it had beautiful flavour and everyone enjoyed it. So much so we have made it twice now. You could easily make this on a weeknight if you have time, otherwise its a lovely more simple meal to prepare on the weekend. We ate it with garlic mashed potatoes which we loved.

The Slow Roast Pork Shoulder with Quince was one of the first recipes that stood out to me in Taverna. I absolutely adore quince, and look forward to their season every year. Luckily when Taverna was released, quince season was just beginning so it was perfect timing. This is the first recipe I made, and while I don’t usually cook a lot of meat and had never cooked a pork shoulder (or made crackling for that matter!), this turned out really well. The skin was super crispy and the quince sitting below the meat were soft and tender. The combination of quince and pork is a beautiful one, and I really can’t wait to make this again next year when quince come back into season.

The recipe for Bergamot Loukoumia (the Greek Cypriot version of Turkish Delight), was about 90% of the reason I knew I needed to buy this book. I saw some behind the scenes things on Georgina’s Instagram when she was working on the book, and one time noticed something about bergamot. I knew instantly that if this book had any mention of bergamot I needed to own it. My bergamot obsession rivals my love of quince, so much so, that I think bergamot may win over as my favourite fruit of all time.

We have a bergamot tree, the fruit from which was maybe two or three months away from being ripe and ready when Taverna was released. This recipe for loukoumia was quickly bookmarked for when the bergamots were ready. I then went outside one day and saw a branch from the bergamot tree had broken off. There were a few bergamot lost with the branch and I couldn’t throw them away even if they weren’t 100% ripe yet. I picked a few more to lighten the load of the tree and used half of what I picked to make these Bergamot Loukoumia.

The process of making these, as confectionary making goes, is quite easy, you just need a little time. Mine didn’t go a deep golden colour (maybe as the bergamots I used weren’t ripe), but they tasted absolutely amazing. I added a couple of drops of Natural Bergamot Essence to mine as I was worried my bergamots wouldn’t have a strong enough flavour, but next I make them I wouldn’t bother with it. I found they don’t store well (which I think is common for homemade Turkish delight), as the loukoumia soak up the icing sugar mix dusted on them and create a bit of an oozy mess - but, if you can look beyond that you are in for a really amazing treat!

Favourite Things About the Book: I really loved finding out more about Greek Cypriot food. I don’t know a lot about Greek food generally, and had no idea that Cypriot dishes varied in anyway from those on the mainland. I also really like that this book is deeply personal for Georgina and her family, it is like a celebration of their heritage and food history all the while bringing the reader along for the fabulously tasty journey. This book is really unique and unlike any I already have (which is saying something!).

Bookmarked Recipes (to make later!): Grilled Spicy Prawns with Feta and Ouzo p.74, Garlic Butter Prawns with Orzo p.130, Pastitsio p.172-3, Classic Moussaka p.176-7, Jewelled Pilafi p.209 and Pistachio and Strawberry Celebration Cake p.224.

Off The Shelf - 'A Basket by the Door' by Sophie Hansen

Kath May 9, 2019

Bought at: The combined Sydney book launch of ‘A Basket by the Door’ by Sophie Hansen, ‘Tortellini at Midnight’ by Emiko Davies & ‘A Tree in the House’ by Annabelle Hickson - March 2019. This event took place a couple of weeks before ‘A Basket by the Door’ was officially released, and I was so happy to be able to buy a copy a little early! It was also wonderful to have the book signed by Sophie. I then spent the remainder of the afternoon after the book launch, looking through the book and never wanting it to end.

Recipes Made: Pistachio, Cardamon & Rose Balls p.17, Sweet Verjus-Pickled Strawberries with Vanilla and Pink Peppercorns p.66, Orange and Quinoa Biscuits p.66, Apple, Fennel & Pork Sausage Rolls p.142, Quick Tomato Chutney p.142, Quince Chutney p.145, Pasta Salad with Olive and Walnut Pesto p.159, Piedmontese Capsicums p.183, Quince Butter p.199, Anna’s Minestrone p.215 and Baked Apple Porridge p.216.

The Pistachio Cardamom and Rose Balls are the first ‘bliss ball’ type of thing I have ever made or eaten. I am not one for ‘healthy’ fad foods just for the sake of it, I am after flavour and lots of it. I also find that many bliss balls use some kind of chocolate or cacao and cashews, all of which I cannot eat. These on the other hand, are not like regular bliss balls. The fact that this recipe was the first I made from the book is testament to that. The combination of dates, honey, cardamom and rose makes these balls moorish and actually worth making. I am finding they are a great snack for work days.

I first tried Sophie’s Sweet Verjus-Pickled Strawberries with Vanilla and Pink Peppercorns and the Orange and Quinoa Biscuits at the first Local is Lovely Workshop back in 2014. As we all madly took photos, Sophie demonstrated how to make them and we got to sample some. After that I have recreated it home many time, served with a nice goats cheese or curd and fresh honeycomb.

Ok, the Apple Fennel and Pork Sausage Rolls are the absolute bomb. I am not a big meat eater, but I do love pork, and these sausage rolls are the best I have ever had. They first appeared in column Sophie wrote for the Domain Magazine last year, and I saved the recipe and have made them numerous times ever since. Once I realised how utterly amazing they were, I started making double and freezing them rolled into logs ready to cook. I have made a couple of batches of the Quick Tomato Chutney, which is great with the sausage rolls. I also love serving it with frittatas as well.

The Quince Chutney on the other hand, is the best accompaniment to these sausage rolls. This recipe also appeared in the Domain mag last year, so I made one batch of it. I was so disappointed when it was all gone, that this year I am determined to make at least two batches. If I can really recommend anything to make from this book, top of my list would be these sausage rolls with the quince chutney.

I made the Pasta Salad with Olive and Walnut Pesto so I had something nice to take to work for lunch, inspired by this chapter in the book about making time for lunch during work. I made the pesto with almonds as I didn’t have any walnuts and I loved it. And I definitely didn’t have any “sad desk lunch[es]” that week!

The Piedmontese Capsicums are probably my favourite way to eat capsicums. Again I first tried this dish at the first Local is Lovely Workshop, and have made it again and again ever since. The leftovers are really great added to the topping of a pizza, and as I am such a caper and anchovy fiend I add more than the recipe actually stipulates!

While I have poached quince many times now, I have only recently made them into Quince Butter. Using Sophie’s recipe for poaching, the quinces turned a very deep burgundy red which was most satisfying. I have seen the recipe for quince butter before, and I have to say the lack of water in the recipe always confused me. I did everything as the recipe said until I lost my nerve once the quince were in the oven and added about 1/2 cup water - the mixture was so syrupy almost toffee like I just couldn’t hang around for three hours while it was all in the oven and wonder if it would work! It did in the end and tastes amazing.

I absolutely love the Minestrone Soup recipe in ‘A Basket by the Door’. The same recipe can be found on Sophie’s blog, and I have been making it for the last couple of Winters now. It is super tasty and comforting on a chilly Winter’s evening, and the left overs are great for work lunches or frozen for another time. I always end up using a white wine in the soup rather than red, and there is always a bottle of white wine for cooking open in our fridge. Sometimes I also leave out the pasta and just have the barley and cannellini beans. Mostly because the starch of the pasta thickens the soup up a lot (which is quite noticeable if you are planning on having leftovers), and the soup is so tasty without it I don’t ever miss it.

I made the Baked Apple Porridge last weekend, as an alternative to making my usual Muesli Breakfast Crumble. It smelt so delicious when it was baking, that even though I made it in the afternoon ready for pre-work breakfasts during the week, I just had to taste a little when it was ready! I added some poached quince to mine as well as the apples, and it was delicious. Definitely the perfect warming breakfast for a chilly morning. I served mine with yoghurt and honey as Sophie suggests, though I think some of the quince butter could be lovely with it too!

Favourite Things About the Book: The recipes and the photos! I love the variety of recipes in this book, and that so many of my favourites from Sophie’s blog are included too. Sophie’s food is exactly the kind of food I like to make and eat, simple, seasonal and super tasty. I knew when I heard this book was in the works it would be good, and it certainly hasn’t disappointed. I also love the photography in the book, and the fact that there are so many photos. The pages with the collages of photos are great, and really bright and inviting. The combination of fantastic recipes and photos makes this book so inviting and warm, and one I will be cooking from forever.

Bookmarked Recipes (to make later!): Beetroot, Walnut and Pomegranate Dip p.22, Fennel and Sausage Ragu p.35, The Chicken Pie pp.39-41, Hot-Smoked Salmon and Zucchini Tart p.46, Baked Ricotta with Spring Greens p.69, Vanilla, Peach and Mint Iced Tea p.105, Brunekager p.107, Tomato, Capsicum and Pearl Couscous Salad p.160, Triple Ginger Loaf p.164, Braised Fennel and Tomato p.219, to name a few!

Off the Shelf - 'Simple' by Yotam Ottolenghi

Kath March 27, 2019

Bought at: received as a gift - thankfully as I had been wanting it so badly after it was released!

Recipes Made: Roasted Baby Carrots with Harissa and Pomegranate p.116, Butternut Squash with Sweetcorn Salsa, Feta and Pumpkin Seeds p.122, Roasted Beetroot with Yoghurt and Preserved Lemon p.125, Pappardelle with Rose Harissa, Black Olives and Capers p.188, Chicken Marbella p.229, Bridget Jones’s Pan Fried Salmon with Pine Nut Salsa p.246, Plum, Blackberry and Bay Friand Bake p.274 and Fig and Thyme Clafoutis p.278.

The Roasted Carrots with Harissa and Pomegranate has a few flavours that I particularly like - honey, coriander and pomegranate seeds, so I was always going to be trying this recipe. I made it as a side to a main meal, and I really enjoyed it. I put much less harissa in than the 2tbsp Ottolenghi says, as I am not a great fan of spicy foods. The pomegranate seeds added a great juicy crunch to the carrots which was lovely, and also gave the dish a great vibrant colour!

The Butternut Squash with Sweetcorn Salsa Feta and Pumpkin Seeds, is great as a side to something else, or as the main thing itself. The Sweetcorn salsa was absolutely amazing and had me wanting to eat more even though I was full! It was a really nice meal to have on a warm Summer night (even though pumpkin isn’t exactly in season then!).

I made the Roasted Beetroot with Yoghurt and Preserved Lemon with golden beetroot, as I find I am unable to walk away from a store without buying them if they have some. As I didn’t have any tahini, I used pistachio butter instead for the yoghurt dressing and also omitted the preserved lemons too. We did have a jar of preserved lemons, and I wanted to use them, but Mum had bought them with the idea of using them for something else. Nonetheless the salad was still great, and I even added some of the leftovers to a frittata a few days later.

I really enjoyed the Pappardelle with Rose Harissa Black Olives and Capers (albeit with much less harissa than stated in the recipe!). I had heard about the recipe before I got a copy of Simple, as Yotam made it during one of his podcasts. I remember thinking I needed to make the recipe once I got the book, and it ended up being the first thing I made! I loved the combination of capers and olives in this recipe, as they are two of my absolute favourite ingredients.

Chicken Marbella with Baked Rice with Pomegranate and Olive Salsa (added 08/08/2019)

The Chicken Marbella is my favourite chicken recipe of the moment. I make it every week or two and I just enjoy it so much. Most of the ingredients we usually have at home already, so I only need to buy some chicken. I haven’t found the specific cut of chicken specified in the recipe, when I have found something similar (like chicken marylands), they just don’t have that much meat on them. I now buy drumsticks (about 6, to feed three people) and it works really well. I always have the chicken marinating overnight, and I even found date molasses in a Persian grocery store here in Sydney (which I have now found more uses for than this recipe!). The combination of chicken, capers, green olives, white wine and vinegar leads to the most moorish chicken dish that has the perfect balance of sweet and acidic flavours.

When I first received a copy of Simple, I sat down and put sticky notes on every recipe I wanted to make. Sure enough I used up a lot of sticky notes as there are so many great recipes in this book. I didn’t however mark the recipe for Bridget Jones’s Pan Fried Salmon with Pine Nut Salsa. I’m not sure why, as I do like salmon and again it uses capers and olives which usually has me bookmarking a recipe in an instant. The fish section in Simple is towards the back of the book, maybe I just had bookmarking fatigue by then? Luckily when my Mum looked at the book this recipe stood out to her and she made it. It was so good, that I now want to eat it all the time. The Pine Nut Salsa cuts through the oiliness of the fish, and the flavours are delicate yet tasty.

My Mum also made the Plum Blackberry and Bay Friand Bake, which was a lovely dessert for the end of a meal. I love friands so a whole cake size of it was just great. Like any friand it is best eaten the day it is made.

Mum also made the Fig and Thyme Clafoutis. And after trying to search for the particular figs mentioned in the recipe (black figs), we ended up just having to buy whatever we could find. This is the only recipe we haven’t really loved from this book so far, and I think it was more because we just aren’t a ‘fig loving family’ unfortunately!

Favourite Things About the Book: The recipes! This book is absolutely jam packed with fantastic recipes. They have Yotam’s characteristic bold flavours, but with a paired back, slightly more simple approach. There is also a great variety of recipes in this book, so it’s one you can add to your collection and know you will use it all throughout the year for all different kinds of meals and occasions. Ottolenghi’s recipes are also very well tested before publication, and it shows, as they all work!

Bookmarked Recipes (to make later!): There are so many, but a few that I would like to try next are Roasted Aubergine with Anchovies and Oregano p.64, Cauliflower, Pomegranate and Pistachio Salad p.91, Sweet Potato Mash with Lime Salsa p.131, Oven Chips with Oregano and Feta p.138, Baked Mint Rice with Pomegranate and Olive Salsa p.171, Pasta alla Norma p.184-5, Orzo with Prawns, Tomato and Marinated Feta p.193, Gnocchi alla Romana p.198 and Fishcake Tacos with Mango, Lime and Cumin Yoghurt p.254.

Off The Shelf - ‘À La Mère de Famille - Artisanal Recipes’ by Julien Merceron

Kath February 3, 2019

Bought at: Grosgrain Homewares - a gorgeous homewares store in Wahroonga (in Sydney, NSW).

Recipes Made: Marshmallows pp.108-112, Passionfruit Caramel p.142 & Galette au Beurre p.214. Pistachio Paste p.160, Pistachio Cake p.22.

I have always been a big fan of marshmallow, and I bought a packet of mixed marshmallows at À La Mère de Famille when we were there in 2014. They were nice, albeit a little sticky. A little while later I decided I needed to try and make some of my own and used À La Mère de Famille’s recipe. They turned out exactly as I remembered them from the shop, however didn’t cope very well in the humidity of a Sydney Summer. I found I needed to keep tossing them in the icing sugar and potato flour mix to stop them going wet and sticky. They were definitely nice, however this recipe has not become my go to marshmallow recipe.

À La Mère de Famille Marshmallows (Raspberry & Passionfruit)

À La Mère de Famille Passionfruit Caramels

After visiting À La Mère de Famille in Paris, I knew I had to make some of the Passionfruit Caramels. I had bought a handful of them when I was there, and they were just so good I couldn’t fathom not eating another until the next time I was in Paris. Luckily the recipe is in their book. You definitely need a candy thermometer for this recipe, however many of the recipes in this book do as well, so it well worth getting one anyway. I found the caramels didn’t work as well when I made them in the heat and humidity of Summer, but worked better in the cooler months. I even went to the effort of buying candy wrappers for them, and I found plastic wrap fairly useless the first time around!

To me the Galette au Beurre are kind of like the French version of shortbread. Lots of butter, however using icing sugar instead of caster sugar. This recipe makes a lot (about 50 biscuits), but they are that good that it’s worth having that many. I posted the recipe for them years ago here on the blog (one of the very early posts!), and I mention there that when I made them I took some to my Grandpa who was in a nursing home at the time. He seemed to like them, telling me later he had gotten up in the night to eat one!

I made the Pistachio Paste recently, as I have been on a mission to recreate a pistachio ice cream/gelato. While the book does have a Pistachio ice cream recipe (p.250), I just added some of the Pistachio Paste to my easy egg free ice cream recipe. The flavour was quite nice but the ice cream froze really solid so I think I will need to try another recipe next time. The pistachio paste was relatively easy to make, as long as you have some kind of food processor. I made a half quantity of the recipe and used a mini food processor. As the paste has a sugar syrup in it, the paste firms up quite a lot when it cools. I’m not sure how easy it would be to add to other recipes once it is like this, it would probably need to be pureed again or lightly warmed to get it to incorporate properly. Considering however how difficult bought pistachio paste is to find here in Sydney, making it using this recipe is a great substitute.

The final thing I have made so far from this book is the Pistachio Cake. It is relatively easy to make (no mixer required), and is meant to use the Pistachio Paste (p.160) from the same book. As I didn’t have enough left after making the ice cream, I used some of the Pistachio Butter I bought from the Royal Nut Company online. The cake turned out well, despite not knowing what size loaf tin I should be using (this book doesn’t seem to mention sizes or dimensions of anything unfortunately - for this cake I used one 22 x 10 x 9cm loaf tin). The green colour of my cake was probably a little muted from using pistachio butter rather than paste, but I think it still made a good substitute (though I should probably test with pistachio paste next time to really compare). If you don’t have access to good quality pistachio paste or butter, or can’t be bothered making some, I would recommend using this Pistachio Cake recipe instead to get your pistachio cake fix!

Favourite Things About The Book: This book has an amazing variety of recipes from cakes, biscuits, chocolates, confectionary and ice creams. It really gives a great representation of what À La Mère de Famille is all about and the types of products they sell. It also gives a history of the store (which was established in 1761) periodically throughout the book which is lovely.

Bookmarked Recipes (to make later!): Pain d’Épice p.32, Praline Paste p.48, Pistachio Nougat p.154, Strawberry Pâte de Fruits p.168, Quince Paste p.176, Macaron de Nancy p.242, Pistachio Popsicle p.250.

Off the Shelf - 'The Violet Bakery Cookbook' by Claire Ptak

Kath November 17, 2018

Bought at: online from Booktopia, a regular online haunt of mine for books.

Recipes Made: Squash, Brown Butter & Sage Quiche (pp.86-87), Banana Buttermilk Bread (p.104), Lemon Drizzle Loaf (pp.114-115), Ginger Molasses Cake (p.125), Summer Spelt Almond Cake (p.137), Egg Yolk Chocolate Chip Cookies (pp.140-141), Quince Ice Cream (pp.184-185) and Roasted Quince (p.241).

For the Quiche I used the basics of the recipe and instead of squash and sage I used purple sweet potato, goats cheese, thyme and topped the quiche with goats cheese stuffed zucchini flowers. The quiche was amazing and the recipe was really easy to follow. Claire’s recipes are very clearly written and she has managed to keep all the chef-y inside tips in there without making everything seem daunting.

Purple Sweet Potato & Zucchini Flower Quiche

The Banana Buttermilk Loaf is a great way to use up over ripe bananas and I have made it many times. I have often been known to deliberately buy the over ripe bananas in the quick sale section of the green grocers just to make this bread. When I make it I tend to cut it into slices once cooled, wrap individually and freeze. The loaf is quite different to other banana breads, which can be quite cakey. This one uses 6 bananas so the flavour is perfect and the texture is more dense.

I made the Lemon Drizzle Loaf when bergamots where in season last year and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I didn’t think the drizzle added too much to the cake, so if you wanted to skip it and just have the icing I think the cake would still work really well.

I was really looking forward to making the Ginger Molasses Cake as I love the combination of ginger and molasses in cakes. I didn’t end up being a fan of this one however. The flavour was nice but the texture of the cake was too wet for my liking.

The Summer Spelt Almond Cake I have made many times, in many different forms. It is a great all rounder and works well with lots of different fruits, flavour combinations, sugars and flours. In the version pictured I used raspberries only and the rosewater icing - with the addition of crystallised rose petals it probably looks a bit too much like a Valentine’s cake, but it did taste really good!

The Egg Yolk Chocolate Chip Cookies have been my go to biscuit recipe for a while now. They are great as the recipe uses up egg yolks that may be left over from something else, and the raw dough freezes really well too. The dough also bakes well from frozen as well. I have made this with a few different flavour combinations, however the winner always seems to be raspberry and white chocolate.

The Quince Ice Cream I have posted about here, and the Roasted Quince I tried out this year when quinces were in season. I have a recipe I usually use which poaches them, but I thought I would try this one out as well. I wasn’t as keen on the final result of the roasting, I found it took significantly longer for the quinces to cook than the recipe said and they didn’t turn a deep ruby red colour like the should have. They still tasted really good, but I think I will stick to poaching next year.

Favourite Things About The Book: The recipes are really a stand out in this book, which I think is evidenced by how many I have tried (and still want to try)! It really feels like you aren’t missing out on the Violet Bakery in London having this book, and there is such a vast range of recipes that it really covers all seasons and tastes. The recipes also come with great advice from Claire, in a way that feels like you are generously benefiting from her years of experience and training.

Even being someone who has baked for a long time, I still find I learn things from this book. Claire’s flavour combinations and use of less common ingredients is also a real high point of this book. At first glance things to me seemed a little out of left field, and maybe a bit like they were being designed to suit the ‘healthy’ food trends that have been hanging around the past few years. But once I really read the recipes, and tried some of them out, these ingredients (think spelt flour, agave, rye flour, buckwheat flour etc) are really being used as they bring something to the recipe and make the end result the best it can be. These ingredients are used because of their taste or the texture they bring to the bake, and this to me is extremely refreshing.

Bookmarked Recipes (to make later!): Honey & Rosewater Madeleines (pp.126-127), Chewy Ginger Snaps (p.134), The Violet Butterscotch Blondie (p.143), Loganberry-Vanilla Birthday Cake (pp.213-214) and Carrot Cake (p.219).

Off the Shelf - 'Small Victories' by Julia Turshen

Kath October 31, 2018

Bought at: Dymocks Broadway in Sydney. One of the many books I bought there over the time I worked nearby and desperately craved time away from the office and found solace in bookshops.

Recipes Made: Parmesan Soup with Tiny Pasta & Peas (pp.64-66), Julia’s Caesar (p.83), Turkey & Ricotta Meatballs (pp.168-171) and Afternoon Cake (pp.229-230).

The Parmesan Soup uses up parmesan rinds (which I now keep in the freezer we go through so much parmesan), and the flavour is amazing. And like Julia says in the recipe, your kitchen will smell like melted cheese whilst making this (yum). I have made this soup with both water, homemade chicken stock and bought stock, and while my preference is the subtler flavour of homemade stock, they all work well. I have made this quite a few times now, and I have learnt that I always need to make double as we enjoy it so much.

Julia’s Caesar is an excellent and super tasty recipe for homemade Caesar salad dressing. I love a good Caesar dressing, but unfortunately I don’t think many (if any) of the supermarket varieties are that great. This homemade one is quick to put together and lasts a little while in the fridge. I find we always have the ingredients for it, however we do have a well stocked pantry. If you like anchovies in your Caesar then you will love this one, if not Julia gives a great vegetarian alternative using capers - both in my mind are really good and very flavourful.

For the Meatballs, I have to admit I used Julia’s recipe as a guide. Turkey mince isn’t as easy to come by here, so I have used both chicken and pork on separate occasions. I also never used ricotta as we didn’t have any, so I just added some breadcrumbs (I will actually have to try the recipe as is at some point!). I loved that the meatballs were cooked in the oven rather than on the stove (it was so much easier!!), and the tomato sauce that is served with the meatballs made the dish a lovely warming Winter meal.

The Afternoon Cake is a great, and is inadvertently a diary free cake. You just need a couple of bowls and a whisk - no stand mixer required. The flavour of the cake is given by whatever citrus you have at hand. Julia’s recipe uses oranges, however I have used lemon, blood orange, bergamot and mandarin all with great success. This cake is one I turn to often, and can easily be doubled to feed more people. I have also often substituted the olive oil in the recipe for a flavourless oil like vegetable or sunflower to let the citrus flavours shine on their own.

Favourite Things About the Book: Being a food writer, Julia’s writing in this book is genuinely lovely to read and there is such a sense of cohesiveness about the whole book from start to finish. Each recipe comes with at least one ‘small victory’ about the ease of the recipe, a new skill learnt or a helpful tip to make the process of cooking seamless. Plus there are always extras at the end of each recipe on how to change it up and substitute ingredients. Julia is full of helpful advice, and her recipes have really become a staple in my kitchen. Her recipes are really the kinds of food I want to cook and eat, and I am very much looking forward to getting Julia’s newly released book ‘Now and Again’ (which focuses on utilising leftovers - she really knows what we need doesn’t she?!).

Bookmarked Recipes (to make later!): Aunt Renee’s Chicken Soup (pp.74-77), Cauliflower with Anchovy Bread Crumbs (p.118) and Berry & Buttermilk Cobbler (pp.234-236).

Kulinary Adventures of Kath

Food Photography, Recipes & Baking