Off The Shelf - 'Citrus' by Catherine Phipps

Kath February 18, 2020

Bought at: Gleebooks, Glebe (Sydney) on one of the many visits I made the to the store seeking calm and distraction while I worked nearby.

Recipes Made: Bergamot and Lemon Roast Chicken p.103, Classic Lemon Tart p.168 and Lemon Curd p.244.

I made the Bergamot and Lemon Roast Chicken when we had bergamots in season, and I think I may have roasted the chicken with half a bergamot inside the chicken too (not that the recipe says to do so), purely just to enjoy the bergamots even more. I really liked that this recipe used vermouth, which has such a wonderful fragrant smell whilst cooking, and while my gravy didn’t look much (maybe all gravy is just an ugly brown colour yet filled with flavour?), it did taste great!

Bergamot and Lemon Roast Chicken ready for the oven

I made the Classic Lemon Tart with a mixture of homegrown bergamots, homegrown lemonades and lemons. I really liked the flavour of the tart and I liked that the pastry didn’t require using a food processor too. My filling cooked with a few bubbles on top from whisking it all up, probably because I didn’t use the right kind of cream - I used pouring rather than heavy cream , and I ended up with so much filling left over I made another only slightly smaller tart! Next time I will definitely be using heavy cream! I wrote a blog post about this recipe, and how I first heard about this book which you can find here.

Classic Lemon Tart made with lemon, bergamot and lemonades

Last year I found yuzu in my local green grocer for the first time, so I bought a couple and then had to decide what to do with them. This book being my bible on what to do with citrus, I decided on making Catherine’s recipe for Lemon Curd with them, which she suggests as a good substitute for lemons in the introduction to the recipe. I really liked this curd recipe, it produced a lovely consistency of curd and it firmed up even more once it was refrigerated. I used the curd to fill mini tarts, as shown in this blog post.

Favourite Things About the Book: I really love the focus on just one type of food in this book. The beginning of the book has an explanation of all types of citrus, from lemons and limes, to yuzu and finger limes. I especially love that the book contains much about bergamots, which I love and had not long started growing when I purchased the book. I refer to this book, and the introductory sections in particular, a lot when I find unusual types of citrus or want to know more about what I could use as a substitute. Catherine also details how to dry citrus, freeze, candy and much more. There is basically every recipe you will ever need for cooking or baking with citrus in here, and the cover is a lovely marbled yellow fabric that feels wonderful to the touch (even if I do stress about getting such lovely cookbook covers dirty when I am using them in the kitchen!).

Bookmarked Recipes (to make later!): Bergamot and Rose Turkish Delight Pavlova p.166, Earl Grey and Rose Parfait p.178, Quince, Clementine and Rose Jelly p.225 and Turkish Delight p.226.

Cookbooks Worth Waiting for in 2020

Kath January 31, 2020

I'm sure I'm not the only one, but when the prospect of a new year means new cookbook releases I get pretty excited. Every now and then I check the 'Coming Soon' in the Cookbook section of Booktopia and have a look at what and when things are going to be released. Sometimes I preorder straight away (as was the case for a few below!), others go into my wishlist so I can remember them for another time.

Below are a few new releases for 2020 I am especially excited about.

What cookbooks would you add to the list?

'Now for Something Sweet' by Monday Morning Cooking Club - release date 24th February 2020: The highly anticipated fourth book by the Monday Morning Cooking Club ladies is the top of my list, because if the previous three books are anything to go by, it will be good. And the fact that it is almost solely dedicated to sweets means it's right up my alley!
'Beatrix Bakes' by Natalie Paull - release date 1st March 2020: This is the cookbook all those who have visited the bakery Beatrix in North Melbourne have been waiting for. I visited once last year, and the one cake I tried had me desperate to recreate it at home it was that good (recipe here if you are interested). Soon there will be a whole book filled with these glorious recipes, my guesswork will no longer be needed!
'Confidence in the Kitchen' by Emmylou MacCarthy - release date 1st June 2020: If you follow Emmylou on Instagram, or have watched her TV show, you'll know this book is bound to be as fun and jam packed with ideas as possible. Emmylou has showed some of the BTS of the photoshoot for this book, and it has been so interesting to really see more of what goes on before a books hits the shelves.
'Falastin' by Sami Tamimi & Tara Wigley - release date 31st March 2020: Co-written by one half of the Ottolenghi empire, Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley are taking us through Palastine via recipes and stories. I am imagining this book to be in a similar vein to Jerusalem (by Tamimi and Ottolenghi), and I for one cannot wait.
'Table Manners The Cookbook' by Jessie Ware & Lennie Ware - release date 3rd March 2020: If you listen to the podcast 'Table Manners' this is the cookbook for you. Mother and Daughter team up to compile the recipes they made their podcast guests, and I think I'll have to listen to a few more episodes before the book is released!

Links to books on Booktopia removed 15/07/2024.

The Hottest Cookbook Releases of 2019

Kath December 1, 2019

This is the time of year where it becomes obvious that some pretty good cookbooks have been released. The few months in the lead up to Christmas see's us welcome many new titles to the cookbook section of our favourite bookshops (or even our own cookbook shelves!). Here are the recent releases I am most excited about.

Veg by Jamie Oliver - As a lover of vegetarian food I was really excited to hear Jamie Oliver was releasing a book dedicated to veg. It's filled with really interesting and often fairly simple recipes and great food photography (I love it when a book has an image for each recipe!).
Bake Australia Great by Katherine Sabbath - This book seems like pure fun. And I don't think we could expect anything else from the queen of cakes Katherine Sabbath. Katherine and her wild imagination have dreamed up a selection of recipes paying homage to all things Aussie.
Just Desserts by Charlotte Ree - A super cute book by a super lovely person. This little book packs a punch in terms of fun, colour, design and photography. And of course baking recipes! I tried the Brown Butter Bundt at one of the book release events, and it immediately went straight to the top of my must bake list.
From the Oven to the Table by Diana Henry - Diana Henry is a food writer based in the UK, and if you've not heard of her you're in for a treat. Diana creates beautiful recipes and gorgeous cookbooks, and this one is all about easy and tasty food that takes minimal effort from you. I have bookmarked many recipes in this book, but I first want to start with Chicken with Plums, Honey and Pomegranates - as soon as plums are in season! Check out Diana's previous releases such as How to Eat a Peach for more divine recipes and food writing.
Just Add Love by Irris Makler - If any book could be described as a book filled with love, this is it. This book compiled by journalist Irris Makler, shares the stories and recipes of Holocaust survivors. The stories are detailed and to be honest, they are what keep me picking up this book to read more. Irris also has a blog of the same name which I highly recommend you check out if you want to know more.
The Little Library Year by Kate Young - If you are an avid reader as well as a lover of cookbooks this is the book for you. Kate had created recipes to suit the changing seasons and paired them with the perfect read. I own Kate's first book, The Little Library Cookbook, which contains recipes created from the pages of Kate's favourite novels, and even though I am not a very avid reader of novels I still love the book and particularly enjoy the Harry Potter references!

Links to books on Booktopia removed 15/07/2024.

Off The Shelf Christmas Edition - 'Nigella Christmas' by Nigella Lawson

Kath November 13, 2019

Bought at: The Cookery Book, Northbridge (Sydney), many years ago.

Recipes Made: Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies p.208 and Spruced Up Vanilla Cake p.198.

The Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies (or biscuits as us Aussies usually call them), have been quite a Christmas baking staple at our house since we got this book. They are quick to make, very satisfying and lend themselves to lots of adaptations. This recipe also uses pecans, which we usually leave out as we never have any.

I made a version of the Spruced Up Vanilla Cake a few years ago, and posted it here on the blog. I added fresh raspberries to the cake, and served it with a rose syrup. I do however very much like the idea of a good vanilla cake, and this one is one of those. Its quite easy to make, and when cooked in a bundt tin, looks immediately spectacular despite the little effort the cake takes to make!

Favourite Things About the Book: Cookbooks that are dedicated to Christmas are always a joy to read and cook from, even if our hot Australian Christmas doesn’t lend itself to all the recipes. I especially like the way Nigella has organised this book, with chapters dedicated to ‘manageable mass catering’, ‘serve later sides’ and ‘stress free suppers’. Christmas can feel like quite a stressful time of year, but with the calmness of Nigella on your side, the Christmas food preparation can be made much more manageable.

This is also one of those books that needs to be perused during the year as well, not just at Christmas. As some of the more English Christmas fare doesn’t suit our warm climate, it would be great to go back to some of these recipes mid-year when we are enjoying Winter.

Bookmarked Recipes (to make later!): Pumpkin and Goat’s Cheese Lasagne p.34-6, Chargrilled Peppers with Pomegranate p.58-9, Festive Couscous p.97, Beetroot Orzotto and Scarlet-Speckled Loaf Cake p.202.

Off The Shelf - ‘Monday Morning Cooking Club - The Food, The Stories, The Sisterhood’

Kath October 23, 2019

Bought at: a bookshop in Woolhara, Sydney. I don’t remember the name of it, but I remember vividly that I had drove over to the Eastern Suburbs to meet a friend, at the old Jones the Grocer (I think it was about 2012). There was a bookshop nearby and I had it in my mind that I wanted to buy this book. I remember hearing about it on the old day time show called The Circle. And whether or not they were actually talking about this book, or I got my wires crossed and found this one anyway, it doesn’t matter now. The fact is that this book has been such a well used addition to my cookbook collection that, I am so glad I did find it.

Recipes Made: Custard Chiffon Cake p.35, Nice’s Date Slice p.55, Egg and Onion p.78, Talia’s Raspberry Tart p.93, Tomato Soup with Basil and Rocket Oil p.129, Hamantashen p.221, Couscous Roast Chicken p.233 and Challah from Heaven p.263.

If you make only one thing from this book, make sure it’s the Custard Chiffon Cake. This cake is the lightest and fluffiest cake you will ever make or eat. I absolutely adore this cake, and it is well worth the effort of finding an angel food cake tin (that isn’t non stick). I first tried this cake at a baking demonstration/workshop with the Monday Morning Cooking Club at BakeClub in 2014 (for more see this blog post). The workshop coincided with the release of the Monday Morning Cooking Club’s second book, The Feast Goes On (which I also highly recommend), however a few things from the first book were made that day too. We saw how the cake is made, and then got to try some and take a little home. For me, the Chiffon cake stood out from all the rest and has been my go to chiffon cake recipe ever since.

Nice’s Date Slice is also a recipe is has often been on high rotation in our house. A few years ago, when I was still at uni and worked in a cafe, I made it often as it is super quick and simple and was great to take with me as a little snack. It is also a massive crowd pleaser, I don’t recall anyone ever not liking this slice!

I was introduced to Egg and Onion at last years Cornersmith workshop with the Monday Morning Cooking Club ladies. Isn’t it funny, that you can have a recipe sitting right under your nose for years, but not take notice until someone else makes it for you? Well, that’s what happened for me with this recipe. I really needed to taste it to know how good it was, especially as this dip/great accompaniment to bread, was quite a foreign concept to me having only been introduced to Jewish cooking in the last few years. After this workshop I made it so many times, it is super simple, yet so satisfying to eat. It is particularly good with challah and bagels, and I have a smaller quantity of the recipe on this blog post, if you like me, never have that many people to serve (the original recipe serves 12!).

I think Talia’s Raspberry Tart was the first recipe I made from this book. I made it so many times in the first couple of years I had the book there is a labelled post it note for the recipe so it was very easy to find! It was also the first proper tart I ever made, and I always loved the story behind the recipe too. I think I was taken in by Talia’s desire to recreate the dishes she ate at restaurants at home, something that I often do too. The photo in the book of this tart is so inviting as well, with its perfect pastry and gorgeous raspberries. I have also made this tart with a combination of berries along with raspberries and it is just lovely.

Tomato Soup with Basil and Rocket Oil was made a couple of times by my Mum, who was looking for an alternative to our usual Tomato and Bacon Soup. This soup is made from fresh tomatoes rather than canned, and uses stale sourdough to thicken it. I absolutely loved it when Mum made it, and I think I will need to make it again very soon!

Earlier this year around the Jewish festival of Purim, I was doing research around Hamantashen recipes, and of course the Monday Morning Cooking Club was one of the first books I looked at. The image on the inside of the back cover of this book, is a striking picture of folded Hamantashen ready to go in the oven. This image always reminded me that this book had a recipe for Hamantashen, so I tried the dough recipe. I liked it except the recipe (in the edition I own at least), doesn’t say to the brush the cut dough with water or egg wash before folding the dough into the triangular Hamantashen. I found this meant the dough didn’t remain pinched together and didn’t keep that signature triangular shape during baking. I tried another recipe in the end (see blog post here), but I think if I used this recipe again in the future I would just brush the cut dough with an egg wash before shaping.

Hamantashen using dough recipe from Monday Morning Cooking Club

The Couscous Roast Chicken is a dish we have made countless times over the years. As a family we have 3 or 4 roast chicken recipes we frequent often and this one has been a high rotation (another is the Pistachio Roast Chicken from MMCC’s third book, but that’s a story for another Off the Shelf post!). We always use pearl or Israeli couscous for this dish, and always dates rather than dried apricots. The combination of the coucous, dates, herbs, spices and nuts make a delicious chicken stuffing and side all in one.

Simialar to the Egg and Onion I first tried the Challah from Heaven at the Cornersmith Workshop last year. I have certainly eaten challah before, but never a homemade one, and boy does it make a difference! The bread was soft and pillow like, and as I found when I made it at home, using the instructions given by the Monday Morning Cooking Club about how to do the six strand braid, isn’t too hard. I made many challah loaves in the months after that workshop, only stopping for a while as I was almost eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Favourite Things About The Book: Everything! I love the recipes, some of which have become very firm family favourites (the Custard Chiffon Cake, Date Slice and Couscous Roast Chicken most notably). I also absolutely love reading the stories behind the recipes and the people who contributed to them. This was the first cookbook that really got me thinking about food history and heirloom recipes, and how important it is to write them down and continue making them. This was also the first cookbook that really introduced me to the varied world of Jewish cooking, and I have to say I haven’t looked back since! I have found it immensely interesting to learn about another culture through food, and I think it has enriched my life and my families dinner table so much for the better.

I also love the story behind how the Monday Morning Cooking Club came about, and how at it’s core it was about recording recipes and celebrating food. If you already have a copy of this book, or can get a hold of one, read the introduction, it explains the whole concept so well. Then grab a big cup of tea, as you will probably find yourself sat reading all the stories behind each recipe and contributors to the book for a good long while.

Bookmarked Recipes (to make later!): Buba’s Eggplant p.71, Ginger Snaps p.72, Ginger Cake p.75, Bienenstich p.94, Israeli Couscous Soup, Almond Kifli p.150 and Chicken Persian Pilau p.203.

*NB: I own the original 2011 edition of this book which was published by Hardie Grant. Page numbers for recipes may differ in newer editions of this title.

Off The Shelf - 'Molly on the Range' by Molly Yeh

Kath July 31, 2019

Bought from: Booktopia. I preordered this one, as I had met Molly at a Local is Lovely Workshop in 2016 (not too long before the book was due to be released), and knew it would be a good addition to my cookbook shelf!

Recipes Made: Shakshuka Couscous p.25-27, Quinoa Carbonara p.110, Pistachio Loaf Cake p.220-21 and Brown Sugar Cookies p.229-30

For the Shakshuka Couscous I didn’t follow the recipe to the letter, but it gave me (along with seeing Molly make shakshuka at the Local is Lovely Workshop) the idea to add quinoa to shakshuka. I cooked the quinoa separately, and added it in before I added the eggs. It was great, and exactly what I wanted as at the time I wanted to take the leftovers to work for lunch the next day, and the criteria for leftovers for work lunches are that it needs to be tasty and something I will look forward to eating, and also something that is filling enough (no one likes being hungry at work do they?!). This recipe ticked both of those boxes, and I am happy to report that even the egg from the shakshuka was really nice reheated the next day!

Continuing with the quinoa theme, I decided to try the Quinoa Carbonara recipe. Again wanting leftovers for work lunch the next day, I made it and felt the flavour left me a little disappointed. It wasn’t as tasty as I had hoped, but took it for lunch the next day anyway. Well, that extra time seemed to do something as it was significantly more tasty the next day! So I can highly recommend this one to make ahead!

The Pistachio Loaf Cake is definitely my favourite recipe from the whole book! I have never tried the cake Molly is recreating in this recipe, but I feel I probably don’t have to as this one is so good. I wrote a blog post a while back about this cake, and I have continued to make it since. I have also made it with a rosewater icing and decorated with freeze dried raspberries which was also realllllyyy nice.

Brown Sugar Cookies (aka Chocolate Chip Cookies without the Chocolate Chips) - I definitely feel Molly on this recipe! I was always the kid who wanted a Chocolate chip cookie without the chocolate chips (thanks Mum for obliging on this for so many years!). I now know I can’t eat chocolate, but even as a kid I just didn’t really like it that much (controversial!!!). At friends birthday parties we would play that game where you had to cut the block of chocolate with a plastic knife and eat it (there was some time pressure to this whole thing but I really can’t remember the whole premise of the game now!), and I would always get another friend to eat the chocolate while I frantically tried to cut bits of a chocolate bar with a pathetic plastic knife. Same goes for cookies, I always appreciated them sans chocolate chips, or maybe with white chocolate.

When I made Molly’s recipe I didn’t refrigerate the dough - mostly because as far as I was concerned baking cookies should be a fairly instantly gratifying process and leaving the dough to rest for at least a day was just to much to handle. I probably would have had a better cookie if I had done so, but the instant gratification of a warm cookie was too hard to pass up.

Favourite Things About the Book: The variety of recipes, and their uniqueness to Molly! Molly has such great and diverse recipes that really are a reflection of her Chinese and Jewish heritage and her life on the farm in the Upper Mid West of America. You really won’t find some of these recipes in other cookbooks, and it makes owning this book all the more special.

I really like the snippets of Molly’s life and context around certain recipes or chapters as well. Through reading and cooking through this book, you really get to know Molly, how these recipes came about and why her style of cooking is so unique to her. Molly’s fun and bright personality shines through in her writing and recipes, and it’s like having a friend there with you in the kitchen.

Bookmarked Recipes (to make later!): Mum’s Matzo Brei p.13, Smoky Bacon Mac and Cheese p.99, Pizza Dough p.120, Cardamom Cupcakes with Lingonberry Filling and Cream Cheese Frosting p.262-3, Party Trick Peanut Butter Cake (thinking I could use another type of nut butter for this one!) and Funfetti Cake p.271-3.

Kulinary Adventures of Kath

Food Photography, Recipes & Baking