Christmas cook book recommendations
The inimitable Rick Stein gives his recommendations on which mouth-watering cook books you should be buying this Christmas
Elizabeth David: French Provincial Cooking
Elizabeth David's books belong in the libraries of everyone who loves to read and prepare food and this one is generally regarded as her best; her passion and knowledge comes through on every page. She was one of the foremost writers on food in the latter half of the 20th century and this book has her most celebrated writing.
French Provincial Cooking should be approached and read as a series of short stories, as well written and evocative as the best literature. The voice is highly personal and opinionated, sometimes sharp but always true and always entertaining. For many Elizabeth David was the first to introduce us to the French notion of la cuisine terroir, sometimes interpreted as 'what grows together goes together'.
Diana Henry: Crazy Water, Pickled Lemon
Shortlisted for The Glenfiddich Food Book of the Year, Crazy Water, Pickled Lemon features enchanting dishes from the Middle East, Mediterranean and North Africa. Divided into 12 chapters based on ingredients, it introduces the home cook both to unusual ingredients and to unusual ways to cook with old favourites.
Diana Henry is a great new voice in the cookery world, and in this book's recipes she uses modern classic ingredients such as olive oil, coriander, chilli and dates in such refreshing and delicious ways that the reader will taste them as if for the first time. Each dish has an irresistible charm, either because it uses 'exotic' ingredients such as flower waters, pomegranates and cardamom, or because of its name (consider Ice in Heaven, an Egyptian pudding of rose-scented rice and almonds), or because of its unusual use of ingredients (think of Middle Eastern Orange Cake, made almost entirely of pureed whole cooked oranges).
Skye Gyngell: A Year in My Kitchen
A Year in My Kitchen is destined to become one of the classic cookbooks and consolidate the already remarkable reputation of its author Skye Gyngell, as one of the most inspirational chefs cooking today. As food editor for "Vogue" magazine and "The Independent on Sunday", and chef of the Petersham Nurseries Cafe, a magical 'town-meets-country' oasis in southwest London, Skye's refreshingly original approach to cooking yields superb results.
Her unfussy but intensely flavourful food is based on the components of her culinary 'toolbox' - ingredients and flavourings that Skye uses to 'build' her dishes from earthy base note flavours to the fresh top notes that make the dish 'sing'. Seasonally inspired and produce led, Skye maintains that her secret is 'not to mess with good ingredients - just to turn the volume up'. The recipes in the book are an absolute treasure trove of dishes especially created to make the most of ingredients at their seasonal best. Her enthusiasm for great-tasting food is conveyed on every page, providing a constant source of inspiration.
