Category Archives: Cookbooks

Treats from Little and Friday by Kim Evans

Posted by Abbie Jury in Cookbooks and tagged with

Yum. You wouldn’t want to be on a diet when you pick up this book. It is filled with the most mouthwatering looking photographs by Rene Vaile which will have you salivating. It is all high calorie baking, sold through the author’s casual and friendly bakeries and cafes in Takapuna and Newmarket. I haven’t been there but I noticed a discussion on Twitter about how delicious the food is.

Treats from Little and Friday by Kim Evans

Treats from Little and Friday by Kim Evans

Chapters cover cakes and loaves, biscuits and slices, sweet tarts, doughs mainly of the brioche and doughnut persuasion and savoury tarts. There are over 65 recipes, generally one per page and most are illustrated in a good quality hardback presentation. Interspersed throughout are many helpful hints to improve your baking techniques.

That said, this is not easy, every day baking. It takes some dedication, forward planning and precision to create these gourmet delights and there is nothing economical about them. The Caramelised Onion and Feta Tarts take twelve eggs and two cups of crumbled feta to make six tarts sized just six centimetres across. Similarly, the Caramelised Beetroot and Blue Cheese Tart (made with paprika and gruyere pastry) takes a dozen eggs. Some of the recipes take more than just one tin of sweetened condensed milk and fresh cream is a frequent ingredient. You will need liquid glucose as a store cupboard standard, along with only the best high grade chocolate chips and lots of unsalted butter.

Lacking some of the wherewithal in my store cupboard, I confined my efforts to the cheese straws (from flaky pastry) and Anzac biscuits. But if you are willing to make the effort and to follow the clear and precise instructions, the people around you may well be stunned by your Pear Tarts, Mille Feuille or Pistachio Shortbread Crescents. If you are anxious about cholesterol levels, the biscotti look a safe bet. Quite simply, it all looks delicious.

Treats from Little and Friday by Kim Evans (Penguin; ISBN: 978 0 14356712 7) reviewed by Abbie Jury.

Nadia’s Kitchen by Nadia Lim

Posted by Abbie Jury in Cookbooks and tagged with ,
Nadia's Kitchen

Nadia's Kitchen

The winner of Masterchef last year was the gentle and engaging Nadia Lim. Looking at her cookbook, it seems to me that she was a worthy winner. That is to say, I really like her attitude to food and the fresh, flavoursome recipes. She advocates returning to simple, seasonal ingredients and shunning pre-packaged, high sodium, high sugar options. Mind you, she does have a penchant for prosciutto as well as salmon. Although the cooking is from scratch, there are some quick meal options as well as ones which take more planning and care.

I have to admit I subcontracted the test cooking. In other words I loaned the review copy to friends who tried Lemon Herb Chicken with Spiced Chickpeas (pronounced yum and used store cupboard standards), Guacamole, Tomato and Feta on Toast, Chorizo and Seafood Potato Salad, Roast Garlic and Antipasti Platter, finishing up with Red Lentil, Ginger and Pumpkin Soup with Minted Yoghurt. These recipes were easy, tasty and delightful combinations of fresh flavours. There are plenty of other options I am keen to try.

Recipes are organised by season and most are for a complete meal. Nadia Lim brings her Malysian-Kiwi background combined with her training in nutrition and dietetics and a strong sense of family to her cooking. Each recipe gives information on the energy (calories), saturated fat, carbohydrate and protein content. The book is a soft cover which opens flat and has the usual sumptuous food photography we have come to expect. The result is a vibrant, contemporary approach to home cooked food.

Nadia’s Kitchen by Nadia Lim (Random House; ISBN: 978 1 86979 911 3) reviewed by Abbie Jury.

First published in the Waikato Times and reprinted with their permission.

Dulcie May Kitchen Everyday by Natalie Oldfield

Posted by Abbie Jury in Cookbooks and tagged with ,
Dulcie May Kitchen Everyday by Natalie Oldfield

Dulcie May Kitchen Everyday by Natalie Oldfield

It took me a little while to get a handle on this recipe book. It is attractively presented with one recipe and one lovely photo per page but I couldn’t work out why it included some astonishingly simple recipes with step by step instructions – ham and crunchy lettuce sandwiches, for example. Those, the club sandwiches and the toasted corned beef sandwiches just seemed to be given rather over the top attention. It wasn’t until I started cooking some of the recipes that it fell into place. While it is essentially a book of recipes from the author’s Auckland cafe and food store, what sets it apart from other brag books by chefs and cafe owners is that these are not show-off recipes designed to impress, but unlikely to be cooked by more than a handful of readers at home. No, these are recipes designed specifically to be prepared at home – practical, everyday but delicious food. It is about family and preparing food with love and there is a complete lack of ostentation which is very charming.

I tried four recipes. The Crispy Chicken was fine if not particularly exciting. The Blueberry and Lemon Loaf went down well here. The Poached Chicken did not sound or look exciting but it is a terrific recipe which I will use repeatedly. It was so easy and quick to prepare but the result was the best chicken breast I have tried and terribly good for us, with no fat. The Goat’s Cheese and Thyme Crackers were a minor sensation – absolutely delicious. It is worth buying the book for these last two recipes and I fully expect to find more that are equally good.

Seven chapters cover breakfast, morning tea, lunch, cooking for kids, cakes and loaves, dinner and puddings. There is a bit of an emphasis on baking but plenty of other options as well. It is a genuine family book with some recipes that children could cook without difficulty. There is nothing unusual in the ingredients and the techniques are simple and efficient. I won’t be parting with my review copy. Visitors here can expect to be served the Goat’s Cheese and Thyme Crackers. I consider them seriously good and dead easy to make in a food processor. Natalie Oldfield has indeed given us good, fresh, everyday food. Dulcie May Kitchen is named as a tribute to the author’s beloved grandmother of that name and the business is run by the author with her parents and sister.

Dulcie May Kitchen Everyday by Natalie Oldfield, photography by Todd Eyre (Harper Collins; ISBN: 978 1 86950 961 3) reviewed by Abbie Jury.

First published in the Waikato Times and reprinted with their permission.

Jax Cooks by Jax Hamilton

Posted by Abbie Jury in Cookbooks and tagged with
Jax Cooks by Jax Hamilton

Jax Cooks by Jax Hamilton

I must be one of the few who doesn’t watch Masterchef so the drama of the last final entirely bypassed me. In with a very good chance of winning, Jax Hamilton’s tower of macaroons suffered a major subsidence and she came second place. It will probably make little difference because this ex-Londoner of Jamaican descent is somewhat larger than life and has succeeded in winning a loyal fan base. In fact, a colleague saw her cookbook arrive and immediately fell upon it for first testing. It arrived back with notes on recipes trialled and a slightly abashed request that if I didn’t want to keep the book after writing the review, he and his wife would really like ownership of it because it is an extremely useful book full of tasty recipes. I think that rates as a resounding vote of confidence.

They cooked the Anytime Jamaican Lemon and Ginger Loaf and commented: “lots of ingredients and a bit of mucking about but well worth it!” It was sent out for work morning tea and indeed, it was tasty and moist. The Carrot and Ginger Soup with Spicy Yoghurt was rated “very, very yum” as was the quick dinner option of Spaghetti with Pesto, Chilli, Mushrooms and Sour Cream. The Blue Cheese and Onion Steak was described as absolutely divine and easy as and the Doris Plum Blush Cake turned up as a gift for my birthday. These test cooks commented that there was nothing out of the way in terms of ingredients and the recipes were practical, easy and delicious.

This is a splendid hardback book, one recipe and photo per double page spread. There are seven chapters, loosely themed on Jax’s life from early family days with her Jamaican mother in East London, through adult independence, family life, moving to Timaru and then to her current life in Christchurch. She tells an engaging story without labouring the point and her delight in preparing and sharing food with family and friends shines through. Recipes are predominantly savoury though there are some sweet treats and desserts. Flavours are international, fresh and light, with an interesting Jamaican twist which is not so common in New Zealand’s flavour range.

It is with a little reluctance that I will hand back the copy to my colleague.

Jax Cooks by Jax Hamilton. Photography by David Baird. (Bateman; ISBN: 978 1 86953 827 9) reviewed by Abbie Jury.

Secrets of a Lazy French Cook

Posted by Abbie Jury in Adult non fiction, Cookbooks and tagged with ,
Secrets of a Lazy French Cook

Secrets of a Lazy French Cook

It may take another generation for us to become Francophiles in this country – too many of us have long memories where the Rainbow Warrior bombing is concerned. But there is no doubt that the French have Style (note the capital letter). And when it comes to understatement and self deprecating wit, Marie-Morgane Le Moel has it in bucket loads. This is the story of her life – raised in rural France, through the apparently interminable French education system, love affairs, trips to Canada, a succession of internships before heading to Australia for work and finding a very different culture and, a little reluctantly, a husband. It is an entertaining read and her observations on Australian life and culture are pretty much on the ball.

Each chapter includes a recipe relevant to some point in the text. Twenty four chapters so twenty four recipes, French classics in the main. Tarte tatin (a personal favourite), ratatouille, sables, Coq au Vin, crepes and more, given in flexible and user-friendly style. It is wonderfully unpretentious and as practical a guide to essential French cooking as you are likely to find. All the ingredients are readily available, the methodology could not be simpler. Maybe we could pretend to carry it off with the panache of the French. Just don’t go near foie gras which is a cultural difference too far. Even the author concedes that.

Secrets of a Lazy French Cook by Marie-Morgane Le Moel (Harper Collins; ISBN: 978 0 7332 9426 7) reviewed by Abbie Jury.

First published in the Waikato Times and reprinted here with their permission.