BOOK REVIEW Book Review
EAT YOUR WORDS. A
s the nights draw in, my enthusiasm for cooking increases and with the Dartmouth Food Festival looming, the chance
to try something new always pops up. Even now when I use the internet more and more for recipes I still enjoy cosying up with a new cookery book (yup – I’m told I need to get out more). During this pre-Christmas season, there’s a surge in the
publication of cookery books so it’s not difficult to find something to please. Here’s my pick of the new crop: The Meringue Girls Cookbook (Square Peg, £15)– It’s
an obvious choice for me. With a farm full of organic eggs, I always have the best ingredients to hand and they never fail to please.
I’ve always had a soft spot for
meringues – my mother is famed for hers but I never realized there could be so many variations on a theme. The book claims that macaroons and cupcakes have had their day and now is the age of the meringue! This is a colour explosion of a book with something to satisfy anyone with a sweet tooth and it also has a real element of fun. They show that once you’ve mastered the
meringue the options are endless and always impressive and it is all gluten-free ! Tempting creations include: salted caramel, poached pear, chocolate drizzel traybake, lemongrass & chilli meringue pie, a showstopping meringue rainbow cake and the unforgettable Ferrero Rocher meringue tower. And at the end of the book – a handy slot after a frenzy of meringue baking – a section called ‘Ways to use your yolks’. Baking books are all the rage at the moment but the book I’m waiting for is Nigel Slater’s new book Eat - The Little book of fast food (Fourth Estate £26). He is, without doubt, one of my food heroes and he still keeps coming up with those quick, easy and delicious ideas you can knock up at home. With 600 recipes such as Vietnamese inspired prawn baguette and chorizo with potatoes and shallots, his beautifully simple recipes are hard to resist. Pop-up’s are all the rage at the moment – be it a shop, gallery or restaurant and in London even a pop-up forest! During the Food Festival we will be welcoming the well-known London supper club chef – James Ramsden. He is a successful food writer and chef (at the tender age of 27) and has just published a new book – Do Ahead Dinners: How to Feed Family & Friends without the Frenzy (Pavilion Books, £20). He has the praise of the highly acclaimed Yotam Ottolenghi, who says “this is a book you really want. no fifteen minute magic
by Emma Jones
or culinary sorcery, just practical staged cooking of the most sumptuous dishes.” The book is split into
straightforward sections of Mains, Vegetables and Puddings and shows you how to create dinners and dishes leaving as little work as possible to the last moment. Each recipe is split into preparation stages and I particularly like his ‘tart’, ‘tweak’ and ‘tomorrow’ tips which briefly advise on ways to adjust and even reform the recipe the following day. Recipes to tempt include Chicken Plov, Sticky Apple Cake with drunk currants and he also has various suggestions for small nibbles and little sweet things for before and after the main event. And that conveniently leads me on to the new foodie, bookie slot to note at this year’s Food Festival – ‘Eat Your Words’ – a series of in-conversations featuring well-known food writers and other industry experts. They’ll be talking about all things edible and drinkable and the list is already impressive with Elisabeth Luard, Caroline Conran, Mark Hix, Mitch Tonks, Suzy Atkins and the aforementioned James Ramsden. Check out the Food Festival Programme for the full schedule. It’s a chance to ask lots of questions, gain some insights into food and maybe even pick up a signed book.
Open all year but times vary seasonally.
12 Higher Street (opposite The Cherub Inn) 01803 839571
info@dartmouthcommunitybookshop.co.uk www.dartmouthcommunitybookshop.co.uk
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A not-for-profit co-operative organised by volunteers.
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