Cookbook thread

[feettothestars]

I've had a break from MN but now I'm back and can't find the monthly cookbook review thread. Did it wane? I loved it!

[Cookingongas]

It comes and gos. Theres not one set up for jan, though a lot of us are on the fresh India thread- what books are you thinking? I'm always happy to join in- I love cookbook club

[HuevosRancheros]

Ditto :)
I'm going to focus on Fresh India anyway, so I'll be on that thread...

What books do you have in mind?
We always used to try to plan ahead a little anyway, to give people time to impulse buy on Amazon get them from the library :)

So suggest some books for February :)

[Cookingongas]

I've carefully considered and impulse bought mamushka - haven't got it yet but if anyone else has it and has recommendations id be grateful. It may be too obscure for cookbook club though.

[Wolpertinger]

I got Mamushka last year - never really fell in love with it like I thought I would although I made the liver with buckwheat and it was lovely. It's the only thing I've made from it.

While I also got Anna Jones' book and made almost every recipe and DH and I loved practically all of it despite not being vegetarian.

This year, Santa has brought Fresh India and Rachel Roddy's Five Quarters. I hoping I might get back into Mamushka, especially having discovered my local Morrisons has a Polish dairy section so I can get the cheese she's always on about.

[Cookingongas]

Thanks wolp- I'll give it a try. It's just arrived, and whilst I'm eager to cook from it- it's not for the vegetarians on the thread! Very meat heavy from a glance.

Anna jones is brilliant. She's infuriating with her descriptions (tumble the potatos, anoint with oil, caress the leaves etc) but I can forgive that when the food as as good as it is. We've covered her books before but I think she's a good suggestion for January ( when everyone is dieting and wants fresh after the stodgy season)

[Wolpertinger]

Thanks - I also quickly learnt to ignore how long Anna thought it took to make anything and that her portion sizes had been picked at random

Prob with Mamushka is there is lots of stuff that serves an army or pickling veg. There's only 2 of us and I don't really have time to be doing pickles and ferments so it limited it a lot.

[Bobochic]

I've never been on a cookbook thread before but I love cookbooks! I have recently bought Regula Ysewijn's Pride and Pudding and can't wait to get started - such a very beautiful and well-researched book.

[HuevosRancheros]

I never got the "new"(est) Anna Jones, could be persuaded

Loved Modern Way to Eat, not your standard veggie book by any means :)

[dalek]

Love cookbooks - got Made in India for Christmas.


Tell me about Anna Jones - I'm intrigued - have a family of carnivores so would like to try something new

[HuevosRancheros]

As I said, I only have A Modern Way to Eat - she also brought out A Modern Way to Cook - and I love it. Vegetarian without being worthy, inspired by lots of different cuisines... Thai, Indian, Mexican, middle eastern...

I'm veggie and often find nothing new in veggie books (hated HFW's Veg book, for example), but this book introduced me to loads of new ideas. Her dhal is my go to dhal (made it yesterday!!) despite me owning plenty of very good Indian books :)

I would happily have bought her new one when it came out, but I didn't allow myself to as I still had plenty I wanted to make in her first book, and wanted to make sure I'd done that one justice before getting a new one! But as I said, I could be persuaded

[HuevosRancheros]

Just got today's Guardian, there is a piece in there by Anna Jones, detailing how to make a variety of curry pastes. Looks good, I shall be cutting out and keeping :)

[ppeatfruit]

Oooh I got Dan Lepard's Short and Sweet for Xmas, which was recommended last year on one of these threads, and wonder if anyone's made any of the recipes from it? They look very interesting.

[Cookingongas]

I think modern day to cook lives up to the first book. I love it- there's a roast coconut curry in it which is to die for. And it includes some great traybakes.

[feettothestars]

I have both Anna Jones, love reading both but cook more from the first. For Christmas I have Gather which I've yet to look at and Simple by Diana Henry one of my favourite cookery writers. There are some on here I've not heard of. I have a serious cookbook problem.

[Wolpertinger]

I have Short and Sweet. I have made a couple of things from it - it is also in the tragically underused category.

However I would say, everything I have made has absolutely worked brilliantly and been v tasty. His pizza dough is amazing and takes practically no kneading - made me giggle watching people on Bake Off kneading for ages and ages when Dan Lepard just turns the dough over, wait 15 minutes, do it again and behold - superb pizza dough! He does this method for all this bread, it's genius.

Have just made cake from the Rachel Roddy - on the plus side, it tastes bloody gorgeous. On the downside - it looks nothing like the picture and I knew it wouldn't as I made it there is something wrong with the instructions.

[ppeatfruit]

Thanks Wolpertinger I like the look of the chestnut cookies ( I don't eat wheat if I can help it) he has a flexible approach to baking which I love.

[HuevosRancheros]

ppeatfruit we did S&S quite a while ago in the cookery book club, have a search for the thread :)

I love it as a book to read, as much as to cook from.
Just had a flick through to remind myself - not used it for a while - not sure I'm going to be much help as what I've made has been very wheat based....

I'm sure it's not ground breaking, but I use his shortcrust pastry recipe every time I make pastry. I use a food processor to make it in. I always use the pastry recipe in his "extra rich mince pies" when I make mince pies.
Successes have been the apple, walnut & custard cake, the chocolate custard muffins, banana bran muffins (too sweet though, for me), the malted chocolate and caramel tart. The sour cream sandwich bread was good but too salty imo.

The breakfast soda breads were disastrous for me (raw in the centre, even after extra cooking) and the cider vinegar muffins were, unsurprisingly I suppose, really vinegary, and unpleasant - I now use the Smitten Kitchen recipe for "English" muffins, and they are perfect :)

[CaptainWarbeck]

Huevos funny you say the apple walnut and custard cake is good in S&S, I was considering making that today went for his Lamington recipe instead (heree*) which filled the cake gap I had but will definitely try that cake soon!

I also use his pastry recipe (especially his sweet one with an egg yolk in it) and his bread recipes are always good too.

[Wolpertinger]

Had a flick through S&S - was remined I made the Oliebollen last New Year. They were great - but deciding to deep fry something when I was drunk was maybe not my finest hour! Worked much better when I figured out I'd beeen reading the thermometer wrong for an hour.

Alcohol and hot fat are not a great mix

[ppeatfruit]

Thanks a lot Huevos I will look for the thread, I hate vinegar too esp. in cakes, I know there's a chemical reaction that removes the use of eggs. But lemon juice works just as well.

If you like reading cookery books one of the best I've ever read is Elizabeth David's English Bread and Yeast Cookery. It's fabulous. All her books are good.

I'll have a look at that recipe, that cake sounds wonderful Captain

[HuevosRancheros]

For anyone who does make the apple, walnut & custard cake, I made a note in my book that the light brown sugar made the custard pale brown, which was not particularly attractive! So I suggested (to myself!) to use caster or light golden caster next time :)

Thanks for the book recommendation ppeatfruit, I'll take a look :)

[ppeatfruit]

You're very welcome Huevos I like the pale golden brown ,or even brown, look of custard I use maple syrup and molasses in my cooking quite lot!

[HuevosRancheros]

Really? Well, there you go then

I think I was just expecting yellow custard... tasted amazing regardless!

Oh, and add the mixed spice as he suggests in the intro :)

[CaptainWarbeck]

Noted re custard, I think I prefer mine to be yellow too

[Cookingongas]

We've never covered Elizabeth David and my shelf is shamefully lacking her times despite her status as must have