James Martin is the compadre to many a Saturday Morning 'recovery period' on the sofa, whilst he's up there doing his bit on the Telly, and he does come across as someone you would like to have in your kitchen cooking the fry up because he's a bit of a down to earth northern lad. Remind yourself though, that he is a professional chef, and as such he likes to throw a curve ball or two into the traditional recipe.
This book is dressed up as a collection of simple, easy recipes that James would make most often in his own home - but novice beware! There is some scary stuff here if you're not a pretend soux chef, and wouldn't know Okra from Asparagus if it came up and introduced itself to you. A lot of the recipes within are what I would call challenging, and although the pictures are very nice where included, I'd like a few more 'this is how it should look at this stage' type photos too.
The book is loosely collected into spring/summer/autumn/winter so that you can find an appropriate recipe for the time of year, which is a nice touch. Not a bad job from our TV friend, but perhaps a little too advanced for most of the average Joe/Jo's who might end up with this book.
Saturday, 6 February 2010
Gordon Ramsay's World Kitchen: Recipes from "The F Word"
Say what you will about Gordon Ramsay, he has done a bang up job with this book. Not least because of the photography (I'm a big fan of Christopher Terry's photography), but because the recipes, albeit they are recipes for very typical fare from 8 countries/regions around the world, are good and done obviously with attention to detail. Yes, I do think that braising ribs before grilling them is CHEATING, but I don't have another option at my house, so I'll settle for his way of doing it.
This is a book for anyone who wishes to have a good collection of recipes from around the world in one cookbook (all the dishes you'd crave if you've only experienced the cuisines in a restaurant) with beautiful photography.
This is a book for anyone who wishes to have a good collection of recipes from around the world in one cookbook (all the dishes you'd crave if you've only experienced the cuisines in a restaurant) with beautiful photography.
Jamie's America
Clearly, Jamie isn't going to cover the entire sphere of American cookery in one book, but to my knowledge, this is possibly the first mainstream high profile book on the subject, so well done Jamie.
I've had an interest in different American cuisines for quite some time, and as an immigrant country the cuisines are obviously as diverse as the origins of the population which makes American cuisines far more diverse than those of Europe.
The public and media perception of US cuisine is obviously skewed to what it is familiar with, deep pan pizza, mass produced tex mex, and the ubiquitous soggy hamburger and fries. These are the imports of high margin, aggressive multinationals. But there is so much more to American food....
The problem is finding out about it. The cuts of meat, the commercial sauces, the regional differences within the US, etc.
I was delighted to find that Jamie includes a recipe for Beer Can Chicken, something rarely seen this side of the pond, but now the ONLY way I roast chicken (but Jamie gets it slightly wrong, the rub should go under the skin, not on it - is this a transcription error?) - this can turn even the most boring mass produced chicken into something special.
I already cook a number of dishes that Jamie covers, and these are some of my favourites, so I think Jamie's selection of dishes is spot on.
As an introduction to the more exciting and tasty American foods, this is simply an excellent book and highly recommended. All I would say is that it still a bit of a starting point. There are plenty of internet resources for developing recipes, and seeing how other people do the same things, and some commercial products that would be used in the US aren't referred to in Jamie's book, but they CAN be obtained occasionally in the UK.
I've had an interest in different American cuisines for quite some time, and as an immigrant country the cuisines are obviously as diverse as the origins of the population which makes American cuisines far more diverse than those of Europe.
The public and media perception of US cuisine is obviously skewed to what it is familiar with, deep pan pizza, mass produced tex mex, and the ubiquitous soggy hamburger and fries. These are the imports of high margin, aggressive multinationals. But there is so much more to American food....
The problem is finding out about it. The cuts of meat, the commercial sauces, the regional differences within the US, etc.
I was delighted to find that Jamie includes a recipe for Beer Can Chicken, something rarely seen this side of the pond, but now the ONLY way I roast chicken (but Jamie gets it slightly wrong, the rub should go under the skin, not on it - is this a transcription error?) - this can turn even the most boring mass produced chicken into something special.
I already cook a number of dishes that Jamie covers, and these are some of my favourites, so I think Jamie's selection of dishes is spot on.
As an introduction to the more exciting and tasty American foods, this is simply an excellent book and highly recommended. All I would say is that it still a bit of a starting point. There are plenty of internet resources for developing recipes, and seeing how other people do the same things, and some commercial products that would be used in the US aren't referred to in Jamie's book, but they CAN be obtained occasionally in the UK.
Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey
We're really enjoying Rick's latest series on BBC HD at the moment - his enthusiasm and respect for the cuisine really shines through, and after each show we always really want to try and recreate his dishes (and of course, enjoy eating them!)
This book contains all the great recipes Rick shares on the show, and seeing them in print just underlines how simple they are to cook really. Rick gives you a little background or history for each dish, and his down-to-earth style includes tips along the way to make things easy or even avert potential disasters (like the wok on the back burner tip, so you don't pour super-hot oil all over yourself by accident!) The photography is also sumptuous, and it's always good to know the effect you're going for anyway :-)
You'll need access to a good supermarket or perhaps a Chinese supermarket like the Wing Yip chain, but I can confirm it's worth the effort just to recreate those wonderful flavours.
Overall, this book is a no-brainer if you're a fan of the series, a fan of oriental cooking, or both.
This book contains all the great recipes Rick shares on the show, and seeing them in print just underlines how simple they are to cook really. Rick gives you a little background or history for each dish, and his down-to-earth style includes tips along the way to make things easy or even avert potential disasters (like the wok on the back burner tip, so you don't pour super-hot oil all over yourself by accident!) The photography is also sumptuous, and it's always good to know the effect you're going for anyway :-)
You'll need access to a good supermarket or perhaps a Chinese supermarket like the Wing Yip chain, but I can confirm it's worth the effort just to recreate those wonderful flavours.
Overall, this book is a no-brainer if you're a fan of the series, a fan of oriental cooking, or both.
Delia's Complete Cookery Course - Classic Edition: Vol 1-3 in 1v
Having read the reviews on this page, I agree with most of the comments. I too have had problems with a few recipies in regards to timing and oven temp etc etc etc, but as you cook more and more, you kind of get a feeling for things such as temp and time and these problems lessen!
I consider this book to be the pride of my collection!!!
It was bought for my wife many moons ago when it was first released. Since then, my interest in cooking has increased, and I have to say that I use recipies from this book all the time. Despite a few wobbly moments (see previous comments), on the whole the recipies are clear and easy to follow, and there are some real good tips on preperation, on buying produce and on equipment.
I enjoy Delia's style of writing and her opinions regarding food and others recipies! She is a traditional cook and seems to encourage the use of Lard in just about everything (heart blockage on the way!), but the results are fantastic!!!
While I use many cookery books, this is by far my favorite as it has proved useful as a beginer and now as a slightly more experienced cook!!! I can only recommend that you people out there purchase this book!!!
I consider this book to be the pride of my collection!!!
It was bought for my wife many moons ago when it was first released. Since then, my interest in cooking has increased, and I have to say that I use recipies from this book all the time. Despite a few wobbly moments (see previous comments), on the whole the recipies are clear and easy to follow, and there are some real good tips on preperation, on buying produce and on equipment.
I enjoy Delia's style of writing and her opinions regarding food and others recipies! She is a traditional cook and seems to encourage the use of Lard in just about everything (heart blockage on the way!), but the results are fantastic!!!
While I use many cookery books, this is by far my favorite as it has proved useful as a beginer and now as a slightly more experienced cook!!! I can only recommend that you people out there purchase this book!!!
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