March 15, 2009
Eater's Digest
By Cynthia Low
Food for watching football, food to share with friends while lounging outdoors or entertaining indoors. Here are three new releases that celebrate the farm-fresh produce and laid-back culture of Australia.
THE GREAT AUSSIE BLOKE'S COOKBOOK
By Kim Terakes 2008/
Paperback/212 pages/Penguin Books/
$44.94/Books Kinokuniya
The premise of this book is that most men are simple chaps who like to eat good food but if they need to cook it themselves, the process has to be simple.
Enter food writer Kim Terakes, who openly confesses he is not a chef, but is 'just a bloke that cooks a bit'.
Being a 'good bloke' is very much part of being an Aussie and the chapter headings are designed to help 'blokes' get the most out of life.
There are recipes for young chaps who have left home and mum's home cooking in a section called Leaving Home.
A chapter Singapore 'blokes' can relate to is Food To Watch The Footy With. Here, the emphasis is on preparing ahead to avoid being stuck in the kitchen when Man U, Liverpool or even Newcastle score.
There are recipes to seduce or impress a girlfriend too. According to the author, a souffle is sure to impress.
But souffles have a reputation for being tricky, so I decided to test his fail-safe recommendation for Raspberry Souffle. It needed only pureed raspberries, egg whites and sugar, making it ultra-easy. And yes, it did rise well. It also tasted good.
Seduced by the picture, I also tried Spaghetti Marinara Fresco. It was quick and easy and turned out well. The recipe included a great hint for peeling tomatoes, which I will use again.
There are plenty of good pictures and Terakes' sense of humour makes this book a fun read. He not only lovingly discusses bloke culture through his recipes but is also quite happy to prick the male ego.
This is not just a book for blokes - it is good enough for women too.
MAGGIE'S KITCHEN
By Maggie Beer
2008/Hardcover/243 pages/
Penguin Books/ $76.99/Books Kinokuniya
Further along the spectrum from Aussie blokes is Maggie Beer, one of Australia's best-known women food writers. She is a down-to- earth person and her farming origins suggest a certain rapport with 'blokes'. But her food is definitely more upscale.
In her latest cookbook, the enthusiastic advocate of cooking fresh offers 120 recipes from salads and side dishes to substantial main meals and desserts.
Her reputation as the champion of home-grown produce fresh from the orchard or the farm may make the ingredients difficult to source for Singapore cooks. But there are still plenty of recipes to inspire cooks here.
For a start, her version of Boston baked beans is the real thing. Starting from scratch with dried cannelloni beans, it takes about four hours to prepare. But if you enjoy baked beans, this version may have you vowing never to buy the canned variety again.
If you enjoy a lazy Sunday brunch, I can recommend the oat, buttermilk and honey pancakes.
Although some of the recipes require produce that is hard to source in Singapore, there are simple ideas as well. An interesting one for soup is made with frozen peas from the supermarket cooked in stock then blended with a little cream and pepper.
The pictures are good and there is an excellent reference section on useful equipment and utensils, plus a list of handy ingredients any home cook should keep in the larder and freezer
This is a book for serious cooks who care about cooking with the freshest and the best.
MY TABLE, FOOD FOR ENTERTAINING
By Pete Evans
2008/Murdoch Books/223 pages/
Softcover/$56.95/
Borders Books
Pete Evans has been interested in cooking since helping out in a friend's pie shop when he was 13 years old. Now, he is a chef, restaurateur, host of a television cooking show and an avid fisherman.
If there is such a thing as typical Australian cuisine, the recipes in My Table epitomise the sun, surf and laid-back culture Down Under and the impact of migrants from around the world.
The book is subdivided into My Outside Table, with barbecue and patio meals, and My Inside Table, for entertaining and dinner with friends. The pictures are excellent, with one for each recipe, and the layout is clean and clear.
I tested Gozleme Of Lamb, Mint, Feta And Spinach. I had not heard of gozleme before but some research told me it is a traditional Turkish wrap filled with a savoury filling. The pastry for the wrap called for plain yogurt to be mixed with flour into a dough.
That seemed weird and at first it was rather sticky. But to my surprise, once rolled out and cooked in a pan, it was delicious, especially with the lamb and feta filling.
I can also recommend the recipe for Gorgonzola Cheese, Fig And Pancetta Pizza.
It sounds a bit over the top but the combination of flavours worked well.
Then, because Evans is an avid fisherman, there is a raft of fish recipes such as Risotto Of Whiting and Lebanese Prawn And Fish Salad.
There is also a stylish selection of drinks made with fresh fruit, such as Raspberry Martini and a range of simple desserts to finish.
For sheer diversity of taste and style, this is my pick of the three.
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