Top Cookery Books of 2011

Needless to say the years ending and hasn’t it been amazing in the world of cookery?

So many new and diverse cookery books out this year! Now this year there are three clear top favourites out there.

Take a peek below at them and also sample some of their recipes (I’ve tried them and they are divine!)

These three books all making amazing gifts or are a good start to a new year resolution! Thankfully the lovely Waterstones have them all!

So go check them out! Waterstones Cooking
 

   

Firstly there model turned amazing cook - Lorraine Pascale and her Baking Made Easy

I have already done a post on this - here But some background. This amazing lady started modelling at

16 alongside Naomi Campbell & Kate Moss for labels such as Versace, Chanel & Lagerfield and even

more amazingly she was the first black British model to feature on the cover of American Elle.

Pascale after giving up modelling was unsure what to do next and studied a range of courses

before she tried the yearlong cookery course with Leiths. Amazingly she then went straight into

working at top restaurant’s (The Wolesley & Gilgamesh) before opening her own cake company.

She has since authored bestselling cookery books (Try her recipes! easy & they all work!) presented

television series & opened her own retail outlet! Her recipes appeal to us all especially in today’s modern times where you want an amazing dinner without spending the day slaving over a hot stove!

Once you've tried Baking made easy why not check out some of her other books?

Peppermint creams sugar rush

Makes about 35 creams (V)

300g icing sugar, plus extra

for dusting

125g condensed milk

¼ tsp peppermint extract

or more, to taste

100g dark chocolate,

broken into pieces

Equipment

Various cutters (optional),

I used a 4cm round

fl uted cutter

Put the icing sugar, condensed milk and peppermint extract

in a medium bowl and mix together to form a smooth soft

dough.

Roll out the dough on a work surface dusted with icing

sugar until it is just slightly thicker than a £1 coin. Cut out

different shapes with various cutters, if you wish, re-rolling

the mixture until it is used up. Keep any mixture you are not

working on covered with clingfilm to avoid drying out.

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of

simmering water or put the chocolate in a plastic bowl and

melt in the microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring in

between each one. Dip some of the peppermint creams

into the melted chocolate until they are half-covered,then

leave to cool and set on a baking tray lined with baking

parchment.

If you are storing the creams, pop them in an airtight

container spaced apart, dusted with icing sugar and

separated between layers of baking parchment to avoid

them sticking together. They can be stored for two to three

days.

Easy

Now number two on the list is Mr Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall with his book River Cottage Every Day

An eccentric chef and presenter of the program River Cottage he aims in this book to source the

products himself and heads back to basics cooking.

If you like this book why not again check out just some of these few amazing titles as well?

From:

TV Dinners: In Search of Exciting Home Cooking (1996)

A Cook on the Wild Side (1997)

The Best of TV Dinners (1999)

To:

River Cottage Every Day (2009)

The River Cottage Bread Handbook (US Version) by Daniel Stevens and Hugh Fearnley-

Whittingstall (2010)

The River Cottage Preserves Handbook (2010)

Honey brandy snaps

Makes about 15

50g unsalted butter,

diced

50g caster sugar

50g honey

50g plain fl our

1 teaspoon cider brandy

(optional)

A good pinch of ground

ginger (optional)

Gently heat the butter, sugar and honey in a saucepan,

stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove

from the heat. Stir in the fl our, mix until smooth, then add

the brandy and/or ginger, if using.

Place heaped teaspoonfuls of the mixture on 2 baking

sheets lined with baking parchment, spacing them about

10cm apart. Place in an oven preheated to 180°C/Gas Mark

4 and bake for 7–8 minutes, until brown and lacy. Remove

from the oven and leave to cool for a minute or two.

Lift the brandy snaps o_ the baking sheet with a palette

knife while still warm. To make a traditional cigar-tube

shape, wrap each one loosely around the handle of a

wooden spoon. To create an attractively curled, tuile-shaped

biscuit, drape them over a rolling pin. Either way, leave to

cool and set for a minute or so before removing. If they

become too brittle to shape, simply put the baking

sheet back in the oven for a minute or two to soften them

up, then have another go.

Serve plain, with creamy desserts. Or fill with whipped

cream, as in the picture on the front, and they are your

dessert.

And in third Linda Collister, Mary Berry, Paul Hollywood – The Great British Bake-Off: How

To Bake

Now in its 2^nd series The great British Bake-Off allows 12 home bakers to test their skills

and each other to win the title of Great British Bake Off’s ‘Best Amateur Baker’

This book consists of over 120 recipes which range from the traditional to modern twists

With the best contestants recipes included. Written by Linda

Collister, super-chef and writer of The Great British Book of Baking, the book follows the

same theme as the show and provides tips throughout the book from the judges of the

show, Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry to help you do the perfect baking and conquer

even the technical cookery challenges faced. The book is full of fail safe easy to follow recipes. It provides amazing step by step photos and is a must have for all foodies and a perfect gift for those

just starting who want to impress!

Sticky Orange Marmalade Cake

Makes 1 medium cake

For the sponge

175g unsalted butter, softened

175g caster sugar

3 large free-range eggs, at room

temperature, beaten

175g self-raising flour

pinch of salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoons chunky Seville

orange marmalade

2 tablespoons full-fat or semiskimmed

milk

To finish

3 tablespoons chunky Seville

orange marmalade

100g icing sugar

2 tablespoons warm water

1 x 20cm round, deep cake tin or

springclip tin, greased and the

base lined with baking paper

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Put the soft butter

into a mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon or electric

mixer for 1 minute or until creamy. Gradually beat in the

sugar, then continue beating until the mixture becomes

paler and fluffy.

Gradually add the eggs, beating well after each addition;

add a tablespoon of the flour with the last portion of egg.

Sift the remaining flour, the salt and baking powder into

the bowl and gently fold into the mixture with a large metal

spoon. When thoroughly combined add the marmalade and

milk and stir in.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and spread evenly.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a good golden brown

and firm to the touch. Run a round-bladed knife around

the inside of the tin to loosen the cake, then carefully turn

out onto a wire rack. Gently warm the second portion of

marmalade and brush over the top of the warm cake. Leave

to cool completely.

Sift the icing sugar into a bowl, add the warm water and mix

to a smooth, runny icing using a wooden spoon. Spoon the

icing over the cake and let it run down the sides – the chunks

of marmalade will stick up through the icing. Leave until set

before cutting. Store in an airtight container and eat within

5 days.