TWO SUPERB NEW ZEALAND COOKBOOKS

I am sure that copies of these two gorgeous books will find their way into many Christmas stockings this year.

EATING FRESH – Cooking through the seasons
Annabel Langbein Annabel Langbein Books $55

A COOK’S BIBLE –
From the teachers of NZ’s top chefs – the ultimate guide to cooking at home
Leslie Christenesen-Yule and Hamish McRae Penguin Books $75

EATING FRESH

I reckon Annabel Langbein’s latest book is her best yet, and that’s saying something.
She joins Jamie Oliver, Nigel Slater and others in concentrating on seasonality and in particular on cooking with fresh produce from her own garden.

Here she is from her introduction:
“Wandering around my garden at the end of a busy day to find something to eat for our evening meal is incredibly satisfying. So, too, is the daily ritual of setting the table, lighting some candles and sitting down toether to enjoy simple, freshly cooked food. I hope my own kids will take these rituals into their own future lives. They are small things, yet immensely nourishing”.
Right on I say Annabel.

This is a truly inspirational book and I know I am going to make some great meals from it. Instead of wandering around the garden, as we live in a townhouse without any land for a garden, I usually stroll up to Ponsonby Road’s famed Bhana Bros around 4.30pm to check out what is fresh from the markets. Not quite as good as from my own garden but pretty close to it.
Last night I cooked Seafood Curry (page 215) from the Winter section and it went down a real treat. I must now turn my attention to the Spring section and the asparagus recipes.

The book is littered with mouth-watering photographs by Aaron McLean which are a real feature of the book.
Congratulations to all involved in the making of this book, it is a stunner.


A COOK’S BIBLE

This is a large handsome hardback volume that is well named I reckon because it is about the size of a family bible!

Another fine piece of publishing and I think the best way to describe it is to quote from part of the authors’ introduction:

A Cooks Bible evolved from the textbook, The New Zealand Chef, that we wrote for professional cookery students. We were amazed at the number of people outside the catering profession who, when they came across the textbook, commented on their own need for a cookbook that would do more than give them recipes. They wanted instruction.
Most New Zealand children no longer learn the basics of cooking at school and realistically many parents are too busy to teach them cookery or they feel their own kitchen skills are inadequate. Consequently many young people leaving home to make their way in the world find themselves disadvantaged without basic cookery survival skills. On the other hand there are many keen “foodies” who are eager to perfect the skills they already have, but don’t want to enroll in a professional chef course.
It is our intention that this book will be used by both these groups: the beginner or uncertain cook and the skilled food lovers…………….

So this book is for Bookman Beattie just as much as it is for his nephew who is about to leave home to go flatting. From the different ways of boiling or poaching eggs, to making pasta, preparing shellfish, and cooking rice to the hundreds of recipes this is an incredibly useful publication which I am delighted to own.

The first recipe I made from A Cooks Bible was Braised Chicken & Leeks and it went down a treat with fresh leeks from Bob’s garden.
Includes a comprehensive index, great cook’s dictionary and many other useful tables.

In some ways it is like a gorgeous, greatly expanded, more sophisticated, beautifully published Edmonds Cookbook. Although this does not do it justice, (because it is a truly handsome, information-filled hardback), it will give you an idea of its value. Someone in your family leaving home? Make sure they take a copy of this with them.
And another thought, it will make a marvellous wedding or engagement gift.

NOTE – publication date for A Cook's Bible is 31 October.