SIMPLE CAFE FOOD

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then Julie Le Clerc must be extremely flattered and…on a regular basis.

From Simple Café Food came one of those.

On a recent promotional trip around New Zealand at almost every event or signing that Julie attended at least one (and on many occasions several) person relayed how the Roast Pumpkin and Chickpea Salad with Sundried Tomato Dressing from Simple Cafe Food had become a staple in their entertaining repertoire, a favourite in their own café or a regular for family meals.

When Simple Café Food was first released in 1999 making café style food at home was still new to many of us. This book gave us the confidence and the great recipes to achieve that.

I am  delighted that Penguin have brought back in to print this New Zealand favourite, with all recipes revised and updated.
The book is a celebration of café style – the food, of course, but also the lifestyle.
Café food is less intricate than restaurant food and yet a little more than everyday cooking. In café food you will find eclectic dishes blending tastes and accents, surprising combinations and seductive presentation.
Often scaled down to become easily achievable, these innovative recipes are fun to experience.

Author Julie Le Clerc says:
For as long as I can remember I have been curious about all things culinary. Cooking for me is now a bit of an obsession, a compelling addiction that drives me to create, sometimes at the oddest of times. I am constantly learning and as a result my recipes are continually evolving. I strive to compose full, clear flavours; honest food, which tastes of itself. My cooking is partly inspired or invented but essentially based on good-quality ingredients cooked well. Delicious and straightforward to prepare, this is food I hope you will all want to cook and eat.

Food is one of our greatest sensual pleasures and is extremely evocative; the lasting taste of good food lingers in the memory for all time. Always enjoy the ritual of eating for it nourishes both body and soul. Remember the importance of presentation and use your treasured possessions to entertain and toast family and friendships. Have fun constructing food on a plate and employ the luscious use of colour to stimulate the appetite. Incorporating simple café food into your repertoire will enliven your everyday meals as well as special-occasion cooking.


Owning cafés has been remarkable, and through many ups and downs still remains the stuff that dreams are made of: honest cooking, loyal and committed people, great times, hard work, hysterical moments and for me the fondest of memories.


These recipes are a distillation of my years in the café kitchen. The café scene has taken on a momentum all of its own; this book is intended to help you catch it, to become consumed with a passion to cook and present simple café food in your own home.


About the author:
Julie Le Clerc (pronounced Le Claire) is well-known for creating innovative flavours and trusted recipes you can rely on. As a former café owner, caterer and chef, Julie was able to develop and express her own individual recipe style before turning her talents to food writing. Now this award-winning author’s life is dedicated to the pursuit of good food and culinary travel. Reflecting her background and influences, Julie’s cookbooks are filled with accessible, uncomplicated, clever recipes that encourage keen home cooks to put together nourishing and flavoursome dishes from scratch. Also an accomplished photographer, Julie enjoys capturing her own food and styling on film – as well as eclectic collections of her favourite ingredients and kitchen things. Her charming images decorate the pages of this book.

SIMPLE CAFE FOOD
Penguin Books
RRP$32.00

Here is one of the dishes, one that I have made, to give you a taste for the book:

BROAD BEANS and PECORINO with HERB and CAPER SALAD

This is an incredibly pretty salad full of delightful flavours. Frozen broad beans are excellent to use instead of fresh if the need arises. Run them under hot water to thaw then remove their skins – they need no further cooking.

500 g broad beans, shelled and peeled
200 g pecorino cheese, cut into 1-cm cubes
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Herb and caper salad:
1/2 cup Italian parsley leaves
1/2 cup basil leaves
1/2 cup capers, drained
1 red onion, peeled and very finely diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1 To make the herb and caper salad, toss all ingredients together and spoon onto broad beans and pecorino.

2 Very lightly blanch broad beans in boiling water, cool. Mix with pecorino. Drizzle with oil and balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper.

Serves 6

Reprinted with permission from Simple Café Food, published by Penguin Group NZ, RRP$32.00. Copyright © Julie Le Clerc 2010