Cookbooks Worth Waiting for in 2024 Part 2

This round of cookbooks worth waiting for was hard to choose. I don’t quite feel the same level of enthusiasm for the cookbooks due to be released in the second half of the year as I did in the first half - maybe the demise of Booktopia has something to do with it and having one less place to buy them from. 

There are also a few books being released later this year (not included in the list below), that I would really like to have a look through in person - so they don’t fit the ‘worth waiting for’ criteria as I would actually like to wait and see what they are like! They are titles from authors I have cookbooks from already, and I’m not 100% convinced their new title will add value to my cookbook collection. This feeling is based on their previous works, and a wonder about whether I need too many more cookbooks on one particular topic (and from the same authors). 

I think a few trips to book shops will be in my future to work out my feelings on some of the other new releases coming soon (what a hardship haha!), but for now, let’s get to those cookbooks I think will be worth waiting for!

Let me know in the comments what your top picks for the rest of the year are!

Ottolenghi Comfort by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh (September 2024) - I generally look forward to all of the Ottolenghi groups books, though I have to say I am excited about this one as I enjoy Helen Goh’s recipes and use of flavour so I’m thinking this book may just be really good. No Ottolenghi cookbook has surpassed Simple (published in 2018) for me, and I can’t say I use the last three or so releases (Flavour, and the two Test Kitchen books) as much as I do Simple and those published before it. So while I know that this new title may not surpass Simple for me, I’m willing to give it a go since this book is touted as comfort food Ottolenghi style. And that sounds very good to me!

Sofra by Karima Hazim Chatila and Sivine Tabbouch (September 2024) - I came across this book on social media and was immediately interested in it. A debut cookbook from a mother daughter duo, this book is described as a love letter to Lebanon. It sounds like my kind of book as it will contain recipes, but also stories about the food and the authors connection to Lebanon and its cuisine. 

Bake with Brooki by Brooke Bellamy (October 2024) - After being sent some of the Brooki Bakery cookies by a friend last year, I am keen to see what this cookbook will be like. Baking books like this one feels like aren’t always my style - is the social media hype of the successful bakery in Brisbane going to translate well in cookbook form? I have found cookbooks that stem from social media success a bit lacking in the past. Despite being at a point where I’m not sure how many more baking books I need, I am interested to see how this one pans out and whether the cookbook can provide substance to the hectic social media and bakery pace owner Brooke seems to be riding. 

Karkalla At Home by Mindy Woods (September 2024) - The beautiful design of this cookbooks cover caught my eye first, and then the subtitle (‘Native foods and everyday recipes for connecting to Country) and description kept my interest going. Author Mindy Woods is a restauranteur, and brings her deep knowledge to this cookbook by sharing stories and profiles of our continents most readily available native ingredients. I love that this cookbook is described as a ‘please-use-me- cookbook’ (I suppose the hope of all cookbook authors!), and promises to bring native foods into our kitchen. 

Cookbooks Worth Waiting for in 2024 Part 1 - A Recap

Now the wait is over for all the books on my last cookbooks worth waiting for list, it’s time to let you know what they are like, and where they worth waiting for?! (Yes).

You can check out the original Cookbooks Worth Waiting For list for these books here.

What Can I Bring? by Sophie Hansen (Murdoch Books)* - As I mentioned previously, my family loves all of Sophie’s books (we even have duplicate copies of them so no sharing is necessary!). What Can I Bring? has the same use of seasonal ingredients and unfussy easeful recipes that I have come to expect from her books, but with the added bonus of recipes from others which adds more variety to the mix here. I have made the Strawberry Jam Crumble Slice (p.55) (with rhubarb jam, another of Sophie’s recipes from a previous book!), which was really nice and writing this reminds me that I do really need to make it again. My Mum made the Really, Really Good Roast Chicken with Orange and Bay (p.102), and confirmed yes it is, really, really good!

I love the bright colourful design of the book, and Sophie’s photography always makes me want to join in on whatever is happening in the scene (mostly eat the food!). This is the third cookbook (or fourth if you count Around the Kitchen Table co-written with her mum Annie Herron), that revolves around the theme of feeding people and sharing food with others. I think it’s something Sophie clearly does very well, however I find myself keen to see something a bit different if there is another cookbook in our future from Sophie (and hopefully there is!). Maybe a book purely dedicated to baking, or even something inspired by the podcast Sophie co-hosts with Germaine Leece, Something to Eat and Something to Read. Either way, I love all Sophie puts out into the world and her recipes and work remain firm favourites in this household. 

Beatrix Bakes Another Slice by Natalie Paull (Hardie Grant)* - Another joyful cookbook from Natalie Paull of former much loved Melbourne bakery Beatrix! While my hope of a few more simple bakes would be included in this second instalment of Beatrix Bakes (and of course this opinion is tempered with the fact that what you consider simple bakes may differ from mine!), there are a few more biscuit recipes than last time - I have tried the Macadamia and White Chocolate Chonky Chip Cookies (p.49) and they are very good (and very massive!). This book is definitely a ‘baking projects’ kind of baking book (there is even a chapter called ‘Day-off Baking Projects’). However if baking projects are your thing, or you like a nice selection of more involved things to make for when the occasion calls for it (again a very subjective thing!), this and Natalie’s first book are for you. 

Natalie has a way of explaining even the most complex baking techniques in a way that make you feel she is in the kitchen with you, gently supporting you through. The advisory sections throughout the book are well worth reading to help you get the ultimate outcome for all your baking efforts (and learn lots too!), along with the specific tips on each recipe on how to change things up. I also love a cookbook that utilises cute illustrations and lovely photography to give the book an inviting and interesting feel, that is also useful to the reader or potential baker - which Beatrix Bakes Another Slice has in spades (or should I say in slices!?). My next bake from this book will either be the Triple Ginger Gingerbread Hoops (p.57), which are something I remember buying and enjoying from Beatrix on my one visit there in 2019, or the Jammy Crumble Crostata (p.129)

Bethlehem by Fadi Kattan (Hardie Grant) - As I mentioned on the original list for this lot of cookbooks, I knew Bethlehem would be a cookbook I would be interested in. I was not wrong, and it is probably one of the most interesting cookbooks I have added to my collection in a little while. Fadi really takes the reader on a tour of Bethlehem, where we share in memories of Fadi’s family, and meet many people along the way who are part of the food culture of Bethlehem today. The location photography in particular is really fantastic in this book, as are the portraits of those Bethlehem natives who Fadi profiles in this book. Their stories are captivating and it really adds to the story of Bethlehem that Fadi is telling through food to highlight these people, like Um Nabil whom Fadi affectionately dubs the ‘Queen of Herbs’.

The impact of colonisation and the Israeli occupation are weaved through the story of Bethlehem, their impacts cannot be ignored. The diverting of water ways into settler communities away from their natural course, has changed the landscape and what can grow there. Fadi explains for example what his childhood memories of Jericho were and the types of herbs that grew there and the date tree farms. Now Fadi laments the loss of these things, and the displacement of the Bedouin population who had settled in this area, due to the encroaching Israeli settlements and the diverting of water to those settlements.  

For all the hardship, and there has been generations of this as those of us in the West are finally catching up with, Fadi and those he profiles in his book are proud to be Palestinian, and from Bethlehem. They are connected to their land and culture through the food they grow and cook, and how this food connects them as people and how it is used to celebrate holidays and mark everyday rituals. The recipes Fadi shares are separated by the seasons, and there is much to choose from. There are recipes like Falafel (p.220) and Shawarma (p.126) which you may expect to see from many cookbooks from the Middle East. However there are surprises (to me anyway, only having two other books dedicated to Palestinian food I am clearly still learning) such as Dibs and Tahina Shortbread (p.113) (dibs is grape molasses of which I have a jar and now with this book have quite a few recipes I could use it for!), Quince Jam (p.168), Poached Peaches in Pomegranate Juice (p.171) and Teta Julia’s Christmas Cake (p.230). 

Greekish by Georgina Hayden (Bloomsbury Publishing)- Georgina’s cookbooks are pure joy and this one is no different. The recipes shared in Greek-ish are Georgina’s take on traditional Greek recipes made a bit simpler for everyday cooking and eating. Unlike Georgina’s previous books which have drawn from her Greek Cypriot heritage and family more directly, this book uses this as its inspiration to create recipes that are shaped by Georgina’s “busy family life”. She has simplified some much loved Greek favourites, and utilised traditional Greek ingredients to ensure flavour and ease at the same time. Much to my approval, there is a large use of both feta and halloumi in this book (see page 62!) so I’m assuming that will be a big win for any cheese loving people out there. There is even a biscuit recipe containing feta cheese for those that need this delicious Greek staple in almost every meal (p.232). 

Recipes like Filo-Wrapped Feta with Spiced Honey (p.64), Beetroot and Dill Tzatziki with Fried Capers (p74), One-Pot Chicken Thighs and Rice (p.114) and Sticky Date and Tahini Aubergine (p.189) are top of my to cook list from Greekish (though I have marked many more recipes with sticky notes!). All the recipes have notes if they are vegetarian, dairy free or gluten free, and I think there is a nice selection of recipes to cater for meat eaters, vegetarians and everyone in between (for very excellent vegan recipes check out Georgina’s book Nistisima). 

I’ll Bring Dessert by Benjamina Ebuehi (Hardie Grant Quadrille)- If you have either of Benjamina’s previous books, you will be familiar with her distinctive use of flavour and ability to create recipes that stand out from the sea of baking books out there. I think this book is no different, but rather than a focus on cakes and baked goods the focus has every so slightly shifted to desserts (which thankfully (for me) still includes some cakes!). With this cookbook, Benjamina is hoping to assist all of us in becoming dessert people, the people who when asked to bring something to a gathering, will echo the name of the book and say ‘I’ll bring dessert’. Some of us may need little assistance in becoming dessert people in terms of eating, but new recipes ideas are always welcome when it comes to actually cooking dessert. As with Benjamina’s previous two books, the recipes are divided up into flavour profiles (e.g. something fruity, something creamy, something nutty etc), which I personally really like and find useful. 

The photography is also a real stand out in this cookbook, it is simple yet inviting and the lighting of each photograph feels just right. There are make ahead suggestions for each recipe, and the variety of desserts is so varied you will no doubt find something to suit what you might be looking for. I would really like to make the Rhubarb Meringue Cake (p.29-30) and the Poached Quince and Custard Crumble Cake (p.48-9), however those temped to stray past having cake for dessert will find all sorts of pies, crumbles, tarts and puddings (and lots more). 

I think for me, in terms of looking at I’ll Bring Dessert and Benjamina’s previous two books, I only prefer the previous two (A New Way to Cake and A Good Day to Bake), as I am more a cake/baking person than a dessert person and am more than happy to have cake for any meal of the day including dessert. 

*These books were gifted to me by their respective publishers. Murdoch Books was gifted with the understanding a review would be written, Hardie Grant was not. All opinions expressed are my own, and to be honest I would have purchased these books myself if they had not been gifted to me. Links to all books are just for your reference. Links to books on Booktopia removed 15/07/2024.

Oven Poached Quince

Since this recipe has the quince tightly covered with foil during the cooking time in the oven, I think it’s still classified as poaching? 

Whether it’s technically poaching or baking, I find this a great way to cook these tough but delicious fruit. 

I used to spend time cutting out the cores of the raw quince to then wrap in muslin to add to the baking, but if the quince cores are in good condition I will now leave them in tact and cut them out after cooking - much easier!

Many times I have cooked quince I have found the cores are not in good condition as they contain a little mould etc. I think this occurs if a fruit fly or similar has burrowed its way into the centre of the fruit (any experts let me know in the comments if my assumption here is correct!). Look out for fruit with small holes in the flesh as these are likely to be poorer quality and may have cores that are not usable. I avoid fruit with these little holes if I can as even cutting the quince can be a lot of work, and it’s disappointing to find the core (and all the pectin it can give the poached quince) has to be completely discarded along with some if of the rest of the quince too.

In these cases I keep any useable core and place in muslin to poach with the quince, but if your quince are very good quality you should be able to leave the cores until after cooking.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Oven Poached Quince

Ingredients:

4-5 quince

300g white sugar

130ml water

juice of two lemons or two bergamots (approx. 120ml)

1 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla bean halved length ways

8 cardamom pods

handful of fresh or dried rose petals

Method:

Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius.

Peel and cut the quince into quarters and place in a single layer in a large baking dish. 

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, citrus juice, vanilla, cardamom and rose petals. Place over low/medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Once the sugar has dissolved allow to simmer for a couple of minutes, then pour over the quince and cover the baking dish tightly with foil.

Place in the oven for at least 2 -3 hours, turning the quince over halfway so they colour evenly. The quince will be ready once they have softened (but remain whole) and have turned a ruby red colour. The cooking time will depend on the size of the quince. I check mine at the 1 and 2 hour marks, and then at 30 minute intervals after that if they need more than 2 hours.

Once the quince are cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool. Discard the cardamom pods, and once the quince have cooled enough, gently cut out the cores and discard. If the colour of the quince is lighter underneath the cut part, turn them over so they are face down in the quince cooking syrup and they will colour up a bit while the quince cool further. 

Once cooled, place quince together with the syrup in an airtight container (I find glass containers work best). Keep in the fridge, they should last for a couple of months for so. You can freeze the quince as well. 

Off The Shelf - The Plain Cake Appreciation Society by Tilly Pamment

Bought At: Pre-ordered from Amazon, however I have since bought two copies as gifts directly from Tilly.

Recipes Made: So many!

I made A Plain Cake with Passionfruit Buttercream (p.16) knowing I had all the ingredients, even some passionfruit pulp in the freezer. It was a lovely plain cake, unfortunately especially so as my passionfruit were decidedly un-passionfruit-y! It was the least passionfruit-y passionfruit I’ve ever eaten, and I was quite disappointed to experience that when making this cake! I can certainly imagine however, how much better this cake would usually be with probably any other passionfruit than the ones I used!

A Plain Cake with Passionfruit Buttercream

I made the Weekday Lemon Cake (p.19) when I had some in season bergamots and can confirm it was delicious, as I’m sure it would be with lemon (or any other citrus). Another lovely simple yet very flavoursome and satisfying cake from this book.

Weekday Lemon Cake (with Bergamot)

Strawberry Streusel Cake (p.20) was the first recipe I made from The Plain Cake Appreciation Society, as it was a recipe featured in a Graziher magazine newsletter back in 2021. I liked it then as was happy to see it was in Tilly’s book. I have made it since with plums, then with donut peaches and raspberries. All versions were delicious, and it’s a great cake to make if you have run out of milk or have issues with lactose as this cake uses no milk, cream, sour cream or yoghurt. It is a great recipe to make if you want to use up some in season fruit, and the streusel topping adds a little something too. 

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

I requested Pistachio and Rose Bundt Cake (p.30) for my birthday last year, and while we don’t have a Bundt tin as nice as the one Tilly used in her book, it was a delicious cake. Pistachio and rose are just about my two favourite flavours so I was definitely always going to love this cake. The only thing I would personally change if I made it again was to ice the cake once the cake had cooled, as the icing soaks into the cake after that and isn’t as spectacular the next day or so. Not a problem if you know the cake will be eaten on the first day however, but in our house these things do last a good few days. 

The Raspberry Studded Tea Bars (p.36) are definitely our most made recipe from Tilly’s book. Between my Mum and I we’ve probably made these at least 10 times since September 2023. They are a simple cake, but are very tasty and very dietary requirement friendly as well - they are gluten free, lactose free and relatively low fodmap (depending on your almond and berry tolerance). We often have a batch of these in the freezer as they freeze well, and make the nicest snack when we don’t have time to bake. The first time my Mum made these she did include the ground up tea in them, however we’ve never added it since as we like them just as much without (and it makes them even easier to make). As you can see in the photo we bake them in a friand tin as we don’t have any bar tins suitable, and haven’t been able to find anything yet either. You still get 12 little cakes out of the mixture and they bake for the same amount of time as well. 

I was lucky to make the Quince and Blackberry Crumble Cake using the recipe for Baked Quince (p.108) before quince were all out of season not too long after Tilly’s book was released last year. I love quince and knew this cake would be worth making. I made half the recipe of the baked quince (which is enough to make one cake, I did swap the orange for bergamot in the recipe as I can’t eat orange), and made the cake and it was just so so good. The brown butter crumble on top of this cake is a real standout, you can really taste the browned butter and it really elevates the cake flavour wise. I made this cake again with blueberries and raspberries once quince season was over, which I can also highly recommend. Similar to the Strawberry Streusel Cake (p.20), this cake can be made with many different fruits and served as a dessert or just a nice cake with tea.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

I had some apples to use up later last year, so I made the Apple and Cinnamon Cake (p.113). From memory I didn’t have any Greek-style yoghurt as the recipe asked for, and used milk instead and it still worked really well. I didn’t lay out the sliced apples on top of the cake nearly as nicely and neatly as Tilly has, I ran out of patience when doing it 🤣. My cake may not look as good, but I can guarantee it was very delicious and very nice with a cup of tea. 

Apple and Cinnamon Cake

Being a pistachio lover I had to make the Pistachio Cake with Rhubarb Buttercream (p.114). I also had some fresh rhubarb, however no cream cheese to make the Rhubarb Buttercream so I omitted the icing and put a few pieces of rhubarb on the top of the cake before I baked it. The cake is quite light so the rhubarb drifted all the way to the bottom of the cake, but it was no less enjoyable for it. This pistachio cake is quite different to the Pistachio and Rose Bundt Cake (p.30) texture wise, and I can see why a buttercream was Tilly’s choice for this one. I do really need to make this again properly, however if you have a craving for pistachio cake and don’t have all the buttercream ingredients, I would still recommend making this cake on its own.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Similar to the Strawberry Streusel Cake (P.20), the Matcha Tea Cake (p.117) was also featured in a newsletter from Graziher magazine a couple of years before The Plain Cake Appreciation Society was published, so I made it back then. I actually made it with freeze dried raspberry powder, a suggestion given by Tilly for those of use who don’t like matcha. It was a fun marble style cake, however I don’t recall the flavour being enough for me. I dare say matcha would be a much better substitute flavour wise if you like it.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Favourite Things About the Book: Everything! I honestly do love everything about this cookbook. From the photography and styling, to the design and colour palette used throughout, Tilly’s writing and the way the book is divided into sections/chapters, to the recipes themselves and the delightful use of flavour in each. The Plain Cake Appreciation Society is my favourite book of all 2023 releases, and remains so into 2024. I don’t think I’ve made so many things from one book in a long time (maybe ever?). When I open this cookbook I not only want to make almost every recipe, but I also just want to look at it all. Tilly’s photography is so captivating, it makes me wish I was as good at it as she is. The Plain Cake Appreciation Society has a really clear and cohesive vision behind it, everything just works and transports the reader or baker to a quiet moment filled with tea, cake and flowers. The cakes in the book are really anything but plain. The recipes are generally unfussy, and maybe I am taking plain to mean ‘boring/bland/tasteless’, when Tilly clearly means something more like everyday and comforting, but the flavours used in these recipes are not only exactly the things I want to eat, but in my mind are far from plain in the best possible way. 

Bookmarked Recipes (to make later!): Berry Cloud Cake (p.55), Vanilla Cake with Baked Rhubarb (p.78), Burnt Butter and Blackberry Sheet Cake (p.94), Pistachio and Plum Cake (p.99), Malted Banana Cake (p.128), Ginger and Rose Madeleines (p.150), Date and Ginger Bundt Cake (p.156). and Citrus Madeleines (p.182).

Cookbooks Worth Waiting for in 2024 Part 1

After deciding on what I thought were the best cookbooks of 2023, it’s now time to look ahead to the cookbooks that are soon to hit our shelves in 2024. 

These cookbooks worth waiting for lists are my way of saying ‘these are the upcoming releases I am most excited about’. I’m not sure if there is a more succinct way of describing that or a more succinct title this series could have, but I’m a few years in now and it seems a bit odd to consider changing it now!

Below are the books I think are worth waiting for, and that I am most excited about. Four of the five books are by cookbook authors I know and love, and one is a new to me author which I am keen to discover more about. 

Are there any cookbooks you are looking forward to this year? What would you add to this list?

What Can I Bring by Sophie Hansen (February 27) - It’s no secret I love all of Sophie’s books, and her blog too. In my household we use Sophie’s books and recipes regularly so I am always excited to see what a new book from her will bring. There is something about Sophie’s recipes and her use of flavour and ingredients, that so often end up being exactly the kind of food I want to eat and cook. There is always a focus on fresh seasonal ingredients, but also not making things overly complicated and fussy. And Sophie’s photography always makes me want to cook everything and also wish I lived in the country! This soon to be released book is Sophie’s fifth book and it appears to be a bright, colourful and inviting look at how to answer the age old question when being invited or inviting others to your home for a meal, what can I bring?

Beatrix Bakes Another Slice by Natalie Paull (March 6) - Well this is a bit exciting isn’t it?! Another book from Natalie of the ever popular and much missed Melbourne bakery Beatrix. Natalie’s first book contains favourites from her famed bakery, and many of them were what I would consider ‘baking projects’. The kinds of recipes that feel comforting and homely, however have many elements (e.g. cake, filling and icing), so you need to put a decent amount of time aside to make them or tackle it in stages. I’m not sure if this is something we should expect from Beatrix Bakes Another Slice, or if this next cookbook will also contain a few more simple bakes that can be made with little notice or time (I have my fingers crossed for a few more biscuit recipes than the last book had). Either way, I’ll be ensuring I add this book to my collection as if I want to make a spectacular cake with lots of flavour Natalie is who I know I should turn to. 

Bethlehem by Fadi Kattan (May 17) - As soon as I saw this cookbook listing in the ‘coming soon’ section of Booktopia, I knew it was one I would be interested in. As I have mentioned before, I love cookbooks that do a deep dive on a particular place/region/cuisine and Bethlehem sounds like it does just that. This book is by Franco-Palestinian chef Fadi Kattan, whom I had never heard of until now and I am very glad that I now have. Fadi will take us on a tour of Bethlehem, his home where he also has a restaurant. I know only a little about Palestinian food based on some cookbooks already on my shelves, so I am looking forward to learning more and discovering how or if the food of Bethlehem differs from other Palestinian cuisine. Despite being a tiny thing in the scheme of everything, this feels, now more than ever, so important.

Greek-ish by Georgina Hayden (April 30) - If Georgina is publishing a cookbook I will be buying it. Georgina’s cookbooks are used regularly in our household (Taverna most notably), so I know if she comes out with a new one it has to be added to our collection. These recipes are touted as Greek inspired, using fewer ingredients and suitable for any day of the week, which sounds pretty good to me! Georgina says these recipes aren’t family recipes (for those get yourself a copy of Taverna), but are all of her creation using her Greek-Cypriot heritage and travels as inspiration. Just seeing the small examples of recipes featured in this book on the description on Booktopia for this book, I can tell there will a few more family favourites found in Greek-ish. 

I’ll Bring Dessert by Benjamina Ebuehi (April 5) - I absolutely love Benjamina’s previous two books (The New Way to Cake and A Good Day to Bake), so similarly to a few others on this list, I will be buying whatever Benjamina publishes. This book will focus on desserts rather than more strictly baked goods as Benjamina’s previous two books have. I’ll Bring Dessert feels like it will be a dessert focused version of what Sophie Hansen is bringing us with What Can I Bring?, and I’m thinking the two books will compliment each other well. With this book Benjamina hopes to turn the sometimes ominous question of ‘can you bring dessert?’ into a joyful experience that will have you saying ‘I’ll bring dessert!’. In Benjamina’s other books I have really enjoyed her use of flavour combinations and interesting ingredients and pairings, so I’m hoping we’ll see the same in this one. 

Links to books on Booktopia removed 15/07/2024.

The Best Cookbooks of 2023

This yearly list of mine could probably be renamed to ‘My Favourite Books of [insert year]’ as that’s really what this is. I’m obviously not comparing all cookbooks that were released in 2023, only the ones I personally own that were released last year. My tastes in food, flavour and cookbooks, as well as my knowledge of what’s out there across varying markets, obviously limits what books I will personally purchase in any given year and therefore what might make this kind of list. 

Lots of great cookbooks were released in 2023, and this is a small selection of them. This list comprises the books that have captured me the most from last year and I can’t stop thinking or talking about. If I added everything I really wanted the list would be ridiculously long and since brevity is not my strong suit when writing, I limit myself to around five books to avoid writing too many essay length blog posts 🤣. Though if you do want more cookbook chat paid subscribers to my newsletter get even more of that! You can sign up here if you’d like to.

I’ll be back next week with the first instalment of Cookbooks Worth Waiting for in 2024, but for now lets round out 2023, another great year for cookbooks!

The Plain Cake Appreciation Society by Tilly Pamment - To say I love this book is an understatement. A cookbook has not captivated me so much in a long time. Yes, I adore other cookbooks. But something about Tilly’s book keeps me coming back and actually baking from it. For me whether I have made lots or nothing from a cookbook isn’t necessarily an indication of how good the book is - cookbooks can be useful and worthy of a place on our bookshelves for more reasons than how many recipes have been cooked out of it. However, with this book it does feel like something to mention, as so few baking focused cookbooks have drawn me in so completely and actually had me baking multiple things from them in a long time.

As I’ve mentioned previously, the photography and styling is stunning in this book, combined with the colour palette used it really draws me in and I think makes me want to try the recipes even more. Since I last spoke about this book, the Raspberry-Studded Tea Bars (p.36) have been on high rotation in our household. I think we’ve made them at least half a dozen times since September 2023. We use a friand tin as I don’t have a suitable bar tin to use, and after the first batch decided to omit the ground up tea in the recipe which makes them even simpler to make. We often have a batch in the freezer as they freeze well, and make a great gluten free, lactose free, low fodmap treat (which is why we started making them in the first place). I highly recommend this recipe and so many others from The Plain Cake Appreciation Society! 

Portico by Leah Koenig - This was a long awaited release for me, as I recipe tested for this book back in 2021 (and I am doing the same for Leah’s next book!). I really like the story and the history Leah weaves through this book, which places a spotlight on Rome’s longstanding Jewish community and the food that has shaped their lives and history in such a well known culinary city as Rome. I personally really love a cookbook that does a deep dive on a particular city, area or community so Portico helps add to my collection and knowledge on Italian and Jewish cuisines in a way that shows their similarities and differences. This is done in a way that has seriously added to my recipes I want to try list, though I can highly recommend the Fennel Gratin (p.79) as this is a recipe I tested back on 2021 and loved. It’s different to a traditional gratin as there is no cream in the recipe, which is great if you are lactose intolerant or just don’t like creamy things like me. And if you love arancini, you should try the Mozzarella-Stuffed Risotto Fritters (p.140-1) also known as Suppli al Telefono as they are like the Roman Jewish cousin to arancini!

Recipes in the Mail by Amy Minichiello* - After hosting the Sydney launch of this book with Amy, I feel I can call her a friend, so my thoughts on this cookbook may be a little biased. However if you have an interest in old fashioned family recipes and connecting with the stories around those recipes you must add this book to your collection. This book has so much heart and soul, it feels like a personal invitation from Amy to join her in discovering and baking these recipes. And if you have met Amy, you’ll know that’s exactly how she is in person too. I think everyone who attended the Afternoon Tea we hosted back in August 2023 would agree (you can read more about the event and how the book came about here). The recipes in this cookbook mostly fall into the baking category with a couple of exceptions, where recipes fit for dinner are also included.

In preparation for the Afternoon Tea Amy and I hosted, we made many recipes from the book and I was able to try a few too. Standouts were Ma Lyn’s Fruit Slice (p.71) which I have made since then too, Nanna Joy’s Sausage Rolls (p.151-2) which I have also made again since the Afternoon Tea, and showing my bias completely now, I would also say my Grandma’s Pavlova (the recipe for which I shared with Amy when the Recipes in Mail project was not yet a book) with Amy’s addition of a creamy strawberry topping (p.46-7) was also a standout. Since then, one recipe has become a clear favourite for me, and that is Catherine’s Grandma’s Pikelets (p.22). In October 2023 I think I made these every week, and have made them so many times since then as well. To me they are the perfect breakfast, and any leftovers will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days ready to be heated up and topped with fruit and maple syrup (my personal topping preference) for another breakfast.

*my copy of this book was gifted to me by Amy as I contributed a recipe that was included in the book. There is no link to where this book can be bought as at the time of writing, I could not find anywhere that had it in stock (except for a $80+ copy via Amazon that would be shipping from the USA). I have seen it in some bookshops recently (Dec 23/Jan 24) Dymocks Chatswood and Novella Fine Books in Wahroonga (both in Sydney), however I would recommend asking your local/favourite bookshop if they can order it for you. Edit 26/02/24 - To find books such as Recipes in the Mail in local bookshops, use https://yourbookstore.io to find your nearest stockist or one that can ship to you, thank you to Kelly for alerting me to this great way of supporting our local bookshops online.

The Flavour Thesaurus More Flavours by Niki Segnit- A running theme you may notice about some the cookbooks I talk about in lists like this one is my appreciation for research and the work that an author does to really provide an educational element to their work. This new instalment of The Flavour Thesaurus is a massive work of research, and like the first book, this research provides so much to any one who likes cooking and wants to understand food and flavour more. I am mostly enjoying the complementary nature of The Flavour Thesaurus More Flavours with the original Flavour Thesaurus, as the second instalment continues on with the more flavours researched and explained in the same style as Niki’s first book. Between the two books there is a wealth of knowledge to work with when learning about how to pair flavour together, and The Flavour Thesaurus More Flavours included flavours I had hoped I would find in the first one but were not included. This is a great book for anyone interested in cooking beyond recipes, or like me, does recipe development work.  

Malta by Simon Bajada - As mentioned above I love a book that does a deep dive on a particular place, cuisine or area so Malta immediately appealed to me. It also appealed to me as I knew basically nothing about Malta or Maltese cuisine and felt my cookbook collection could benefit from a book like this. The photography is really stunning, and between the food images and location images the reader gets a really great feel for Maltese food and a taste of what Malta would be like to visit. It looks sunny, hot and has a very Mediterranean vibe that made me feel like I was on a mini holiday looking at all the photos. 

The introductory section has a really good overview of Malta, Maltese history and how Malta’s geographic location and geography itself have influenced Maltese cuisine over time. Of course the brevity means there would be so much more to discover and learn, but it is a great starting point if you like me, know little about Malta and Maltese cuisine. 

Links to books on Booktopia removed 15/07/2024