www.foodtechnology.co.nz 23 THIS MONTH’S LUCKY SUBSCRIBER, Robyn Schoch of Unique Services, will receive all three books reviewed on this page. B O O K R E V I E W S For someone who only burst onto the scene in 2012 after winning Masterchef NZ, young Chelsea Winter sure is becoming a familiar face. This is, believe it or not, her fourth cookbook in that time, and it’s a real humdinger packed with her 90-or-so favourite homestyle recipes, including a Christmas section that’ll be handy in the next couple of months. So how does she do it? “People often ask me if I get sick of cooking, writing recipes and being in the kitchen,” she says. “The short answer is, no. This is my life now and I feel privileged to be living it – I don’t take a single day for granted.” That’s pretty obvious, given the lady has more than 300,000 Facebook fans and at least one best-selling cookbook to her name. ‘Our Chels’ has put her all into this book – pictures of her, husband Mike, dog Sprite and other family members cooking and eating are scattered throughout its pages - and the culinary delights it includes will be sure to impress those who love following Kiwiborn and-bred food geniuses using ingredients available locally. I’m off now to try cheesy baked courgettes and yellow fish curry…scrumptious! The blurb to this exciting little collection of more than 60 authentic meals that bring together easy breakfasts from congee and kedgeree to rosti inspired by 32 countries on six continents says it all…one culture’s soul food is another’s exciting culinary adventure. Developed to help parents introduce their children to a world of taste, the book calls itself a feast for the eyes, and that is certainly true with the assistance of superb imagery from renowned photographer Lewis. Starting with Anzac biscuits from Australia and ending with pho (beef noodle soup) from Vietnam, the book also includes the favourite breakfasts of those who worked on its creation (if you’re interested, Lewis’ favourite is black sticky rice with coconut). I can’t help wondering if New Zealand’s entry (steel-cut oat porridge with lemon peel, vanilla pod, cinnamon stick, maple syrup, a dollop of thick farm-style cream, caramelised nuts, seasonal poached fruits or compote, fresh berries and banana) is a little more extravagant than what Kiwis usually choose (my toast and vegemite with a glass of skim milk seems pathetic by comparison), but the book’s visual simplicity is its fascination and it’s an ideal Christmas present for parents wanting to globalise their kids’ breakfast favourites. Wonderful smoothies, tangy juices, alternative breakfasts and snacks, new ways of making bread, hearty vegetarian, scintillating seafood and meaty meals…got the tastebuds twitching? This clean and fresh cookbook from one of Europe’s most wellknown specialist food authors (in fact, it’s her 15th) will inspire you to eat healthy as it offers easy ways to enjoy raw superfoods easily. The Swedish food stylist includes recipes for sangria smoothies; gluten-free (zero waste) hamburgers; carrot, parsnip and zucchini spaghetti with king crab over green curry; carnitas, guacamole and mango salsa; gluten-free scones with fig marmalade; and ‘raw food’ brownies…it’s enough to make you tip out your pantry and start again. “Clean cooking is quite simple: it’s a well-balanced diet that consists of tasty and clean food, which means it’s processed as little as possible and contains few, if any, additives,” Johansson says. “Just wholesome dishes prepared with clean, organic and biodynamic ingredients.” With gorgeous images from Wolfgang Kleinschmit, the book is sure to follow two of its predecessors which won medals at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. SCRUMPTIOUS By Chelsea Winter (Penguin Random House, $50, available now) LITTLE TABLES – Anytime Breakfasts from around the World, illustrated by Vanessa Lewis (Beatnik Publishing, $39.99, beatnikshop. com, available now) SCRUMPTIOUS LITTLE TABLES CLEAN COOKING CLEAN COOKING More than 100 Gluten-free, Dairy-free and Sugar-free Recipes By Elisabeth Johansson (Newsouth Books, $34.99, available now)
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