Food writer Niki Segnit believes that by learning the basics of cooking you can unleash your creativity without needed to use a recipe book any longer. With the release of her second book Lateral Cooking, which she has been working on for the past 8 years, she explores the basis of 77 recipes which show readers how one dish can lead to another as they expand their culinary horizons and increase their confidence in cooking. Having worked on this book for 8 years, this is the companion to her first award winning book Flavour Thesaurus which won critical acclaim among chefs and food lovers alike. With Lateral Cooking she wants people to understand the connection between a custard, a creme caramel, a creme brûlée and an ice-cream. "Ultimately, they are all variations of the same theme," she explained. The book grew organically and she never expected it to take eight years to finalise but she continued to discover new things as she went about her research and she had to test each … [Read more...]
A tour of the world in 75 recipes: San book launched
Sang Hoon Degeimbre, Belgian chef of L’ Air du Temps in Liernu and creator of three successful San restaurants has launched a cookbook called San, Around the world in 75 recipes. The book is inspired by recipes of dishes that have been served in the San restaurants since the first one opened 3 years ago in Brussels. The concept behind the restaurant is to serve food in a bowl and to eat it with a spoon. The menu changes every month according to the seasons and the travels of San and his team and is always inspired by Belgium, Korea or cities around the world. Out of over 100 dishes that have been created at the San restaurant over the past three years, 75 recipes have been selected. The main criteria has been that of ensuring that the recipes could easily be replicated at home and where quantities of certain components of the dish are not impossible to make at home. The book is published by Racine and the photography is by Frederic Raevens. It is currently available in … [Read more...]
Nick Bril launches his first book
Nick Bril, chef of two Michelin star Antwerp restaurant The Jane has launched his first book 'Nick Bril 33'. At 33, the Dutch chef has been cooking at the highest level for a long time having been the sous chef with his business partner Sergio Herman at Oud Sluis, a 3 Michelin star restaurant that closed at the end of 2013. For his first book, Nick Bril 33, the Dutch chef has bundled together 33 recipes, thoughts and projects from inspiring trips. It depicts a year in the life of this talented chef. The book has been written by Pascale Baelden, a journalist who has worked among others with Weekend Knack, Feeling and Sabato. She can boast of a 20-year career. Her curiosity about life stories and respect for the narrator is central to her interviews. Photographer and designer Jan Mast provided powerful visuals to the book while food photographer Kris Vlegels was responsible for the recipe photos. The book is a unique look into the soul and life of a top chef and passionate … [Read more...]
Is this the future of cookbooks? René Mathieu creates first ever augmented reality book
René Mathieu, the Belgian chef of Michelin star Luxembourg restaurant Bourglinster will shortly be launching the first ever augmented reality recipe book. The book Vegetal (published in French) is much more than a recipe book. It showcases the creativity of the chef but just in his cuisine (he has an 18 score in the Gault-Millau guide) but also his way of looking at the future of cookbooks using augmented reality. What is special about the recipe book is not just its design which includes the way to plate the dishes, what plates to use and the wines that go will with the dishes but the use of an application called Admented which turns the book into an augmented reality work. Using this technology, the reader will be able to leave the book and enter the universe of René Mathieu by watching original audiovisual content that has been created and filmed specifically to accompany the recipes. This content is not only visual and informative but it gives the reader a completely new … [Read more...]
Gert de Mangeleer Unplugged, a collection of recipes to share in English released
Gert de Mangeleer, chef of three Michelin star restaurant Hertog Jan in Zedelgem, Bruges has just released his collection of recipes to share in a book called Unplugged in English. Originally published in Flemish, the book is now also available in English. “This is the first book in which I collected many of my favourite recipes. I never was really into sharing my recipes until now because my style of cooking evolves too much for that. Nor did I want to give people the impression that they could easily recreate the dishes we serve at Hertog Jan at home. Because they can’t. I cannot even do the things I do in my restaurant at home, because I neither have the kitchen equipment nor the team for it,” he says in the introduction to the book. Instead the book is accessible and presents a series of the tastiest dishes the Belgian chef has prepared for his family and friends in recent years. He says he gets inspiration for his dishes everywhere he goes and that is very visible in the … [Read more...]
Bread is Gold, Massimo Bottura’s second book, to be published in November
Bread is Gold, by Italian chef Massimo Bottura, is the first book to take a holistic look at the subject of food waste, presenting recipes of three-course meals from 45 of the world's leading chefs. It is Massimo Bottura's second book that will be launched worldwide on 6 November. Massimo Bottura, considered by many to be one of the world's best chefs, prepares extraordinary meals from ordinary and sometimes 'wasted' ingredients inspiring home chefs to eat well while living well. 'These dishes could change the way we feed the world, because they can be cooked by anyone, anywhere, on any budget. To feed the planet, first you have to fight the waste', Massimo Bottura said. The recipes, which number more than 150, turn everyday ingredients into inspiring dishes that are delicious, economical, and easy to make. In reviewing the book being published by Phaidon, Pope Francis says "Throwing away food is like stealing from the table of those who are poor and hungry." On the other … [Read more...]
Interview with Martina Liverani (Dispensa): Creating a lasting impact with a unique publication
When Martina Liverani, writer and founder of Italian food magazine Dispensa (which means pantry in English) created the bi-annual publication in 2013, little did she know that it would eventually reach a global albeit niche audience. "It was only in 2015 during the Milan Expo that we came up with the idea to have a bilingual publication and today this is unique in that it brings many of Italy's beautiful stories to a wider audience," Martina told Food and Wine Gazette. In an age where food has become ubiquitous both online and on TV, it takes courage to go counter-current and launch a paper 'bookazine' as Dispensa is called. Martina explains that she has always been anti-conformist. "That is the reason why I wanted to create a magazine. We are living in a golden age for paper. Paper is showing that it can still compete with digital and inspire people even when people though that it was dead.' "The main difference between paper and digital is that people want to touch paper, … [Read more...]
A review of Francis Mallmann’s book: Seven Fires – Grilling the Argentinian Way
"Fire has its own language, spoken in the realm of heat, hunger and desire. It speaks of alchemy, mystery and, above all, possibility. It is a slumbering voice inside me, the ever present beast within my soul, it is beyond words, beyond memory. It comes from a time long before I can recall." This is how the book Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentinian Way by Francis Mallmann and Peter Kaminsky starts. The Argentinian chef is an inspiring character who uses cooking to send a message of a certain way of living. He is known for telling people to cook by 'getting out of your chair, sofa or office and go outdoors.' The most influential chef in Argentina has been portrayed in a splendid documentary Chef's Table on Netflix which we have reviewed here. Mallmann has mastered fire like few others. He has been trained in French classics so he is a master of the art of intensifying, deepening and developing all the flavours and textures of his ingredients. But rather than rely on … [Read more...]
Lola in Brussels celebrates its 20th anniversary with book publication
Lola, one of the chic restaurants in Place Sablon, Brussels, is celebrating its 20th anniversary. For the occasion, it launched a book that tells the story of the restaurant and also presents recipes of some of the most classic dishes served at the restaurant. The brasserie Lola is the story of five people passionate about cuisine who launched the restaurant 20 years ago. The five friends, Caroline, Larbi, Henri, François and Laurent came together to create the restaurant which has become one of the highlights of this historic Brussels squares. They started off with Les Faste Fou, a place specialising in salads just off Avenue Louise in 1987. Lola, their second project, six years later, was more ambitious not only because of the location but also for its cuisine. A contemporary brasserie, it focuses mainly on seasonal ingredients. Its menu changes according to the seasons but it still retains many Belgian classics on its menu such as the 'croquettes des crevettes', the americain (or … [Read more...]
A selection of books on wine to read this summer
As summer approaches, I normally start to make a list of books I want to read or else re-read. I am constantly on the lookout for new books to read. While reading about food and wine is pleasant throughout the seasons, I love to delve into wine books during the summer season. I'm still trying to decide which wine books to read this summer but here is a list of books on wine which I highly recommend and which I have read over the past few years. 1. Huge Johnson: A Life Uncorked: I never get tired of reading this book. It is a great read from a great knowledgeable author. If you want to learn about different wines and wine regions, this is an excellent place to start. He gives you the inside tips on each of the main wine regions, lists and talks about some of the best winemakers in the world and gives you a written tour of these regions. If there is one book you should read, I recommend this. 2. Palmento: A Sicilian Wine Odyssey (At Table) is a great book on Sicilian wine. If … [Read more...]