Loved the restaurant? Now you can give the recipes a whirl. The Square Meal team road-test the best new cookery books from London’s top chefs.
Memories of Gascony (£30, Mitchell Beazley)
In the re-release of this beautiful book (first published in 1990), Pierre Koffmann draws inspiration from his childhood in Gascony and the peasant-style dishes cooked by his grandmother. The
result reads like a delectable French bistro menu, running from classics such as cassoulet and pork rillettes, to seasonal offerings such as gratinated pumpkin and wild pigeon with Armagnac – all
interspersed with anecdotes and sepia family photos. Highlights from Koffmann’s restaurants also feature: my attempt at pistachio soufflé did not quite result in the dreamy, creamy concoction
served at his Berkeley hotel restaurant, but still went down a treat. On the whole, once you’ve got hold of some of the book’s more esoteric ingredients (pistachio paste, mousserons and chicken
blood, for example), Koffmann’s recipes are simple to follow.
Nicky Evans, news and online editor
Jamie’s 15-Minute Meals (£26, Michael Joseph)
Jamie’s 30-Minute Meals is a hard act to follow: it’s the UK’s fastest- and best-selling non-fiction book of all time. But for anyone who, like me, thinks that even 30 minutes is too long to
spend cooking, this sequel is good news. It’s not just the expected pasta, salads and stir-fries: the golden chicken with braised greens and potato gratin I tried would have impressed as a Sunday
lunch dish. As for the 15-minute claim: for anyone with the prepping skills of a sous chef then maybe, but if the most time you ever spend in the kitchen is waiting for the kettle to boil, all the
chopping, slicing and grating may come as a shock. Clock-watching quibbles aside, this is a very user-friendly collection of nutritionally balanced meals for the time-pressed home cook.
Ben McCormack, editor
Jerusalem (£27, Ebury)
Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi team up again to focus on their home city, Jerusalem, whose culinary DNA is a melting pot of Arab, Jewish, Christian and other influences. In simplifying this
complex identity, the chefs have compiled a beautiful book heavy with age-old recipes, local classics and fusion dishes. Braised eggs with lamb, tahini and sumac brings together Palestinian and
Jewish ingredients. It’s a dramatic dish: the flavours are deep and intense, and the colours make it an ideal centrepiece for a casual supper with friends and family.
Ami Kang, assistant online editor
J Sheekey:
Fish (£25, Preface)
Celeb haunt J Sheekey brings its fishy know-how to the page in 120 recipes, from shellfish to salads. Useful ‘how to’ sections demonstrate prep skills, and a fish chart helps you tell your haddock
from your hake. Although recipes are clearly laid out, some betray their restaurant origins: halibut with creamed peas, bacon and spring onions needed a team of chefs to get the timing right. But
it did taste fabulous!
Julie Sheppard, associate editor
The Complete Nose To Tail (£30, Bloomsbury)
This chunky tome from St John frontman Fergus Henderson is not for the faint-hearted. Chapters have titles such as ‘the pig’ and offal features heavily – cold calves’ brains on toast, for instance.
But it’s not just about shock value – rather, the pleasure of eating good food, plus the chef’s philosophy of first-rate ingredients cooked simply and allowed to shine.
Stuart Peskett, sub-editor/staff writer
The Square
Cookbook: Savoury (£40, Bloomsbury)
I scanned the contents of Philip Howard’s book looking for an easy recipe, but there wasn’t one. This is a book for serious cooks, each recipe brimming with endless prep work and costly
ingredients. Despite my fears, making tagliatelli with white truffle from Alba – a dish Howard says would be on his list of ‘last meals’ – was straightforward.
Robin Freeman, creative director
This feature was published in the autumn issue of Square Meal Lifestyle.