The Cook’s Bookshelf
Image: In the companion book to her ABC series, Masterchef darling Poh Ling Yeow’s emphasis is on reducing recipe difficulty so readers actually try her dishes at home.
Poh’s Kitchen (RRP $39.99 ABC Books) by Poh Ling Yeow
In the companion book to her ABC series, Masterchef darling Poh Ling Yeow’s emphasis is on reducing recipe difficulty so readers actually try her dishes at home. Her graphic sensibilities as an artist are also incorporated into the book’s almost textile-like styling. It’s very much directed at beginner chefs, and people who are addicted to her show, but in amongst the Sticky Date Pudding and wacky muffin ideas like Lime, Zucchini and Dark Chocolate, you will also find some of her more interesting Nonya dishes including Watermelon Rind with Glass Vermicelli.
The Art of Cupcakes (RRP $24.99 Capricorn Link) by Noga Hitron
Another book of show-stopping cupcakes by cake queen Noga Hitron. They’re not for the fainthearted as they all involve working with fondant. Noga does make it look achievable with step-by-step instructions, basic recipes (in imperial measurements with metric conversions) and templates. Buy it if all your friends are soon to be Mummies – Noga’s Celebrating Baby cupcakes are stunning!
Brownies! (RRP $24.99 Capricorn Link) by Good Housekeeping
This collection of Good Housekeeping recipes proclaims: “To make the process even easier and quicker, we’ve adapted some of our favourite recipes to take advantage of the excellent mixes now available in supermarkets.” Whilst it’s nice to hear mixes have come a long way, when I buy a cookbook I usually want reinforcement for doing things the old-fashioned way. That said, I could have lived without having to convert the imperial measurements to metric for each recipe. All brownies include a calorie measurement. I tend think that when you’re eating brownies, calories are beside the point – so dive into the Gooey Cheesecake Brownies and coffee-frosted Mexican Brownies without giving it a second glance!
