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