Now the wait is over for all the books on my last cookbooks worth waiting for list, it’s time to let you know what they are like, and where they worth waiting for?! (Yes).
You can check out the original Cookbooks Worth Waiting For list for these books here.
What Can I Bring? by Sophie Hansen (Murdoch Books)* - As I mentioned previously, my family loves all of Sophie’s books (we even have duplicate copies of them so no sharing is necessary!). What Can I Bring? has the same use of seasonal ingredients and unfussy easeful recipes that I have come to expect from her books, but with the added bonus of recipes from others which adds more variety to the mix here. I have made the Strawberry Jam Crumble Slice (p.55) (with rhubarb jam, another of Sophie’s recipes from a previous book!), which was really nice and writing this reminds me that I do really need to make it again. My Mum made the Really, Really Good Roast Chicken with Orange and Bay (p.102), and confirmed yes it is, really, really good!
I love the bright colourful design of the book, and Sophie’s photography always makes me want to join in on whatever is happening in the scene (mostly eat the food!). This is the third cookbook (or fourth if you count Around the Kitchen Table co-written with her mum Annie Herron), that revolves around the theme of feeding people and sharing food with others. I think it’s something Sophie clearly does very well, however I find myself keen to see something a bit different if there is another cookbook in our future from Sophie (and hopefully there is!). Maybe a book purely dedicated to baking, or even something inspired by the podcast Sophie co-hosts with Germaine Leece, Something to Eat and Something to Read. Either way, I love all Sophie puts out into the world and her recipes and work remain firm favourites in this household.
Beatrix Bakes Another Slice by Natalie Paull (Hardie Grant)* - Another joyful cookbook from Natalie Paull of former much loved Melbourne bakery Beatrix! While my hope of a few more simple bakes would be included in this second instalment of Beatrix Bakes (and of course this opinion is tempered with the fact that what you consider simple bakes may differ from mine!), there are a few more biscuit recipes than last time - I have tried the Macadamia and White Chocolate Chonky Chip Cookies (p.49) and they are very good (and very massive!). This book is definitely a ‘baking projects’ kind of baking book (there is even a chapter called ‘Day-off Baking Projects’). However if baking projects are your thing, or you like a nice selection of more involved things to make for when the occasion calls for it (again a very subjective thing!), this and Natalie’s first book are for you.
Natalie has a way of explaining even the most complex baking techniques in a way that make you feel she is in the kitchen with you, gently supporting you through. The advisory sections throughout the book are well worth reading to help you get the ultimate outcome for all your baking efforts (and learn lots too!), along with the specific tips on each recipe on how to change things up. I also love a cookbook that utilises cute illustrations and lovely photography to give the book an inviting and interesting feel, that is also useful to the reader or potential baker - which Beatrix Bakes Another Slice has in spades (or should I say in slices!?). My next bake from this book will either be the Triple Ginger Gingerbread Hoops (p.57), which are something I remember buying and enjoying from Beatrix on my one visit there in 2019, or the Jammy Crumble Crostata (p.129)
Bethlehem by Fadi Kattan (Hardie Grant) - As I mentioned on the original list for this lot of cookbooks, I knew Bethlehem would be a cookbook I would be interested in. I was not wrong, and it is probably one of the most interesting cookbooks I have added to my collection in a little while. Fadi really takes the reader on a tour of Bethlehem, where we share in memories of Fadi’s family, and meet many people along the way who are part of the food culture of Bethlehem today. The location photography in particular is really fantastic in this book, as are the portraits of those Bethlehem natives who Fadi profiles in this book. Their stories are captivating and it really adds to the story of Bethlehem that Fadi is telling through food to highlight these people, like Um Nabil whom Fadi affectionately dubs the ‘Queen of Herbs’.
The impact of colonisation and the Israeli occupation are weaved through the story of Bethlehem, their impacts cannot be ignored. The diverting of water ways into settler communities away from their natural course, has changed the landscape and what can grow there. Fadi explains for example what his childhood memories of Jericho were and the types of herbs that grew there and the date tree farms. Now Fadi laments the loss of these things, and the displacement of the Bedouin population who had settled in this area, due to the encroaching Israeli settlements and the diverting of water to those settlements.
For all the hardship, and there has been generations of this as those of us in the West are finally catching up with, Fadi and those he profiles in his book are proud to be Palestinian, and from Bethlehem. They are connected to their land and culture through the food they grow and cook, and how this food connects them as people and how it is used to celebrate holidays and mark everyday rituals. The recipes Fadi shares are separated by the seasons, and there is much to choose from. There are recipes like Falafel (p.220) and Shawarma (p.126) which you may expect to see from many cookbooks from the Middle East. However there are surprises (to me anyway, only having two other books dedicated to Palestinian food I am clearly still learning) such as Dibs and Tahina Shortbread (p.113) (dibs is grape molasses of which I have a jar and now with this book have quite a few recipes I could use it for!), Quince Jam (p.168), Poached Peaches in Pomegranate Juice (p.171) and Teta Julia’s Christmas Cake (p.230).
Greekish by Georgina Hayden (Bloomsbury Publishing)- Georgina’s cookbooks are pure joy and this one is no different. The recipes shared in Greek-ish are Georgina’s take on traditional Greek recipes made a bit simpler for everyday cooking and eating. Unlike Georgina’s previous books which have drawn from her Greek Cypriot heritage and family more directly, this book uses this as its inspiration to create recipes that are shaped by Georgina’s “busy family life”. She has simplified some much loved Greek favourites, and utilised traditional Greek ingredients to ensure flavour and ease at the same time. Much to my approval, there is a large use of both feta and halloumi in this book (see page 62!) so I’m assuming that will be a big win for any cheese loving people out there. There is even a biscuit recipe containing feta cheese for those that need this delicious Greek staple in almost every meal (p.232).
Recipes like Filo-Wrapped Feta with Spiced Honey (p.64), Beetroot and Dill Tzatziki with Fried Capers (p74), One-Pot Chicken Thighs and Rice (p.114) and Sticky Date and Tahini Aubergine (p.189) are top of my to cook list from Greekish (though I have marked many more recipes with sticky notes!). All the recipes have notes if they are vegetarian, dairy free or gluten free, and I think there is a nice selection of recipes to cater for meat eaters, vegetarians and everyone in between (for very excellent vegan recipes check out Georgina’s book Nistisima).
I’ll Bring Dessert by Benjamina Ebuehi (Hardie Grant Quadrille)- If you have either of Benjamina’s previous books, you will be familiar with her distinctive use of flavour and ability to create recipes that stand out from the sea of baking books out there. I think this book is no different, but rather than a focus on cakes and baked goods the focus has every so slightly shifted to desserts (which thankfully (for me) still includes some cakes!). With this cookbook, Benjamina is hoping to assist all of us in becoming dessert people, the people who when asked to bring something to a gathering, will echo the name of the book and say ‘I’ll bring dessert’. Some of us may need little assistance in becoming dessert people in terms of eating, but new recipes ideas are always welcome when it comes to actually cooking dessert. As with Benjamina’s previous two books, the recipes are divided up into flavour profiles (e.g. something fruity, something creamy, something nutty etc), which I personally really like and find useful.
The photography is also a real stand out in this cookbook, it is simple yet inviting and the lighting of each photograph feels just right. There are make ahead suggestions for each recipe, and the variety of desserts is so varied you will no doubt find something to suit what you might be looking for. I would really like to make the Rhubarb Meringue Cake (p.29-30) and the Poached Quince and Custard Crumble Cake (p.48-9), however those temped to stray past having cake for dessert will find all sorts of pies, crumbles, tarts and puddings (and lots more).
I think for me, in terms of looking at I’ll Bring Dessert and Benjamina’s previous two books, I only prefer the previous two (A New Way to Cake and A Good Day to Bake), as I am more a cake/baking person than a dessert person and am more than happy to have cake for any meal of the day including dessert.
*These books were gifted to me by their respective publishers. Murdoch Books was gifted with the understanding a review would be written, Hardie Grant was not. All opinions expressed are my own, and to be honest I would have purchased these books myself if they had not been gifted to me. Links to all books are just for your reference. Links to books on Booktopia removed 15/07/2024.
