Thoroughly researched and easy to follow
Credit: Francis Hammond
Susan Herrmann Loomis is an American food journalist and author based in Paris.
Plat Du Jour: French Dinners Made Easy (£19.99; Countryman Press) is her ninth book, focusing on the much heralded bistro tradition of the meal of the day, dishes you’ll find scribbled on a pavement blackboard in a sunny French square. With such a wide range of regional delicacies, it makes for a wonderful topic of exploration.
The approach
Initially, I was worried. “French dinners made easy” are four words that feel as if they are tiptoeing towards the bland realm of all the three-ingredient, two-minute cookbooks that have flooded the market.
Perfect for speedy suppers with minimal washing
Credit: Rita Platts
Washing up – who has time for that anymore? When our schedules are filled with Zoom meetings, daily walks and catching up on Netflix series, delicious food with minimal washing up is a godsend, and the food in Alan Rosenthal’s
Foolproof One-Pot (Hardie Grant, £12.99) promises such drool-worthy dishes.
The concept
As it says on the tin, the recipes are designed to use just one pot or dish to cook everything in. However, as Rosenthal explains in the introduction, the food is about more than just convenience and ease. One-pot cooking is, more often than not, about comfort, with dishes designed to be plonked on the table for everyone to help themselves. It’s about conviviality, generosity and homeliness. Divided into sections based on cooking method (“on the hob”, “low and slow”, “absorption” – in which grains or pasta soak up flavours), Rosenthal whets our appetites with glorious photograp
Kirsty Scobie and Fenella Renwick s debut cookbook gives readers a peep into their Ullapool seafood shack
19 February 2021 • 12:00pm
Kirsty Scobie and Fenella Renwick s shack showcases the best seafood Scotland has to offer
Credit: Clair Irwin Photography
Kirsty Scobie and Fenella Renwick, co-authors of The Seafood Shack (Kitchen Press, £20) live in Ullapool, a coastal village in the north-western reaches of the Scottish Highlands. In 2016, frustrated by the lack of places serving just-landed seafood, the pair opened said shack, turning the catch landed by their family and friends into unfussy dishes for locals and tourists alike. The past five years have seen their stock rise, culminating in this book.
Everyday inspiration starring the humble egg
Credit: Ryland, Peters and Small
How do you like your eggs in the morning? Or in the middle of the afternoon, early evening or night, for that matter? As the name suggests, Eggs All Day (Ryland, Peters & Small, £16.99) is all about celebrating these humble ingredients, with dishes from around the world guaranteed to inspire you and your half-dozen, no matter when you plan on cracking them out.
The approach
The book is a compilation of recipes from a number of food writers, including Fiona Beckett, Ghillie Basan and Jordan Bourke, compiled by the publisher. Consisting of brunch dishes, canapés, mains, puddings and even drinks, the collection covers everything from poaching and frying to incorporating eggs into soufflés, custards and cocktails. Though many of the dishes (breakfast baps, baked eggs, fresh pasta) are variations on a well-known theme, there are some lesser-known dishes from corners of the globe that offer something new t