Some great foodie adventures to check out!
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 | | great classes on Greek, Cypriot and Northern Spanish foods |
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 | | Mushroom Tours with Cameron Russell at Moorooduc Estate Winery start soon - Book Now or You'll Miss Out! |
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 | | Josie Bones, Chris Badenoch's Restaurant is now Open, just around the corner from Books for Cooks |
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Greetings!
And so Summer ends again! For us, Autumn is a favourite time of the year here in Melbourne. Mushrooms will be with us soon, the end of the summer fruits & berries is upon us but they are not yet gone, barbecues linger in cooler evenings, and cool nights justifying more robust meals begin. With Autumn comes Festival time, think Food, Fashion & Comedy as well as Film and F1, and a basket of events, as well as the start of a new publishing year for cookbooks. New books start arriving in March and this year we have some treats to come... During the Melbourne Wine & Food Festival we will be at the Edible Garden in the City Square (8-11th), the Langham MasterClass (12-12th) and the Theatre of Ideas at the Melbourne Exhibition & Convention Centre (12-13th).
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Books: The Art of Charcuterie
by John Kowalski & the Culinary Instute of America
 | | The Art of Charcuterie by John Kowalski $82.95 |
When we opened Books for Cooks eleven years ago, books on charcuterie were far and few between.
Apart from a couple of classics such as Jane Grigson's Charcuterie (which promptly went out of print - but thankfully back now) and the long out of print Time Life Good Cook: Terrines, Pates & Galantines there was very little for anyone interested in meat preserving or sausage making. Requests for books giving advice as to how to process a pig or make sausages were met with a sad shrug.
Thankfully, over the past few years, there has a been a revival of interest in the art of charcuterie. Many of you will know Michael Ruhlman's Charcuterie. We thought that was a great book (and still do) but this latest (from Ruhlman's Alma Mater) takes it to another level. With detailed discussions about equipment, seasonings, hygenie & safety, curing & brining The Art of Charcuterie provides an essential education in making smallgoods.
There are a large number of traditional and contemporary recipes with a number of them illustrated with step by step photos. All the recipes are by metric weight and are carefully and clearly explained. Whether you have any experience or not in this field, this is a must have book.
...see more |
Spice Temple Melbourne
a review
 | | Spice Temple Melbourne |
Recently we dined with our staff at Neil Perry's Spice Temple Melbourne. With two young children we've been starved of spice in our everyday cooking for the past few years and have been looking forward to this for some time.
To give everybody a choice we opted to forego the banquet and wander through the menu. The dish of the night for theatre value alone was the Fish drowned in Heaven facing Chillies and Sichuan Peppercorns (leatherjacket sichuan style). The fish is gently poached in chilli & peppercorn infused oil. I say infused advisedly as the amount of chilli & spice removed by ther waiter to allow you to almost see the fish was quite extraordinary- about 15 cups worth. Despite the volume of beautiful and redolent chillies, implying an inferno of capsaicin, the dish was quite subtle and delicate and fought over.
Other highlights included the steamed eggplant with three flavours, the tea-smoked chicken and the hotpot of shitake, oyster, enoki & wild Chinese mushrooms Yunnan style. The wine list was well weighted to the style of food. Lots of textural and/or aromatic/fragrant whites that would cope with the spice and Chinese flavours were available and interesting.
At about $100 per head, we thought the evening great fun, great food and good value. We'll be back!
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Books:
Tropical Cuisine: cooking in Clare's Kitchen
by Clare Richards
 | Tropical Cuisine
by Clare Richards $59.95 |
Last week Clare Richards, author of Tropical Cuisine gave us a heartfelt insight into both the perils & excitement of self-publishing a cookbook and the heartbreak & suffering of many of the small producers of Australia's native and tropical produce in the wake of Cyclone Yasi.
We were saddened to hear that unlike Bananas that do 'bounce back' quite quickly, some of the more innovative producers growing unusual Tropical produce, such as Rambutans, may have to wait years for their crops to recover. Clare's message, not unlike most locavores was to support local growers, ask for local produce and be aware of the air-miles many supermarket products are tarnished by.
We enjoyed cooking from Tropical Cuisine. Much of the produce is available, particularly in Asian or Specialty growers. Our favourite was the Coconut/Tapioca Pancakes with Roast Duck & Lychee salad; a tropical version of Peking Duck with a native plum sauce rather than Hoisin.
We said this was one of the best self-published books we'd seen and we've been vindicated by Clare winning an award in The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. Clare is currently on her way to Paris for the 'Best in the World' Awards where Tropical Cuisine is in the running.
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Event: 5th March - 700 years of Armagnac - this Saturday - a few spots left!
Cassis, Monsieur Truffe & Spirits of France
 | | Armagnac Verre |
One of the highlights for this festival for Tim will be the Armagnac & Chocolate tasting this Saturday Armagnac is the great grandfather of Cognac in many ways and is still artisanly hand crafted.
Good Armagnac is not always easy to find and this is a chance to discover the real Armagnac, France's oldest spirit, celebrating its 700th anniversary in an intimate appreciation workshop presented by Valerie Blayac from Spirits of France.
Your evening of sensory discovery will include tastings of three Armagnacs and two Cognacs, accompanied by chocolates from Monsieur Truffe at his caf� in Smith St, just around the corner from Books for Cooks.
Monsieur Truffe Cafe
90 Smith Street, Collingwood
Saturday 5th March from 7 to 9pm
$160pp, includes five tastings & chocolates
To book:
[email protected]
mob : 0466 460 416
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Books: more than French; recipes & stories
by Phillippe Mouchel & Rita Erlich
 | | More than French: recipes & stories $65 |
Just released, Phillippe Mouchel's autobiographical cookbook, is an interesting read. Aptly titled, Phillippe despite being renowned as a classically trained French Fine Dining Chef (he worked with Paul Bocuse for years), blends his classical and traditional background with influences from his travels, his family (his wife is Japanese) and his time in Australia. The result is well ...more than French. Phillippe's autobiography is woven between more than 100 recipes which have been recorded by Rita Erlich, one of the original writers, editors and critics for the The Age Good Food Guide. The recipes range from easily achievable and contemporary to complex and traditional.
The entire book is quite muted and subtle, much like its author. There are no contemporary 'tricks' or tools as we have come to expect from Fine Dining Chefs these days but rather detailed instructions and careful and considered recipes. Some of the recipes retain a sense of formality that some chefs describe, as 'old school', but are represented freshly. As such, we rather like it.
Phillippe is well known in Melbourne as the Executive Chef who opened Paul Bocuse in Melbourne well over a decade ago. Since then he has opened and closed the succesful and award winning Brasserie at Crown and now opened PM 24 in the City.
...see more... |
Chianina Beef
Great beef grown locally
 | | Chianina Beef |
Chianina Cattle are the traditional cattle of Tuscany and are the source for the famous dish 'Bistecca Fiorentina'. Chianina are an ancient breed and were almost extinct in Tuscany only a few years ago. Famously written about in Bill Buford's Heat, the Chianina is the mainstay of traditional Tuscan farming and rural cuisine. Its champion over the years has been Dario Cecchini, the famous butcher of Pranzo. Our dear friends Daniela and Sam are breeding Chianina in Gippsland and their beef (which graces the table at Grossi Florentino and a a number of other fine restaurants in Australia) is now available for purchase. We've bought a pack or two and can highly recommend it. Check it out if you are interested in ethically raised, dry aged beef with taste. |
Books: Martin Bosley
Martin Bosley
 | | Martin Bosley by Martin Bosley $65 |
Several years ago Martin Bosley appeared at the Melbourne Wine & Food Festival. Martin is a highly regarded fine dining chef from Wellington New Zealand but is not so well known outside of New Zealand. In our view, he should be. This is a beautiful volume of contemporary fine dining, showcasing New Zealand produce, particularly seafood . This is an elegant, engaging and beautiful book. Martin has written about two restaurants, the now closed Brasserie Flipp and his current restaurant Martin Bosley in Oriental Bay Wellington. The styles of food are quite different but what comes through is detailed excellent contemporary technique, composed plating, and flavour combinations. For example, try Scallops with Preserved Lemon, Soya Beans, Potato Veloute, Prosciutto Powder and Crushed Almonds; Salmon with Thyme Bee Pollen and Smoked Honey Gelee; Bluff Oysters, Roasted Pork Belly & Jerusalem Artichoke Remoulade or Rabbit Boudin Blanc with Snail Beignets, Young Carrots, Jamon Iberico & Wild Mushroon Sauce. Of particular interest are the various cubes of ceviche or gravalax or tartare that are one of his signatures. Out now, this is a book for chefs, aspirational home cooks or lovers of fine dining. A bargain at $65 ...read more... |
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Which brings us to a close for this Newsletter. Shortly we will have exciting news about Modernist Cuisine, a stunning 6 volume professional compendium of modern techniques, recipes & eye-popping photos due in April - stay tuned! Over the next two weeks during the festival, we are getting lots of books signed by:
Please contact us if you would like signed or personalised copies of their books. .
Sincerely,
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Tim & Amanda
Books for Cooks
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