The Essential Cook's Kitchen
Traditional culinary skills, from breadmaking and dairy to preserving and curing
Published on 17. May 2018
Book
Hardback
192 pages
978-1-911127-66-6 (ISBN)
Description
From artisan baking recipes to mouthwatering pickles and preserves, The Essential Cook's Kitchen teaches you everything you need to master the art of traditional home cooking.
Full of mouthwatering recipes for tasty, heartwarming fare, this comprehensive guide covers all aspects of the country cook's kitchen, from the simple pleasures of baking bread and cakes, to curing, dairymaking, bottling, potting and preserving.
As more people look to relearn the culinary skills that their grandmothers would have known by heart, food writer Alison Walker brings these time-honoured techniques into the present day.
Rich with detail, each section guides you through an essential skill of the country kitchen, teaching you about the ingredients, techniques and equipment as well as the recipes needed to make these tantalizing home-produced delicacies.
From classics like the Victoria sponge and tempting treats like raspberry ripple parfait to rich and hearty game pies, learn how to craft delicious staples of the country kitchen from scratch. Along with these fully illustrated, easy-to-follow recipes are invaluable tips on technique which will equip you with a wealth of knowledge, as well as handy hints to make sure your cooking turns out just right. Bolster your kitchen repertoire as you learn about:
Baking breads and cakes - Fill your kitchen with the warm aromas of sweet and savoury bakes, from cottage loaves and crumpets to spiced carrot cake, as well as delicious tarts and pies.
Sweets - Whip up delectable sweets such as Cardamom fudge or dark chocolate truffles, or experiment with barley sugar and candied peels.
Dairymaking - Experience the delights of the dairy by learning how to churn your own butter and soft cheese, or make irresistible dishes like baked ricotta cheesecakes and nutmeg and bay leaf ice creams.
Preserving - Fill up your larder with a mouthwatering array of jams, jellies and chutneys. From lavender and lemon jelly to pear and pumpkin chutney, there is something to suit all tastes.
Bottling and liqueurs - Make the most of seasonal fruits by transforming them into fragrant cordials and liqueurs to cheer the winter table with out of season produce.
Curing and potting - Learn the lost arts of curing and smoking meat and fish, as well flavourful recipes for your handmade sausages and pates.
The Essential Cook's Kitchen is filled with recipes that stand the test of time and skills and techniques that will make your kitchen complete. With this book, you can while away the hours and days baking, bottling and preserving food and drink that is a pleasure to create and a joy to eat.
Full of mouthwatering recipes for tasty, heartwarming fare, this comprehensive guide covers all aspects of the country cook's kitchen, from the simple pleasures of baking bread and cakes, to curing, dairymaking, bottling, potting and preserving.
As more people look to relearn the culinary skills that their grandmothers would have known by heart, food writer Alison Walker brings these time-honoured techniques into the present day.
Rich with detail, each section guides you through an essential skill of the country kitchen, teaching you about the ingredients, techniques and equipment as well as the recipes needed to make these tantalizing home-produced delicacies.
From classics like the Victoria sponge and tempting treats like raspberry ripple parfait to rich and hearty game pies, learn how to craft delicious staples of the country kitchen from scratch. Along with these fully illustrated, easy-to-follow recipes are invaluable tips on technique which will equip you with a wealth of knowledge, as well as handy hints to make sure your cooking turns out just right. Bolster your kitchen repertoire as you learn about:
Baking breads and cakes - Fill your kitchen with the warm aromas of sweet and savoury bakes, from cottage loaves and crumpets to spiced carrot cake, as well as delicious tarts and pies.
Sweets - Whip up delectable sweets such as Cardamom fudge or dark chocolate truffles, or experiment with barley sugar and candied peels.
Dairymaking - Experience the delights of the dairy by learning how to churn your own butter and soft cheese, or make irresistible dishes like baked ricotta cheesecakes and nutmeg and bay leaf ice creams.
Preserving - Fill up your larder with a mouthwatering array of jams, jellies and chutneys. From lavender and lemon jelly to pear and pumpkin chutney, there is something to suit all tastes.
Bottling and liqueurs - Make the most of seasonal fruits by transforming them into fragrant cordials and liqueurs to cheer the winter table with out of season produce.
Curing and potting - Learn the lost arts of curing and smoking meat and fish, as well flavourful recipes for your handmade sausages and pates.
The Essential Cook's Kitchen is filled with recipes that stand the test of time and skills and techniques that will make your kitchen complete. With this book, you can while away the hours and days baking, bottling and preserving food and drink that is a pleasure to create and a joy to eat.
Reviews / Votes
'This inspiring book will take you step by step through the simple pleasures of making artisan breads and farmhouse- style cheeses to preserving the autumn harvest fro year-round enjoyment and the simple, satisfying arts of curing, smoking and salting meats.' * Country Living * 'If you want to get back to basics and fill the larder then Alison Walker's The Essential Cook's Kitchen, another winner from Jacqui Small, should fit the bill, easy to follow, it takes you through skills that were once second nature. You don't have to have a farm or the kitchen to go with it, the recipes are scaled for the modern cook - and I love the homely illustrations too.' * The Bookseller * 'This cookbook manages to dip into your imagination and offer all the marvels you might expect to come out of a traditional country kitchen.' * Caterer & Hotelkeeper * 'Contains some lovely recipes' * Vegetarian Living * 'Clear recipes and very good instructions' * Fork Magazine * 'This is a comprehensive guide to the delights of 'country cooking' in all its forms, from the simple pleasures of baking bread and cakes, to curling, dairy-making, bottling, potting and preserving.' * Great British Food *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Quarto Publishing PLC
Dimensions
Height: 250 mm
Width: 191 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-911127-66-6 (9781911127666)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Alison Walker is the Food & Drink Editor of Country Living Magazine and loves cooking with British seasonal ingredients. After gaining experience in editorial magazine publishing, she retrained as a professional chef at Leith's School of Food and Wine in London and graduated as Student of the Year in 2002. She then worked as a food stylist on various television programmes and movie sets, such as the Bond film Die Another Day. Since then, Alison has worked as a food editor on various glossy women's magazines in London. Immediately before joining Country Living Magazine, she was Head of Cookery at Good Housekeeping.