Newsletter: Get experimental in your kitchen

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 Get experimental in your kitchen

Sometimes we want some new ideas to get us excited about cooking. What better for ideas than a new cookbook, or three! We’ve added three new titles to the ckbk bookshelves that we think will have you reaching for your pans with glee.
In Colu Cooks Easy Fancy Food, New York Times Cooking and Bon Apétit contributor Colu Henry brings us food from her Italian-American heritage, with a distinctly personal touch. She wants to help us all create food that we can be proud of, food that will take its place in our homes and our lives. The recipes come with a generous side order of love and advice. Try “You’ll Never Use Breadcrumbs for your Parm Again!” Eggplant Parmigiana, or Chicken Quintiliano.
A self-confessed pastry-phobe who always asks her guests to bring dessert, there are nonetheless some very tempting puddings. How about a slice of Peach Tart with Five-Spice Honey.

The MeatMen are the team behind the successful YouTube channel of the same name. Their book Hawker Favourites: Popular Singaporean Street Foods is designed to let you enjoy these cult Singaporean street food recipes even if you don’t have a hawker center nearby. Try chicken-topped Claypot Rice, or how about Roti John, a flavor-packed sandwich with caramelised meat and fried eggs. As an added bonus, just about every recipe in this book includes a video, too!

Private chef Mark Studley was named Cookbook Author of the Year by yhangry, and his debut Dirty: Dirty Food for your Filthy Chops is very tempting indeed. Studley is all about the fun of food. His book has no fussy techniques, and no snobbism about using store-bought ingredients – just food that is fun to make, and above all fun, and a little dirty, to eat. Try a Fat Dog, one of many takes on a hot dog – this one is overflowing!
Another option is the textural treat Gooey Bread Bowls with Twisted Bacon Dippers. As the author puts it: ‘sack off the spoons and use bacon instead because you’re a rebel.’
Find all 60 recipes from Dirty
Pictured above: El Chapo from Dirty: Dirty Food For Your Filthy Chops by Mark Studley

Raise a glass with Laura Hadland and ckbk

Award-winning drinks writer Laura Hadland – shortlisted for Best Drinks Writer by the Guild of Food Writers this year – knows a thing or two about liquid refreshment. In her new feature Take a Peek into the ckbk Drinks Cabinet! she offers a guided tour of the drinks recipes on ckbk – there are more than 3000 and counting.

With knowledge, eloquence and enthusiasm she considers beer, classic and innovative cocktails, the non-alcoholic, the fermented, tea-based drinks, and wine. She shows us thirst-quenching drinks, smoothies, shakes, and juices, that are far from just for kids. Of course, ckbk is the ideal place to explore food and drink pairings too.

Try a Champagne Cobbler, revisit the joy of Ginger Beer, or enjoy all of Hadland’s favorite recipes gathered in one collection.

The Guild of Food Writers 2023 Awards announcements

The Guild of Food Writers awards are an annual celebration of the very finest the industry has to offer, shining a spotlight on great writing from seasoned veterans to exciting newbies. This year marks the 26th edition of the awards, and September 6 saw the great and the good gather to see the winners announced at the Guild’s culinary-star-studded ceremony.

Watermelon with lime, chile & saltAt ckbk we want to congratulate those winning and shortlisted authors whose work we share with pride. Huge congratulations to Mark Hix, winner of Recipe Writer of the year for work published in The Telegraph! Savor Hix's writing for yourself in  the nine books available via his ckbk bookshelf.

Congratulations also to Felicity Cloake who was shortlisted in the same category.

Eleanor Ford is celebrating double success as her book The Nutmeg Trail won Best International Cookbook, following the 2020 triumph of her previous book, Fire Islands.

Another popular title on ckbk, Taste Tibet: Family Recipes from the Himalayas by Julie Kleeman and Yeshi Jampa was also shortlisted for the award this year, with the judges noting that it "throws light on a cuisine that has much to teach us about respectful frugality, sustainability, instinct and gratitude."
Last but not least, Ken Hom received the Guild's ultimate accolade, its Lifetime Achievement Award. This is an honour reserved for someone "who has made a significant and lasting impression on the food world". Ken has written more than 40 cookbooks and has taught millions around the world to use a wok and to enjoy delicious Asian food. We're proud to have many of Ken's most popular cookbooks available in full on ckbk.
 

Ingredient spotlight: blackberries

Blackberry, or bramble, usually refers to the common European variety of a fruit that actually has more than 2000 variants. It is from the same genus as the raspberry, but while the soft flesh of the raspberry comes away from its core when picked, the blackberry comes away whole.

Watermelon with lime, chile & saltBlackberry picking is a joy during its season – late summer in England – when hedgerows are filled with the thorny plants. The thorns are well worth braving for the fresh fruit, staining fingers and eaten as you walk, or gathered for later. Any fruit you have managed not to eat are delicious with nothing but a glug of cream, or they are a great addition to dishes sweet and savory.

Try a classic Apple, Blackberry & Plum Crumble, indulge in a Limoncello and Blackberry Pavlova, or explore the recipes in our 12 Ways with Blackberries collection.

6 ways to celebrate sourdough

2023 marks the 10th anniversary of Sourdough September, a month long celebration of all things sourdough from the Real Bread Campaign. In honor of a very worthwhile initiative here are 6 great sourdough recipes.

Sourdough Pancakes

from Slow Dough, Real Bread by Chris J L Young

Sourdough Twisted Sesame Rings

from Delights from the Garden of Eden by Nawal Nasralian

Sourdough Buckwheat Bread

from Bien Cuit by Zachary Golper and Peter Kaminsky

Sourdough Pizza Margherita

from Slow Dough, Real Bread by Chris J L Young

Sourdough Bagels

from The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking by the French Culinary Institute

Chocolate Walnut Sourdough

from A Culinary Journey by Le Cordon Bleu
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