Newsletter: The great ckbk bake off! 🍰🥐🥧

A spotlight on Darren Purchese

Have you discovered the brilliant Darren Purchese and his oh-so-tempting recipes yet? If not, now is the moment to do so. We are fortunate to have four of Darren’s books on ckbk, and were thrilled to sit down with Darren to chat about his life, career, and passion for pastry. Born in Surrey, England, Darren has risen to global fame from his adopted home of Australia via award winning restaurants, guest appearances on MasterChef Australia, and now his role as judge on The Great Australian Bake Off.

Darren is known for his visually stunning creations and innovative flavor combinations, all rooted in the exacting techniques of his classical training. He and his wife, fellow chef Cath Claringold, have created edible flights of fancy for clients across Australia and beyond.

Darren’s mission has also been to share his knowledge and inspire others, including home cooks.

To that end Darren & Cath have founded Studio Kitchen, a site filled with recipes, videos, kitchen advice and more. And of course, there are Darren’s books, on ckbk in full.

Sweet Studio represents the pinnacle of pastry, set down for the more ambitious of us to try. Try these Raspberry Marshmallows, or explore a collection of Darren’s Sweet Studio favorites.

In Lamingtons & Lemon Tart Darren has refashioned classics and his own daring flavors to make recipes accessible to the rest of us. If you have never tried the much-loved Australian treat, a Lamington, you can now rectify that! It is one of a collection of Darren’s favorites from the book.

Darren’s other books Chefs Eat Toasties Too and Chefs Eat Breakfast Too give his savory tooth free rein, and are stacked with temptation for all hours of the day. We defy anyone to resist the Comforting Old School Cheese Toastie.

To read our feature and delve into the wonderful world of Darren Purchese visit the link here.

Find all 80 recipes from Chefs Eat Breakfast Too

Pictured above: Lamingtons from Lamingtons & Lemon Tart by Darren Purchese

Bake off with the best

What is the collective noun for Bake Off judges? An ‘excellence’ perhaps. We have not one but three of them on ckbk. Darren Purchese for Australia (as above), Prue Leith for the UK, and Regula Ysewijn for Flanders.

Prue Leith is a highly successful writer, food writer, cook, culinary educator and caterer. Her cookery books include the classic Prue - My All Time Favourite Recipes, summed up as Prue’s lifetime of good food, with recipes for dishes that “smell wonderful, look wonderful, and taste wonderful.”

With a special interest in understanding the cultural origins of recipes, food writer and photographer Regula Ysewijn’s books include her delicious debut Pride and Pudding. And in Dark Rye and Honey Cake, Belgian-born Regula, explores the food of the Low Countries where she is a judge in Bake Off Vlaanderen (Best Home Baker of Flanders).

While your thoughts are turned to baking, do explore our Baking Bookshelf for many more books on the subject.

Announcing April’s Cookbook of the Month

Now we have whetted your appetite for Darren Purchese’s cakes and bakes, our #ckbkclub Book of The Month for April is his very tempting Lamingtons & Lemon Tart. However, we'd love to see you cooking recipes from any of Darren’s books. Just join us on Facebook at ckbk, and post your photos and comments.

We look forward to seeing what you'll be making.

Apply to join #ckbkclub

What's in season: wild garlic

Wild garlic (ramps or ramsons) is a plant foraged from the wild with a short season, in the Northern Hemisphere between mid-March and late April. With vivid green leaves growing near to the ground, it is often particularly lush near water. Its leaves are best picked young, before the white flowers appear, after which the flavor can become too strong.

The leaves are tender and can be sliced fresh and used in a pesto or salsa, or wilted and incorporated into an omelette, quiche, or dishes that make the most of its intense allium taste.

Try a Wild Garlic Risotto, Wild Garlic and Lamb Salad, and any of these 12 Ways with Wild Garlic.

6 of the best coffee cakes

National Coffee Cake Day on April 7, celebrates this popular US staple a streusel topped cake served to accompany coffee. But what about cakes made with coffee? Here are six of our favorites.