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‘If I knew you were coming I’d have baked a cake…’ As the song says, sometimes a cake is the very thing. A cake says celebration like few other foods, and baking a cake for someone always says something special. Which is why we can never have enough cake books, and are extremely excited to get baking from World’s Best Cakes: 250 Great Cakes from Raspberry Genoise to Chocolate Kugelhopf—by Roger Pizey and newly added to ckbk.
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Having spent decades at the forefront of fine patisserie—notably as long-term collaborator of Marco Pierre White and Chef Patissier of his three Michelin starred kitchen—the exceptional Roger Pizey knows what makes a great cake. Having worked at restaurants around the world, he has gathered examples of the most delicious baked treats, including and well beyond the classical British or French canon.
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Patisserie can be part science, part art, but what distinguishes this book from some written by Michelin-level chefs is how approachable it is. The recipes are well laid out, straightforward to understand, and avoid excessive use of ‘here’s one I made earlier’ mise en place. Roger wants any and all to enjoy baking a cake. As he puts it:
‘Whichever cake you choose to bake, you will know that the philosophy behind its inclusion is the same - the joy of a freshly baked cake.’
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This book is confidence-inspiring for the novice cake baker, and beyond tempting for those of us who have whipped up a cake or two already.
On the subject of cake, here’s our Cake Bookshelf for you to enjoy.
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Pictured above: Chocolate Cinnamon Babka from World's Best Cakes by Roger Pizey
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For the love of a preserved lemon
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Chef and food writer Clare Heal is also a fermentor, and runs fermentation workshops and field-to-ferment courses. For the latest in our Consuming Passions series, Clare shares the ‘salty-sour complexity’ of the preserved lemon—why she loves them, and why we should too. A simple recipe, first recorded in the 12th century,
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Clare sets out the history of the preserved lemon, and the bacterial reactions that occur when salt is introduced to this citrus fruit.
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Clare talks us through a range of methods for making your own jars of the good stuff, linking to the many recipes on ckbk. Her article is also packed with recipes and enthusiasm for what to make with them. Tagine is the obvious one, a Moroccan and Middle Eastern dish which benefits greatly from their bright and rounded flavour—try Chicken and Preserved Lemon Tagine.
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But Clare writes of other cuisines and dishes that use her favourite ingredient beautifully—such as Nisha Katona’s Preserved Lemon Masoor Dal. She also shows how preserved lemon can be swapped into a dish instead of fresh lemon and other citrus, and deepen and expand the flavor profile even of a sweet cake; fermented magic indeed!
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Tech Tip: Personalize ckbk to meet your needs
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To help you get the most out of ckbk we have added a number of great personalization features. To customize your experience, just go to ckbk's user settings page, where you can:
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Let us know how you get on, we always want to hear from you about what you are loving, and what we can improve.
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A gentle member of the onion family, the bold appearance and scent of leeks bely the sweet flavor and tender flesh they have once cooked. Leeks have been cultivated for centuries, and were highly prized in ancient Egypt and Rome.
In Great Britain, the Welsh adopted leeks as a national symbol—try Cock-a-Leekie Soup, a dish the Welsh share with the Scots.
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The thick white column of a cultivated leek is created by earthing it up, which compresses the leaves and keeps it pale. They have the advantage of being good to eat at most times of the year, and when spring and summer harvests are a distant memory. When preparing leeks, all but young fine leeks need careful washing to ensure any grit between the leaves is removed. No one wants a gritty leek!
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Leeks are excellent in a soup base, or stew, but they are also great as the star of the show—think classic dishes such as Braised Leeks or Leeks Vinaigrette. Try a Leek Gratin, a Spinach, Leek and Mushroom Pie, or any of the recipes in our 12 Ways with Leeks collection.
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6 of the best pancakes
With Shrove Tuesday on March 4, our thoughts turn to pancakes. Of course a sprinkling of sugar and a squeeze of lemon is the classic topping, but there are so many other great ways to eat them. Here are six worth making space on the plate for.
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from Simply Delicious by Zola Nene
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from Pescan: A Feel Good Cookbook by Abbie Cornish and Jacqueline King Schiller
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from Caribbean Vegan: Plant-Based, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Authentic Island Cuisine for Every Occasion by Taymer Mason
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from The Complete Indian Regional Cookbook: 300 Classic Recipes from the Great Regions of India by Mridula Baljekar
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from The Plant-Based Cookbook: Vegan, Gluten-Free, Oil-Free Recipes for Lifelong Health by Ashley Madden
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from Williams Sonoma Breakfast & Brunch: 100+ Favorite Recipes to Nourish and Share by Williams Sonoma
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