Fred Plotkin is an expert on both Italian opera and Italian food. His regional Italian cookbooks on the cooking of Friuli-Venezia Giulia and of Liguria have already delighted users of ckbk, and we pleased to also now make available The Authentic Pasta Book, his canonical work on real Italian pasta. Below Fred recalls the journey which led to the writing and publication of this much-loved work.
Read MoreNiloufer Mavalvala’s books have helped to bring Parsi cooking to much widespread attention. In this latest Behind the Cookbook feature, Niloufer tells ckbk about the origins of this unique style of cooking and how she came to write The Art of Parsi Cooking (just added to ckbk) and its followups.
Read More"Fiona Dunlop does it again and brings us a region's essence. This time it's the turn of semolina crumbs from Almeria and almond sponge cake from Antequera. She sums up southern Spain — a pivotal meeting point of religions and cultures — and avoids trends and fashion. Andaluz gives the confidence to find the area's best sun drenched dishes and cook them too." Yotam Ottolenghi
Read MoreAmerican pastry chef Nick Malgieri’s book, How to Bake: Complete Guide to Perfect Cakes, Cookies, Pies, Tarts, Breads, Pizzas, Muffins won a James Beard Foundation award when first published in 1995. We are pleased to add the updated Dover edition of this classic title to ckbk, where it joins an extensive bookshelf of Malgieri’s titles. In the Q & A below, republished and updated with permission, Nick tells Eat Your Books’ Jenny Hartin about the background to this, his first cookbook.
Read MoreWith an updated edition of cult classic, The Parlour Café Cookbook, released on 4 July 2024, ckbk spoke to author and café queen Gillian Veal and Kitchen Press’s Emily Dewhurst about Café Cooking: From The Parlour to Cambo Gardens. The book is now available in full on ckbk.
Read MoreJenny Jefferies latest book expands the horizons of her work looking at farming and fishing, to take an international view, with stories and recipes from 25 producers around the world. We spoke to Jenny about how this book came about, and what she learned while bringing it together.
Read MoreRoberta Muir ran the Sydney Seafood School for more than a decade and during that time the school hosted a Who’s Who of top Australian and international guest chefs. In Sydney Seafood School Cookbook, Roberta brings together all the key information you need on buying and preparing fish, together with more than 90 battle-tested chef recipes.
Read MoreWe caught up with Barbara Feldman Morse, the author of Madeleines: Elegant French Tea Cakes to Bake & Share to hear the story behind her book dedicated to these delicious French treats, best enjoyed warm from the oven…
Read MoreA Whisper of Cardamom, published this week, is available in full to ckbk subscribers. In this feature we delve into the tantalising interplay of flavour and emotion in Eleanor Ford’s enticing new book!
Read MoreThe latest book to be added to ckbk’s collection is Pellegrino Artusi’s era-defining work, Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well.
The book is a foundational text on Italian cuisine, first published in 1891 (not long after Italian unification) and still of key relevance today. It is celebrated by contemporary Italian chefs such as Giorgio Locatelli (who described it as “life-changing”) and writers including Bill Buford and Anna del Conte.
Read MoreThey say there are two types of people in the world: Italians and those who wish they were. Despite a very Italian first name, I fall firmly into the second group.
I’ve loved Italy since I spent six weeks backpacking down the Mediterranean coast from Rome to Sicily in the early 90s, discovering cacio e pepe pasta, buffalo mozzarella, authentic cannoli and Campari soda. I love its food, wine, architecture and history, but most of all I love its people and the way they embrace life and share it with whoever happens to be nearby, most often around the table.
Read MoreWe caught up with the distinguished author whose writing and TV work ignited a generation's passion for authentic Indian cuisine, steering them away from the diluted British adaptations. Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery is reissued this month and is offered as an à la carte launch special on ckbk.
Read MoreWe caught up with Samantha Clark to explore the profound influence of the original Moro cookbook, with its blend of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and North African influences, and heard what it’s like to run a restaurant with your life and business partner.
Read MoreFood intolerances and allergies are an unfortunate fact of life, but luckily ckbk has a whole shelf of books devoted to Free-from cooking. In this latest addition to our Behind the Cookbook series, Lucy Parr, author of The Friendly Baker (newly added to ckbk), tells us how she came to start her blog Lucy’s Friendly Foods, and to write this, her first cookbook.
Read MoreWhether you are already a professional chef, or are training to become one, ckbk offers the material you need to develop your skills, explore different culinary specialties, and build your own style. ckbk’s virtual bookshelves offer a treasure trove of inspiration and reference material to support your cooking.
The latest cookbook to be added to ckbk, The Chefs’ Knowledge, is the result of a collaboration between The Chefs’ Forum and dozens of top chefs active in culinary education across the United Kingdom. The book includes 100 basic recipes as well as a wealth of hints and tips for any budding chef. We caught up with several of the chefs who contributed to the volume, to get their take on culinary education and the important role played by cookbooks.
Read MoreZarela Martinez is one of the US’s leading authorities on Mexican cuisine and currently co-hosts the podcast Cooking in Mexican From A to Z on the Heritage Radio Network with her son Aarón Sánchez.
Zarela’s Veracruz, was published in 2001, and was accompanied by a 13-part PBS TV series. In this edited extract from the original book proposal, the author describes how she came to write about the cuisine of this region, a bustling modern area of Mexico which contrasts in many ways with Oaxaca, the subject of her previous cookbook.
Robert Wemischner is a pastry chef and culinary educator who for the past 18 years has taught baking and pastry at Los Angeles Trade Technical College. Robert’s long-standing interest in the flavor potential of ingredients culminated in The Dessert Architect, a text book designed to teach budding pastry chefs the fundamental building blocks and approaches which will allow them to freely express their creativity. We asked the author what led him to write the book…
Read MoreJeanne Strang’s book, Goose Fat and Garlic, is devoted to the regional and highly seasonal dishes of rural South West France. Patricia Wells describes it as “a book with a ring of authenticity; a must for all cooks with a sense of curiosity and a dose of ambition.” The book has legions of devoted fans, among them Alison Stattersfield, who has recorded her progress in cooking her way every recipe in the book on her blog My Year of French Cookery. Below she explains why this book, and the cuisine of the region as a whole, means so much to her.
Read MoreTo mark the December 6th publication of Savory vs. Sweet, the debut cookbook from Miami-based influencers Shalean and Stephanie Ghitis, we spoke to one of the authors to find out how the cookbook came to be published.
Read MoreFood historian Annie Gray is a familiar to many through her regular appearances on BBC Radio 4’s The Kitchen Cabinet. Annie has a passion for cookbooks, the older and more eclectic the better, and we are proud to have several of her own cookbooks on ckbk, including The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook and How to Cook the Victorian Way with Mrs Crocombe. Annie’s most recent cookbook, At Christmas We Feast which was added to ckbk this week, looks at the culinary traditions and mythologies which mark the festive season.
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