Top five books to inspire your next trip (and meal)
These delectable cookbooks whet the appetite for holidays to come.
These delectable cookbooks whet the appetite for holidays to come.
1 Gohan by Emiko Davies
Simply translated, gohan means rice in Japanese, typically steamed and often topped with spring onions, nori flakes and other seasonings. But Australian-Japanese author Emiko Davies presents this simple staple as an example of “heart” food, reflecting seasonal ingredients and honouring time-treasured family memories. Her recipes are refreshingly uncomplicated and healthy, from noodles and miso-based soups to donburi bowls and onigiri bento boxes. “Everyday Japanese home cooking is not fiddly,” she says, “but quick and remarkably simple.” In her blog, Davies writes of her love for the “saltiness of umeboshi, the creamy bite of raw squid, the umami notes of dashi” and a “deep appreciation of tofu and anko (sweet red bean paste).” Now based in Florence she’s the author of five cookbooks celebrating the rustic joys of provincial Italian food, including the evocatively named Tortellini at Midnight. Thames & Hudson, $49.99.
2 Cocktails by Amanda Schuster
There’s been a mixed drinks revolution over the past few years and we’re not talking traditional staples such as G&Ts and whisky combos. The term bartender has become passe, replaced with mixologist, and while a man bun and juggling skills are not de rigueur, such hip dudes at the world’s top bars command a loyal clientele and social media fan base. But all that shaking aside, colourful concoctions are relatively easy to make at home with the right armoury and ingredients, and New York-based Amanda Schuster, a former editor-in-chief of the intriguingly named online magazine Alcohol Professor, shows us how in this well-illustrated volume. She covers 200 mixes and pops in anecdotes and details of provenance, from the likes of Mary Pickford to the Blue Blazer, Ramos Gin Fizz to the Adonis, and makes a welcome nod towards mocktails and alcohol-free “spirits”, the biggest beverage trends of the past decade. Phaidon, $59.95.
3 Plaza Athenee by Marc Lambron
Luxury lifestyle publisher Assouline is known for its big volumes celebrating journeys and destinations. But this homage focuses purely on the history and heritage, famous guests and culinary traditions of a Parisian hotel that opened its doors in 1913 and instantly established itself among the city’s creme de la creme. There are hundreds of photos, many by famous snapper Oliver Pilcher, of celebrity guests, stills from films and TV series that have used Plaza Athenee interiors as backdrops, long-time staff members, and images of guest suites and gilded salons at this Avenue de Montaigne landmark. Now a member of the international Dorchester Collection, Plaza Athenee is a culinary drawcard, too, with its menus overseen by Michelin-starred chef Jean Imbert in a palatial chandeliered “gastronomic” salon worthy of Versailles. Champagne and caviar lifestyle? Mais oui. Assouline, $US105 ($164).
4 Cucina di Amalfi by Ursula Ferrigno
Sun-drenched recipes from Southern Italy’s most magical coastline? The volume’s subhead sets the scene for this delicious detour into the Amalfi Coast, especially the realms of Sorrento, home to generations of Ursula Ferrigno’s family. As travellers to this southern region well know, it’s a dramatic coastline of serpentine clifftop roads, prettily painted houses clasped to almost perpendicular hillsides and groves of lemon trees every whichway. Food here is about tradition, seasonality, sunshine and freshness, often with ingredients plucked from the sea and grown on home plots, bushes and vines, and always including tomatoes and basil. The author presents 75 very achievable recipes, with a focus on vegetables and seafood, plus tips on assembling antipasti platters, nourishing soups, pizzas simply topped with the likes of red peppers, anchovies and mozzarella, and simple salads with rocket, arugula and figs. Hardie Grant, $50.
5 The Korean Cookbook by Junghyun Park and Jungyoon Choi
The 350 authentic recipes in this impressive 500-page volume put paid to the notion of Korean cuisine’s one-note reliance on kimchi. The two authors, a Michelin-starred chef and top restaurateur, accompanied by a researcher and food historian, note that since 2011, there has been a 300-plus percentage rise of Korean restaurants operating outside the mainland, and not all are the standard barbecue cheapies. Across three sections (fermentation, rice and side dishes), the team of Park and Choi introduce readers to dishes of banquet standard as well as hotpots, dumplings, pork ribs, deep-fried twisted donuts coated with sugar and cinnamon powder, and “hangover soup” thick with beansprouts, salt and anchovy stock. Photographer Jinju Kang brings the book and destination to life with her evocative landscape images, featured alongside background stories, and augmented with a detailed glossary. Phaidon, $74.95.
