WILD WEED PIE
A lifetime of recipes
Janni Kyritsis with Roberta Muir, photography by Ian Wallace
Published by LANTERN, an imprint of Penguin Books, H/B recommended retail price $59.95

Chefs have been waiting for this book for 25 years. Janni Kryitsis’ Wild Weed Pie will be as important a book as David Thompson’s Thai Food and ultimately receive the same prestigious international and national awards. In his years of cooking Kyritsis has shared his knowledge with hundred of chefs who have come through his kitchen and his influence on their cooking is unmistakable whether they now work in Athens, Adelaide or Shanghai. The stunning generosity of this book will only be really appreciated by those chefs and diners who have followed his food and mourned the loss of it when he left his last kitchen, MG Garage in Sydney to set about writing this book. Every single dish of his broad and fantastic repertoire is explained in detail and, for those cooks who must have pictures, Ian Wallace’s divine pictures do Kyritsis’ cooking justice.
Dishes framed in my memory as some of the best things I have ever eaten anywhere in the world, leap from the pages conveying the vitality, complexity and unpretentious presentation that is one of Kyritsis’ signatures. Kyritsis’ food is irrevocably rooted in his own Greek culture, but has morphed into a style that is totally and uniquely his own as it is neither Greek, nor French or any of the other foundation kitchens. This is not to say he doesn’t do some of the Greek classics, he does, but they all have the inevitable and original Kyritsis twist. For those of you who know his food well, every signature dish is included and every technique required to execute them carefully and concisely explained. At no stage does Roberta Muir steal Kyritsis’ voice or the generosity with which he approaches food. Kyritsis loudly praises Roberta’s patience and her ability to convey what he meant, humble adding that without Roberta the book would have never happened. Start with Rocklobster lettuce rolls with chervil and rocklobster sauce, Quail bisteeya, Salad of brisket, pig’s ear cartilage +green elk, Steamed fillet of beef in a bone marrow dumpling, with tapenade and Madeira sauce, Escabeche of red mullet with broad-bean cake +broad bean, cucumber and preserved lemon salad. Then for dessert Chocolate mouse with chocolate granita (divine), Belini sorbet (more divine) especially when swimming in Bolly as he used to serve it. His absolutely amazing Gold leaf chocolate pyramid (miraculous) a four-page recipe and a marvel of modern publishing where in most instances half a page is considered too long. Wild Weed Pie is a book to cherish for its amazing beauty and generosity and surprise, surprise the recipes work.

ELBULLI2003
ELBULLI2005
Ferran Adrià, Juli Soler, Albert Adria
Photography Francesc Guillamet
Published by approximately $200AUD
Only available on internet https://secure.elbulli.com/elbullibooks/

The books of Ferran Adrià and his collaborators Juli Soler, Albert Adria are tomes, the bibles of modern cookery. There is a 2005 edition but as yet not in English, French or Italian. One perhaps might wonder at the massed content and whether or not buying each one is worth the money but 2003–2004 certainly has vast changes from 1998–2002 and we are eagerly awaiting the English version of 2005. Having resisted these books, arrogantly thinking there was really nothing to learn after playing with them for almost two months this opinion is totally revised. The accuracy of the recipes, the succinct writing (and translation) leave nothing to chance and make the Elbulli books the Larousse Gastronomiques of the twenty first century. Certainly some of the presentation is reminiscent of the eighties in Australia but the elements are driving kitchens throughout the world to new heights. Cooking has always been alchemy, the ElBulli team just bring that alchemy to all forms of cooking and have, as for example with their Roner Digital Thermostatic found extremely practical solutions for more conventional types of cooking.

KITCHEN ESSAYS
Agnes Jekyll
Published by Persephone Books, London
Recommended retail $27.00 approximately

Agnes Jekyll (1860–1937) was noted for her home and her hospitality. This small but stylish paperback publication is the most satisfying culinary read of the past 12 months. A witty collection of remembrances and recipes without a single image other than those created by her wonderful words Kitchen Essays is an irresistible read impossible to put down. It is rare to mark 13 recipes to try, but it is the Dutch Omelet, p20, layers of omelette and cheese laden béchamel that is made in advance and puffed in the oven that has so far won most hearts. Served with a salad of baby bitter greens to cut through the richness it is utterly mouth–watering. An absolutely delicious read!

THE KITCHEN DIARIES
Nigel Slater
Photography Jonathan Lovekin
Published by Fourth Estate, London, P/B $39.99

If you detest prettily plated food that looks so styled it is not intended for eating you will love this book. Slater is relatively young (and looks younger) and already has seven really good books to his credit with many devoted fans to his kitchen/food philosophy. This latest book is all about real food eaten in season. The Kitchen Diaries may be a bit upside down for Australia having been written in the northern hemisphere but it’s easy enough to figure out.
Lovekin’s wonderful pictures lack for the quality printing and paper they deserve, but regardless this is a very worthwhile book with lots of achievable ideas for good every day cooking. This is an important book for many reasons but most importantly it is a reminder to new cooks that the seasons still exist. Food cooked in season will taste better than well travelled out of season food and good cooks throughout the world who celebrate this concept will rush to support this book by buying it.