39 8 DECEMBER 2022 Books of theweek NEW BAKING RELEASES Peter’s Baking Party by Peter Sawkins “I’ve been baking as long as I remember,” recalls the 2020 Bake O winner. “It started withmaking the simplest recipes withMum, then from the age of 12 I got completely hooked.” This new collection is aimed at encouraging ‘future baking stars’. There’s a child-friendly guide to basic techniques and its accessible recipes – designed to be ‘fun and exciting’ – include Bakewell cru ns, lemon and blueberry drizzle cake, and cranberry and pistachio florentines. There’s sage advice, too. “When things go wrong, try to learn from it,” Peter says. First, Creamthe Butter and Sugar by Emelia Jackson “This book is your complete baking companion, your new best friend to help you become the best baker you can be,” writes Emelia, a former winner of MasterChef Australia. The good news is that this hefty tome contains plenty to back up this lofty assertion. Recipes range from the simplest choc chip cookie to an elaborate opera cake that will test even committed home bakers. Everything in between includes Aussie classics (layered lamington cake), brilliant puds (baked custard tart) and indulgent treats (salted caramel choux buns). Baking by Feel by Becca Rea-Tucker Recipes in this debut collection from the Texan creator of the popular Instagram account @thesweetfeminist are organised by five emotional states – happy, sad, mad, anxious and hopeful. The idea is that “you can choose what to bake based on what you’re feeling”, writes Becca. Recipes for anxious bakers include gooey chocolate brownies (“I make these when I’m craving something comfortable, familiar and grounding,” she says), while happy home cooks can whip up a butterscotch pudding pie based on her grandma’s holiday recipe. The Bread Book by Eric Kayser Frenchman Eric knows a thing or two about baking. When gastronomic powerhouse Larousse was looking for someone to author its definitive guide to bread, they sought out the founder of Maison Kayser boulangerie for the task. This, though, is not the Larousse book of bread. It’s more accessible and aimed at competent home bakers, rather than posterity. Its 60 recipes for artisan breads include Italian rosemary focaccia, Jewish challah, Chinese bao, Turkish ekmek and, of course, French baguettes. CHRISTMAS TASTE AWARDS 2022 Cranberry sauce WINNER In season CRANBERRIES These ruby jewels are a fixture at the Christmas table. Though they’re also native to the UK (where they were named ‘crane-berries’ because they grew in the same boggy habitat as the long-legged wading bird), the tradition of eating them with turkey took o in the US, where their tartness became valued as an invigorating counterpoint to the potential blandness of Thanksgiving and Christmas roasts. You only need four ingredients tomake your own cranberry sauce. Simply heat plump berries with some orange juice and zest in a little water until softened, then add some port and sugar and keep simmering until thickened. Check out the recipe at waitrose.com for precise timings andmeasurements. It’s great with turkey, of course, but good with hamor cheese, too – try it in sandwiches. Cranberries can be used for much more than sauce, however. Theymake a resplendent topping for a game pie and are good in an elegant sweet-shortcrust pastry tart. Their flexibility is put to good use by Ed Smith in December’s issue of Waitrose Food magazine – hemakes cranberry and yogurt loaf cake and aromatic pork and cranberrymeatballs with tarragon sauce. Pick up a copy in store, £3.75 (free to myWaitrosemembers). BERRY GOOD Meatballs with cranberry (top); Ed Smith’s cranberry and yogurt loaf cake (below) Photographs: Eva-Katalin/ Getty Images, Photographer: Hannah Hughes, food styling: Amy Stephenson, styling: Julie Patmore If you’re not making your own cranberry sauce this year, then you’ll want to serve the very best shop-bought version alongside your turkey on Christmas Day. According to the judges of the 2022 BBC Good Food Christmas Taste Awards, that is none other than Waitrose Christmas Cranberry Sauce. “This punchy sauce has strong spicing, levelled out by tart cranberry and plenty of fruit,” they said. Waitrose beat sti competition to claim the prize – the annual awards are an independent blind taste test of the best Christmas produce from 13 di erent British supermarkets. Festive awards success as judges reveal their sauces
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