In her hotly anticipated debut solo cookbook, Ottolenghi pastry chef and recipe developer Helen Goh shares her 100 favourite baking recipes to show the many ways baking brings meaning and joy to our lives.
No one knows the 'why' or 'how' of baking better than Helen Goh, recipe developer with Yotam Ottolenghi for more than a decade, co-author of bestselling books Sweet and Comfort, food columnist for the Good Weekend, The Guardian and Observer, and practising psychologist. In this, her first solo cookbook, Helen draws on her upbringing in Malaysia and Australia, her acclaimed work with Ottolenghi and her psychology training to share her distinctive approach to baking with 100 delicious sweet and savoury bakes.
With recipes like Chocolate Tahini Cake with Sesame Brittle, Plum and Pistachio Bars, Pandan and Coconut Chiffon Cake, and many other shareable treats that offer both tried-and-true and creative flavours, this book is a celebration of community, connection and pleasure through baking. Helen's Champagne and Blackcurrant Celebration Cake will become your new go-to for a special occasion, while a batch of Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes for a picnic or charity bake sale is a small but powerful building block of community and solidarity. All of her desserts are impressively sweet ways to celebrate milestones and connect with family and friends. And after your sweet tooth has been satisfied, there are more than 15 savoury baking dishes, from a Puttanesca Galette with Lemon Ricotta to a Potato, Garlic and Rosemary Focaccia.
With inventive flavour combinations that showcase Helen's creativity, a wealth of thoroughly road-tested bakes and her reflections on living and baking well, Baking and the Meaning of Life is a one-of-a-kind companion bakers will return to again and again to spread joy, one cookie, cake, or cheese puff at a time.
Introduction
Cook's Notes
Chapter One: Giving, Receiving & Sharing
Chocolate Mousse Tart with Ginger-Poached Pear
Apricot Galettes with Chrysanthemum Frangipane
Peach & Blueberry Buckle with Hazelnut Crumble
Pistachio & Dried Sour Cherry Scrolls
Vanilla & Nutmeg Crème Caramel
Puttanesca Galette with Lemon Ricotta
Hojicha Shortbread
Cracked Wheat Loaf
Potato, Garlic & Rosemary Focaccia
Gnocco Fritto
Dutch Baby Pancake with Mortadella & Rocket
Dutch Baby Pancake with Berries & Yoghurt Cream
Chocolate, Rosemary & Hazelnut Financier
Roasted Pineapple with Coconut Fluff Cream
Chapter 2: Nurturing
A Very Good Apple Pie
Chocolate Cake for Everyone
Green Tea & Red Bean Brownies
Crisp & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Plum & Pistachio Bar
Jude's 'Bababka' with Chocolate & Halva
Banana, Pecan & Chia Bread
Rice Pudding with Plums & Cardamom
Apple, Blackberry & Yuzu Crumble
Lao Gan Ma Cheese Biscuits
Lunchbox Madeleines
Wholemeal Sultana & Walnut Loaf
Pita Cheese Crispies
Red Curry Chicken & Vegetable Pies
Caramelised Cinnamon Doughnut Cake
Maple Graham Crackers
Chapter 3: Celebrating
Matildas Tribute Cake
King's Coronation Scones with Morello Cherry Jam
Giant Chocolate Macaron with Chestnut & Chantilly Cream
Wimbledon Cake
Brown Butter Durian & Coconut Brownie
Ottolenghi Lemon & Labneh Cake
Broccoli, Leek & Ricotta Pie
Chocolate Tahini Cake with Sesame Brittle
Banoffee Ice Cream Cake
Chocolate Ginger Beer Cake
Champagne & Blackcurrant Celebration Cake
Carpathian Mountain Birthday Cake
Chapter 4: Remembering & Continuity
Italian Breakfast Cake with Olive Oil & Polenta
Peanut & Goji Berry Rice Krispies
Baked Nashi Pears with Five-Spice
Chocolate 'Turtle' Pudding
Favourite Orange Cake
Quince Tarte Tatin with Normandy Cream
Kopi Cake with Peanut Honeycomb
Grissini with Nori & Shichimi Togarashi
Prawn Sambal Buns
Strawberry Iced Finger Buns
Roasted Vegetable 'Pasties' with Kimchi & Cheddar
Crepes with Red Bean Paste & Walnut Praline
Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake
Pandan & Coconut Chiffon Cake
Upside Down Pineapple Cake with Salted Tamarind Caramel
Chapter 5: Community & Belonging
Blueberry & Vanilla Sugar Crackle Loaf
Pistachio & Cumquat Amaretti
Pickled Jalapeńo & Cheddar Scones
Rhubarb, Vanilla & Almond Tessellated Cake
Fruit & Nut Biscotti with Lemon & Fennel
Iced VoVo Mini Cakes
Biko with Salted Coconut Caramel
Fundraising Cornbread
Plum, Almond & Lime Baby Cakes
Pistachio & Pomegranate Madeleines
(Very Addictive) Chewy Cheese Puffs
Hazelnut Coffee Thins
Lamb Schwarma Cigars
One Penny Cake
Nat's Double Drizzle Lemon Loaf Cake
Spinach & Coconut Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
Chapter 6: Ritual & Tradition
Anzac Cake
Challah with Artichoke & White Bean Hummus
Karipap
Ginger, Orange & Almond Florentines
Apple Cakes with Ginger Glaze
Winter Pavlova with Cranberry & Lime
Travelling 'Speckled Bread'
Ten Layer Honey Cake
Peanut & Black Sesame Sand Biscuits
Coconut Tuiles
Vanillekipferl
Shoo Fly Buns
Golden Syrup Nut Tart with Figs
Pineapple Ma'amoul
Chapter 7: Learning, Growth & Achievement
Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes
Passionfruit & Dandelion Cookies
Napkin Cakes with Jam & White Chocolate Cream
Donovans Chocolate Hazelnut Bombe Alaska
Breton Butter Cake with Apple & Prune
Sticky Apple Pudding with Miso Butterscotch
Carrot Layer Cake with Buckwheat Praline
Lemon, Lime & Orange Brūlée Tart
Hojicha Cheesecake
Pear, Pepper & Parmesan Cake
Gypsy Tart with Bay Leaves & Cereal Crumble
Olive Oil Tortas with Sesame & Orange
Persimmon & Pecan Cake with Maple Icing
Acknowledgements
Index
