Cookbook Watch - June 2011

Laga mat tillsammans by Sara Begnér, (Norstedts) ("Cook together") is a book about cooking with kids. I think that's a great idea, and this book is perfect if you want to find new family favorites that are also somewhat h
ealthy and good for you. (Even though that's not the emphasis of this book, Sara has previously had a very strong health aspect in her writing.) Letting kids help in the kitchen is rewarding in so many ways - not only does it teach good habits and life skills, but it's often more fun to eat what you've helped make.

The book has nice photos - both of the food and of Sara and her family. A bit too many of the latter for my taste - it takes a lot of space, and the recipes themselves are kept brief. Some recipes use shortcuts like store-bought tortellini and meatballs, but there are also much more ambitious dishes like Osso Buco.



Camilla Läckberg is a famous author, and Christian Hellberg a successful chef - maybe not the most obvious pair to write a cookbook, but Fest, Mat & Kärlek (Party, Food & Love) is actually their second. (I reviewed their first book here.) This one is all about party food, what you're likely to eat with good friends. Most things look impressive but are actuallty quite simple. There's a lot of luxurious dishes including oysters, scallops, lobster and truffles, but also thai-spiced kebabs, and tomato salad with lime and tons of coriander, and a very yummy sweet potato dip served with fried flour tortillas. It's a beautiful book, with a nice layout and good photos, and definitely a good idea for those that like to entertain. It's a plus if you like seafood a lot, though.



Macarons are popping up everywhere these days - in bakeries (sadly, often pre-bought, frozen, industry shells with tons of additives), magazines, blogs and books. I don't have a lot of macaron books - up until recently, only the Japanese one called I Love Macarons, and frankly, that one isn't very good at all. So, I was excited, yet sceptical, when I recieved Macaron - Chic & Delicious French Treats by Annie Riggs, that just came out in Swedish at Bonnier Fakta.

I'm happy to report that it's great! The macarons are pretty and look just right (as opposed to the Japanese book, where they look lumpy and bumpy) and the recipes seem very promising. She uses pretty much the same basic recipe that I do, so I do trust that - she has a tad more sugar and less almonds, though. The book has about 20 flavor combinations, with detailed recipes. Some of them sound pretty exciting - I want to try blackcurrant chocolate ganache, and definitely banana toffée! If you like making macarons and want some new ideas - get this book!