Cookbook Reviews | Cookbookmaniac

Hope and Greenwood – Life is Sweet

Cookbook Reviews By Amy @ cookbookmaniac

In this jolly little gem of a book, Miss Hope and Mr Greenwood offer 50 of their most delectable sweet recipes delights such as toffee and fudge, coconut ice, gums, jellies, nougat and perfect hand-made chocolates. Like the confectionery they sell in their shops, everything in the book will recommend the use of the best ingredients, including fresh cream, butter and natural vanilla, and never use artificial flavours. You will also be treated to a delicious array of sweet stories, historical anecdotes and scandal which are guaranteed to make you chuckle. Exquisitely designed and lavishly photographed, Life is Sweet will tap into the current nostalgia for the confectionery we remember from our childhood and allow us to indulge our sweet tooth to the full. The writing style - deliberately jolly hockey sticks with a huge dollop of innuendo actually made me laugh. Guiltily because I thought for a moment that…

Rose’s Heavenly Cakes by Rose Levy Beranbaum

American Recipes By Amy @ cookbookmaniac

If you own The Cake Bible and have used and appreciated it. You must get Rose's Heavenly Cakes. And if you don't own any of these books and you love baking cakes and you want to learn to be creative with them, then get both the books. These are the best recipes that I have come across. Rose pays so much attention to technique and measurements to make the cakes very tasty, the crumb fine and the cake supersoft. Each cake that i have made either from The Cake Bible or Heavenly Cakes have turned out so delicious and delicate, if it weren't for my poor decorating skills then it would seem like it came straight from a professional bakery. I gave a huge sigh of relief when the second book was released in the US exactly one month before my sisters birthday. I really wanted to make a red…

Jamie’s America by Jamie Oliver

Cookbook Reviews By Amy @ cookbookmaniac

I have never really been drawn to the work of Jamie Oliver. I received his Italy book as a Christmas gift and was very impressed with its layout and use of colours. His recipes seemed enticing but i have yet to find inspiration from them to really test them. I was very drawn to the idea of Jamie at Home. Cooking from the garden and using seasonal products to reduce your carbon footprint and be healthy. Fantastic idea. Same problem. I didn't cook from any of the recipes. They just haven't grabbed me by the eyeballs and lured me into the kitchen like a big bad wolf. One day i was walking through a small bookshop and came across Jamie's America. "Interesting" i thought aloud. The striking cover with its red, white and blue and Jamie quite happily posing was enough for me to pick it up and flick through…