Cookbook tested: Sweet
Whenever Yotam Ottolenghi releases a new cookbook, everyone is in an uproar. Whereas a few years ago he sent us in the direction of vegetarian food, he now comes with a slightly more indulgent cookbook. Sweet is all about sugar, desserts, cake, cookies and everything in between. There isn’t a single savory recipe in it. FavorFlav tested recipes for you.
Yotam wrote the book together with good friend and pastry chef Helen Goh, with whom he shares a slight obsession with baking. Apparently, it’s not unusual for them to be sitting at the table with friends and not realize that everyone has already left, because they are so deeply engrossed in conversation. Naturally, about all the qualities of the perfect frosting or the lightest sponge cake. So we can certainly trust this duo when it comes to baking recipes.
Lemon poppy seed
As we’re used to from Ottolenghi, the book contains plenty of complicated recipes with saffron, rose water and cardamom. But there are also enough recipes for the beginner baker. For example, there’s a simple but incredibly delicious lemon poppy seed cake that you can make with zero skills.
The chocolate cookies with banana and pecans, lemon cupcakes with raspberries (including lemon curd and mascarpone frosting, hello) and ricotta pancakes with figs, honey and pistachios can also be made by anyone. Ottolenghi also lived in the Netherlands for some time, so you can even find a recipe for filled speculaas in this book.
Everything explained
Both the introduction to each recipe and the instructions are extensive. Each recipe states which steps you can prepare in advance, which steps you can skip if you’re short on time and how long you can keep the finished result. You are guided through the recipe, all the pitfalls and the moments when you think “oh no,” but which always turn out fine in the end. At least, that’s what Helen and Yotam assure you. Time to test.
Chai brûlée tarts
Crème brûlée is my absolute favorite, so it makes perfect sense that the chai brûlée tarts are first up. A recipe that may seem intimidating because you have to prepare the cream for the chai custard the day before. All you have to do is heat the cream with spices and bring it to a boil. Then put it straight in the fridge and you don’t have to worry about it anymore. So it does require some planning, but it certainly isn’t difficult. The crust of the tart is wonderfully flaky and buttery; it may shrink a little during baking, but Ottolenghi has already warned you about that, so you can easily account for it. A truly top recipe.
Sticky toffee 2.0
The sticky fig pudding with salted caramel and coconut is a spin-off of the sticky toffee pudding normally made with dates. The batter comes together quickly, and you don’t have to caramelize the salted caramel layer with coconut first. You do in most classic recipes, and making caramel can be quite a task. Here, you simply stir all the ingredients together and pour them over the cake. Thank you, Helen and Yotam. The flavor is amazing, and this cake even gets better with each passing day.
Donuts with saffron cream
But the absolute best were Roma’s donuts with saffron cream. Maybe not a recipe you would attempt as a beginner baker, but it’s definitely worth trying. Ultimately, this recipe isn’t complicated either; it just requires waiting for the dough to rise. The result is a heavenly light donut, rolled in cardamom sugar and filled with creamy saffron cream. My baking buddy and I both ate three in a row—they were that delicious.
This recipe also explains at every step what can go wrong and what you think will go wrong. But if you read the recipe carefully and follow it step by step, there’s no reason why you couldn’t put these fluffy donuts on the table. Honestly.
Everyone can bake
This book challenges the seasoned baker, but even if you have little experience, it contains easy recipes for you. And especially if you want to expand your repertoire with impressive bakes, this is the book for you, because every recipe seems easy thanks to the super-clear explanations. And how fun is it to be able to say that you made filled donuts yourself?
Image: PEDEN + MUNK
Sweet
Yotam Ottolenghi &Helen Goh
ISBN 9789059567580
€29,95
Fontaine Uitgevers
