Everyone Loves Tacos ~ Felipe Fuentes Cruz & Ben Fordham

Now I'm not one to argue with a couple of chefs who seem to know what they're doing, so when the title of their book calls out the fact that everyone loves tacos, I think it's more a matter of discerning which tacos are liked by which people, rather than arguing that there might be (crazy, I know) people out there who don't.

Now personally I am quite the fan of a good fish taco, and the boys have got me covered with a really fresh and frisky Tacos dorados de atún (deep-fried fresh tuna tacos) or some Tacos de salmon con frijoles negros picantes (salmon and spicy black bean tacos), but I know they might not be everyone's cup of tea, so if you're not that way inclined but still in the mood for some fresh seafood you might want to check out the Tacos de pulpo asado (octopus and parsley tacos) instead.

Okay, so I may have gotten ahead of myself a little and jumped straight to the seafood, but like many a great cookbook this isn't where the author's have started. There's a little about their background and a little about the taco's background ahead of a handy how-to on making your own corn tortillas. Next up they dish out some little cravings including Aguacate capeado a la cerveza (beer battered avocado dippers) and Tomatitos cherry rostizados (roasted cherry tomatoes) before moving on to breakfast and brunch dishes like Tacos de frijoles pintos y chorizo (pinto bean & chorizo tacos). They move into meat dishes, the Tacos al pastor (pork and pineapple tacos) look a treat, and vegetarian; don't go past the Tacos de calabaza rostizada (roasted pumpkin tacos) without stopping.

There's a great chapter of salsas and relishes before they switch it up again to desserts. These are dreamy - from the Tacos de tortilla a la canela y helado (cinnamon torilla & ice cream tacos), to the Taquitos de pay de manzana (apple pie taquitos), to the Tortilla de chocolate con helado (chocolate ice cream tacos with agave). All that's left is for you to pour yourself a Margarita de ruibarbo (rhubarb margarita) or a Agua de limon y menta (whole lime & mint agua fresca), put your feet up, and enjoy the sunshine.

Recommended for taco lovers of any persuasion.

Filipino Homestyle Dishes, Delicious Meals in Minutes ~ Norma Olizon-Chikiamco

I'm not sure how many of you have married a Filipina, but when you do, you marry not only the person you met, but also the whole Filipino culture - big families, festivals, four Ber months of Jose Mari Chan, Karaoke at birthday parties and central to it all, Filipino food. When my wife and I first started dating I mentioned to her that I like to cook, so on our third date I was set the challenge of creating Adobo without having looked at a recipe - she provided all the ingredients and I had to make them work together. Thankfully I could cook well enough to get me through that hurdle, and over the subsequent months she opened my eyes to a fantastic new cuisine, very different than the many other Asian cuisines that have been well represented in Australia for years.

While I was fortunate enough to explore Filipino cooking with the help of my partner, there were gaps in her knowledge and we could only call her mother so many times while cooking a dish. That is where books like this one come in - when we travelled to Cebu to meet her family, I took advantage and found myself some cookbooks in English to bring home, and this unassuming little book is quite a gem. It really is what it purports to be - it's the style of food we often cook at home - that her mother cooks, and that can be eaten every day.

Norma starts the book off with a brief introduction and then an outline of some basic Filipino ingredients, then dives straight in to the recipes. There are easy condiments like the Garlic Vinegar Dip, or Grilled Eggplant Relish, leading in to the appetisers like Papaya Achara, Calamares or Lumpiang Sariwa. The book has some delicious soups - you really can't go wrong in winter with her Bulalo recipe, and she has a nice Payapa and Ginger Chicken Tinola for the warmer months too. If you're feeling a bit under the weather, the Arroz Caldo is a simple but very well received comfort food. 

As you progress through the book you'll discover some of my favourites - all the noodles, the Pancit Canton, Pancit Bihon and Pancit Palabok. There's a simple Pork Humba, which is kind of the Cebuano variant of Pork Adobo, and which I've even taught my mother to master, and the delicious Bistek Tagalog that my wife makes best. There are recipes I love to eat but haven't yet mastered, like the Lechon Kawali, Kare Kare and Rellenong Alimasag, but what I really like about Norma's book is that it is really very accessible - the recipes are easy to follow, and is full of the type of things we do make - the slightly sweet Longganisa sausages, the Caldereta and Inihaw na Baboy. Finally, the book finishes up with a collection of dessert dishes such as the classic Halo-Halo, the very rich Leche Flan and my own favourite Buko Salad. I may have eaten several kilo's of Buko Salad last Christmas....

This book is recommended for anyone who has partnered up with a Pinoy spouse or for anyone wanting an easy way to explore Filipino cooking.

The Complete Book of Home Preserving ~ Mary Norwak

There is little in this world better than a cookbook that hits the mark perfectly, and in this case Mary Norwak has done it. From bottling to smoking, chutneys to crystallizing to liqueurs, this book has home preserving covered in every respect. Published in 1978, the photos are few and far between, and the food styling isn't quite up to today's standards, but if you are seriously considering preserving anything this book is the one to beat.

Not only is Mary comprehensive in her coverage of preserving subjects, but within each she explains the preserving process before providing a wide variety of recipes. Interested in potting meat, fish or poultry? Her chapter on potting details the best pots to use, how the meat should be prepared as well as how to clarify your butter for the essential layer of fat to preserve the meat. The recipes range from Potted Herrings and Potted Lobster through to Potted Mushrooms and Potted Pigeon - just in case you weren't sure what to do with that pigeon you caught crapping on your car.

Prefer to preserve something a little less unusual? Mary can get you cooking up a batch of Blackberry Jam, making your own Pickled Beetroot, creating your own Tomato Sauce or making Candied Chestnuts like a pro. Whether you're interested in Curing bacon at home, brewing your own Mead, or steeping some Sloe Gin, there are comprehensive instructional recipes, with excellent notes outlining how to get the best results from each preservation method, and troubleshooting should something fail.

This book is my favourite when it comes to preserving anything at all, so much so that when my mother wanted her copy back I tracked down one for myself and had the 35 year old copy shipped from the other side of the planet.

A fantastic resource from a noted author, this book is recommended for any cook wanting to stretch their preserving skills.

- Kath

Sex in the Kitchen ~ Opel Khan

Today I'm going to tell you all about Sex in the Kitchen, which I'm quite sure you've been dying to know about but have been too afraid to ask. Fear not, this is a topic I've explored at length and I'm more than willing to share this knowledge with you. There is something very sensual about the culinary experience, passionate and seductive, and Khan is quite unabashed in bringing this to the fore in his book, so let's step inside the pages for a moment and we can experience it together.

Pleasantly surprising, given that I'm sure the book was published with the aim of making sales based on clever marketing, is the fact that the recipes are accessible to the home cook, neatly presented with simple and easy to follow instructions, and each of them with a beautiful glossy photograph of the seductive treat. Further they stand up well to the test of time - published in 2004 the recipes don't feel dated and I'd happily partake in the proffered sex in the kitchen today, had I someone to participate in the experience with me (all the recipes serve two people).

The chapters venture from the sensual and romantic 'candlelit dinner', where you'll find tempting mains like the saffron gnocchi with broad beans & sage burnt butter, lobster with herb butter & spiced fig chutney, or duck breast with rose petal sauce to win over your potential lover, right through to the more base 'lust supper' where you can keep up your energy with a smoked trout salad or perhaps some fried haloumi with capsicum relish.

Elsewhere you'll find ways to remind your lover how sweet they are with the turkish delight soufflé accompanied by some home made vanilla ice cream, or perhaps you want to get straight to the point and pour them a slippery nipple. Personally I'm thinking about sharing a roast pumpkin, rocket & parmesan salad followed by the oven-roasted barramundi with clams, mussels & tomato, rounding it out with the saffron ice-cream & french meringue sandwich and then a pink lady. Anyone for dinner?

This book is recommended for adults - you know you all want it.

- Kath

Dark chocolate and orange truffles

Once upon a time I fell madly in love with a very wonderful person who happened to be rather fond of dark chocolate. We'd go to the movies where we'd hold hands and share a block of Lindt Intense Orange between us. When her birthday came along I was very keen to impress her, so I created this recipe especially, and as she liked the truffles so much I found myself recreating them every time I had an excuse to try and impress her.

The recipe is as follows:

1/4 cup cream
2 tbspn Cointreau
200g dark chocolate, chopped
(I like to use either Lindt 70% or a combination of Lindt 70% and Lindt 85%.)
Zest of 1-2 oranges, very finely grated
Cocoa (rich dark, good quality, to coat)

In a saucepan bring the cream, Cointreau, and orange zest to the boil, and simmer for 3 minutes.
Remove the cream mixture from the heat and add the chocolate, stirring until the mixture is completely smooth. Transfer it to a bowl and chill.
Shape the chilled mixture into balls and roll in Cocoa to coat. Refrigerate.

This last step might need to be done in two stages, making rough balls and then firming them up again before smoothing them and dusting with cocoa.

I hope you enjoy the recipe - I have retired it from my repertoire as although the truffles have proven very popular, in the end I lost the girl and now it's finally time to start dreaming up new recipes to make for new girls.

- Kath