Heather Rose’s delicious warm lemon cake
Portrait of a recipe
As part of Word of Mouth TV's Perth Writers' Festival series, we asked authors to provide their favourite recipes. Some of them loved cooking, others not so much, but all could lay claim to one recipe that they had made their own. Heather Rose loves a warm lemon and almond cake recipe that she borrowed from Nigella and revved up a touch. "I’m always experimenting with cake, so I took Nigella’s recipe and increased the almonds and the lemon," says Heather.
Richard Fidler’s enticing Icelandic fish stew
Portrait of a recipe
We caught up with Richard Fidler at the 2018 Sydney Writer's Festival to talk about his latest book Saga Land, which he co-authored with his dear friend Kari Gislason. In it, he included a recipe for Icelandic fish soup because, says Richard, "wherever you go in Iceland ... they tend to have these little cafes ... that only have about four or five things on the menu ... and nearly every one of them had Icelandic fish soup.
Our take on Jennifer Egan’s cherry pie
Portrait of a recipe
Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Egan's husband is a brilliant cook, so she rarely enters the kitchen. That is, except, to bake. Jennifer has a soft-spot for baking, having inherited a very special pie pastry recipe from her grandmother. We didn't press her to divulge her heirloom recipe and instead went straight to Jamie Oliver for inspiration for the pie crust, then scanned the web for a magnificent cherry filling, cherry being a favourite of Jennifer's.
Annabel Crabb’s delicious pea, mint and feta pasta
Portrait of a recipe
Word of Mouth TV caught up with Annabel Crabb at the Sydney Writers' Festival and asked her to name her favourite recipe. She volunteered her best go-to recipe - the meal she loves to cook when she's at home alone. This quick and delicious classic prima vera pasta sauce is easy to make and a delight to eat; and it is bound to please your vegetarian guests at dinner parties.
Alabama slow-cooked ribs
Our second guest on Word-of-Mouth TV was Kelly Rimmer, the author of the heartbreaking contemporary family drama Before I Let You Go, which tells the story of a young woman doctor who discovers that her heroin addict sister is pregnant. The book is set in Alabama, which has very strict laws on the subject, so we cooked a favourite family recipe of Kelly’s, which is also an Alabama special.
Gooseberry & Almond Cake
Portrait of a recipe
For dessert, Graeme and Anne suggested a much-loved cake recipe which comes from another favourite cookbook, A Kitchen in Burgundy by Anne Willan. Gooseberries are thin on the ground in Sydney, so we used raspberries instead, and it it was delicious. We ate every last scrap - yum yum!
Bouillabaisse de Poulet Chez Tante Paulette
Portrait of a recipe
Out of the 200 recipes in Anne Buist's and Graeme Simsion's favourite cookbook, Bistro Cooking by Patricia Wells, 'Bouillabaisse de Poulet Chez Tante Paulette' became a favourite, so we decided to re-create it for them, making just a few subtle changes to the recipe, for ease of cooking and a richer taste.
Classic French Madeleines
These elegant cakes shaped like scallop shells are the perfect thing with a cup of light, floral French tea. Guillaume Brahimi’s recipe is flavoured with vanilla bean, lemon and beurre noisette – butter cooked until hazelnut brown, giving a nutty flavour.