Tarts: sweet and savoury by Maxine Clark

Maxine Clark’s upbringing in Scotland has stood her in good stead when it comes to pastry making and she comes to the fore in her new book, Tarts, Sweet and Savoury. Tarts cross a wide spectrum from delicacies served at cocktail parties to casual lunch or supper dishes and as a comforting finale to a meal and Maxine runs the whole gamut here (from the publisher).
There are a lot of great recipes in this book that I am keen to attempt at some stage. Photographs accompany step by step descriptions as to how to make your own pastry for your tarts as well. May just buy this book...
Rating - I give this 4/5 Not bad!
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Reviewed by Michelle @ admin

A Year in a Bottle by Sally Wise

Sally Wise is a regular guest on ABC Local Radio in Hobart. She has been a passionate preserver of fruits and vegetables for over three decades and has taught cooking classes for adults and high school students. In A Year in a Bottle Sally brings together a mouthwatering collection of more than 100 of her favourite recipes for preserves, conserves, sauces, relishes and pickles. The collection is enhanced by Sally's anecdotes of how various recipes came into her possession and how she has adapted them over the years. This is not a glossy coffee table book, but rather an extremely practical collection of recipes, tips and advice that will be useful to the complete beginner or the seasoned home preserver. It explains the various preserving methods clearly with a great troubleshooting section for any dilemma you might come across. You'll be inspired to give it a go and fill your pantry with bottles of fruits and sauces and jars of pickles and chutneys that can be enjoyed year round. I can heartily recommend the tomato chilli pickles and am seriously considering trying the 'sparkling rhubarb fizz'. My rhubarb plant is miraculously thriving in this drought and there is only so much rhubarb and apple pie one family can eat!

Rating - I give this 4/5 GREAT!!

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Reviewed by Julie @ Wendouree Library

Maggie's Table by Maggie Beer

Maggie Beer is a long - time resident of South Australia's Barossa Valley. She is deeply involved in the food culture of the area as a producer, chef and enthusiastic champion of all the valley has to offer. Here are recipes and stories that capture the rich flavours and colours of Maggie's home. Season by season, we discover how she cooks with fresh, local produce for simple family dinners and large festive occasions. We travel with her to the local dairy for fresh cream to make ice-cream, to the butcher for smoked meats and to the neighbouring beekeeper for delicious honey. The large wood oven in the garden is lit for baked lemony chicken and potatoes, a picnic is prepared to take to the local pine forest to search for mushrooms, and we join Maggie's husband, Colin, on a crabbing expedition in order to make classic crab cakes in the electric frypan. Come sit at Maggie's Table to celebrate the art of country cooking and to share the generosity and joie de vivre of one of Australia's favourite cooks - the marvellous Maggie Beer. (Publisher's notes).

Maggie Beer is a star in our house; we love her on the telly sharing her culinary wisdom in such a friendly, generous way. She's no different in print, which makes this book a joy to read for the stories alone. Lavishly illustrated, Maggie's Table makes you want to spend time in the kitchen producing good food to share, whether it's a simple cake or vegetable dish or more complex recipes.
Rating - I give this 5/5 GREAT!!


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Reviewed by Jan@ Ballarat Library