The Cook's Companion (Updated Edition)

The Cook's Companion has established itself as the kitchen ‘bible’ in over 500,000 homes since it was first published in 1996. This 2014 revision includes two major new chapters, two expanded chapters, 70 new recipes and a complete revision of the text to reflect changes in the marketplace and new regulations. Stephanie believes that good food is essential to living well: her book is for everyone, every day. She has invaluable information about ingredients, cooking techniques and kitchen equipment, along with inspiration, advice and encouragement and close to 1000 failsafe recipes. SAMPLE RECIPES Lemon Delicious Pudding Try Stephanie Alexander's ul­timate Lemon Delicious Pudding, a free recipe from The Cook's Companion, by Stephanie Alexander, page 556. SERVES 8 This is a classic and, in many families, the ultimate pudding – the golden sponge topping hiding a creamy lemon sauce. Lemon delicious belongs to the era when a roast was invariably followed by a hot pudding. Making 2 dishes rather than just 1 would have been seen as a sensible way of utilising the heat from the oven. 2 lemons 60 g butter 1 1/2 cups castor sugar 3 eggs, separated 3 tablespoons self-raising flour 1 1/2 cups milk Preheat oven to 180°C and butter a 1 litre oven proof basin or serving dish. Zest 1 of the lemons and juice both. In a food processor, cream butter with zest and sugar, then add egg yolks. Add flour and milk alternately to make a smooth batter. Scrape mixture from sides of processor bowl and blend in lemon juice. Transfer to a clean basin. Whisk egg whites until creamy and firm and fold gently into batter. Pour batter into prepared basin. Stand basin in a baking dish and pour in hot water to come halfway up sides of basin. Bake for 1 hour. Allow to cool a little before serving. I like lemon delicious best with pouring cream. Glaze For Baked Ham FREE RECIPE FROM THE COOK'S COMPANION BY STEPHANIE ALEXANDER, GLAZE FOR BAKED HAM, PAGE 491. grated zest and juice of 1 orange 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 leg of cooked ham cloves 1/2 cup white wine Preheat oven to 180°C and line a baking dish with foil. Mix zest, juice, mustard and sugar in a bowl. Remove skin (rind) from ham and score fat in a diamond pattern. Press a clove into the middle of each diamond. Spread half the glaze over ham. Place ham in baking dish and pour in wine to prevent ham sticking. Bake for about 40 minutes, basting once or twice with the rest of the glaze, until a rich shiny colour. ABOUT THE AUTHOR For 21 years from 1976, Stephanie Alexander was the force behind Stephanie's res­taurant in Hawthorn, a landmark establishment credited with having revolutionised fine dining in Melbourne. From 1997 to 2005 Stephanie, along with several friends, ran the Richmond Hill Café and Larder, a neighbourhood restaurant renowned for its specialist cheese retailing. In her recently published memoir, A Cook's Life, she recounts how her uncompromising dedication to good food has shaped her life and changed the eating habits of a nation. One of Australia's most highly acclaimed food authors, Stephanie has written fourteen books, including Stephanie's Menus for Food Lovers, Stephanie's Seasons and Stephanie Alexander & Maggie Beer's Tuscan Cookbook (co-author). Her signature publication, The Cook's Companion, has established itself as the kitchen bible in over 400 000 homes. With characteristic determination, Stephanie initiated the Kitchen Garden at Collingwood College in order to allow young children to experience the very things that made her own childhood so rich: the growing, harvesting, cooking and sharing of good food.