Bride & Groom Cookbook

The Age

Tuesday August 21, 2007

Frances Atkinson

Bride & Groom Cookbook

By Gayle Pirie and John Clark

The Five Mile Press, $39.95 (HB)

Will you, Margot, promise to scrape every last seed from the vanilla bean for the semi freddo? Will you always remember to pre-heat the oven when cooking a roast? Do you, Reginald, promise to separate yolks from whites? Will you stir the risotto consistently and light the blow-torch for the creme caramel?

Thanks to the title, it's pretty clear who this book is targeting. There are more than 100 diverse recipes - from buttermilk waffles with orange butter to puff-topped chicken pie to chocolate pots de creme including loads that cover the basics (mayonnaise, tomato sauce, chicken stock). There are also lots of tips about how to set up your first kitchen - together. The presumably happily married authors, Gayle Pirie and John Clark, offer a range of tips about holding a dinner party; correct portion sizes ("moderate"), a reminder not to forget to clean up "any spatters from the rim" and to "toast the chef". Each recipe comes with a spoon rating indicating degree of difficulty. Three spoons means "Let's just order in Thai".

This is the ideal book for couples who tiptoe timidly around any kitchen, gingerly picking up utensils and whispering, "What do we do with this?" Seasoned at-home cooks won't find much new here, but it's a pretty looking book with lashings of Tiffany blue and lots of step-by-step photographs. No doubt this will be a popular choice as a wedding gift but, hopefully, even after many years of marriage, couples can still have a giggle over pizza four ways (page 147).

-- FRANCES ATKINSON

© 2007 The Age

Back to News Index | Back to Home