Cooking: Simply and Well, for One or Many

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My parents liked to read, cook and eat, quite liked their brood and made efforts to have us all at the table every day. In the kitchen, a small pile of cookery books (pulled from laden shelves), with a pad and a pencil for notes, awaited my mother’s interest. For his spirit boundless spirit alone, Lee should be classified as a national treasure. Likewise, this book is one to treasure.

Heat the milk in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the 2 tbsp sugar, the vanilla seeds and the strip of orange zest. Heat this gently until merely a wisp of steam rises from the surface. Thank you. Tis such a great honour. And, well, as it happens, there is to be another ,4 th Estate having just commissioned a second book. We barely touched on puddings, and I can say no more as the scraps of paper covered in thoughts once again litter desk and floor at home. What are your three favourite recipes in the book or recipes that best represent your style of cooking for readers who might be new to your food? As anyone who has seen him laugh and charm his way through the room at Quo Vadis would expect, Lee is as generous in prose as he is when talking about the book, heaping praise on the close team who helped bring it all together. Lee and friends shot the photographs for the book at his home, for a true reflection of his cooking – the chocolate tart is a little spilled, the pastry a little blond, the plates and cookware his own. “It’s all very real,” he says. “We’re keen on that.”Cooking is one of those books that makes us love our work. From time to time, there is always a book that surprises us, which is precisely what happened with this book.

Lightly flour the surface and roll the ball into a rectangle, about 40cm x 20cm. Fold this in three and turn 90 degrees. Roll into the same sized rectangle again and fold in three. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Repeat this two more times, turning each folded rectangle 90 degrees. Chill the pastry for an hour, or overnight, or freeze for future use. To make the rough puff pastry, sift the flour on to a wide surface or into a large bowl. Add the cold butter and salt, then, using your fingertips, work the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. Slowly add the water, about 50ml at a time, working deftly until all the water has been added. The dough will not be even but shape it into a rough ball, cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Head chef Jeremy Lee joined in 2012 and instantly stamped his mark on the building, refurbishing the décor and instilling his unmistakable take on traditional British cuisine. Quo Vadis’ location, combined with Jeremy’s incredibly popular cuisine, means the restaurant has become a favourite for celebrities, theatre-goers and many of London’s tourists. It's not going to be a destination restaurant, just a bloody good pub” - Tom Kerridge on The Butcher's Tap ChelseaTo make the frangipane, put the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat for a minute. Add the egg, beat again for a minute then stir in the ground almonds. So, in us, the likes of David had a following, but they didn’t get the wider attention they deserved until, perhaps, the 80s. At this point, great changes began in food, produce and restaurants; books began to appear with more frequency on every kind of cooking imaginable. As walls were being pulled down and boundaries blurred and as the classics lost their grip, restaurateurs started speaking of menus inspired by Elizabeth David. She, Jane Grigson and Julia Child were uttered by the lips of even staunch French chefs. A whole new generation of restaurants was opening, run and staffed by folk who devoured cookery books like thrillers. These books, written decades before, suddenly became, quite literally, the plat du jour. Lightly oil and season the skin side of the sardines, then lay them in the onion pan, skin side down, and cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes, until the flesh turns pale. Flip and cook for no more than 1 minute on the other side. The recipes in Cooking are arranged by favorite ingredients and occasions and include an introduction emphasizing the importance of the quality and provenance of ingredients. From plum compote with ricotta and hazelnuts to perfect anchovy dressing, this stunning collection of recipes is a love song to simple dishes crafted with the finest ingredients.