The London Cookbook

August 15, 2016
Crapanzano’s book takes readers on a journey through the current London restaurant scene. The book is filled with impressive and tempting recipes, along with engaging stories of the chefs behind the restaurants. Crapanzano, a food journalist and winner of the James Beard Foundation’s MFK Fisher Award for distinguished writing, engages the reader with wit and warmth. She starts her delightful book with an intoxicating history of the modern London restaurant scene—a useful reminder that the capital city has been an exciting place to eat for more years than naysayers might admit. Flavors from all over the world—Mexico, India, Italy, Japan—have made themselves at home in London and are reflected in the broad range of recipes that fill the book. Travelers to London would do well to choose this cookbook as a guidebook for touring the city’s restaurants. For those resigned to armchair travel, don’t despair: head for the kitchen. This book offers many unexpected and innovative recipes, and the directions and procedures have been modified to suit the American home kitchen. Among the recipes for dishes that show London at the cutting edge of modern cuisine, such as a salad of grilled leeks, chèvre, brown butter, and smoked almonds; mussel-fennel sourdough soup; and molasses cake with garam masala ice cream, there are a few ever-so-British recipes, including a classic Welsh rarebit from star chef Fergus Henderson to round out the collection.

Starred review from July 1, 2016

Food writers and journalists increasingly agree that British food has shed its bad reputation, and Americans are clamoring for cookbooks from London eateries such as Ottolenghi and the River Cafe. In this superbly written and photographed cookbook, award-winning food writer Crapanzano surveys significant shifts in London cuisine, noting the influence of chefs such as Fergus Henderson and Ruth Rogers. Readers need not have traveled to London to appreciate recipes such as Korean steak and shoestring fries, farro and porcini soup, scallops with corn puree and chile oil, and garam masala Christmas pudding with nutmeg custard. These and other dishes have been sourced from many popular restaurants and adapted for home kitchens. VERDICT Crapanzano perfectly captures all that's exciting about the people, places, and foods that make up London's modern culinary scene. After reading this cookbook, home cooks may find themselves planning a London vacation.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.