Chef and cookbook author Julie Jones has always baked. It was the thing she did with her mum, standing on a stool at her side, and it was the thing that helped her manage her days and emotions when her mum was diagnosed with dementia, and then later taken into care. This deeply personal journey touched others when she began to document it and share what she was going through and what she was baking. She is eloquent on the therapeutic space baking gave her:
āWhen the children were in bed I would immerse myself in creating pastries; never with a plan on how the finished bake would look, just going with the flow, being artistic and spontaneous, the creativity taking my mind away from losing my dear Mother.ā
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Food always tastes better when made with love. Her book, Soulful Baker, is packed with recipes born of her love for her mother, and the baking they shared. Each bake is beautifully photographed, and presented with Julieās thoughts, and clear easy-to-follow instructions. From My Motherās Carrot Cake to Blackcurrant Scones, there are plenty of straightforward recipes if you are new to baking or want a tried and tested recipe.
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If you want to immerse in something more detailed try her Apple Rose Tart, or the delicious and spectacular chocolate mousse and meringue concoction that is a Concorde Cake.
Whatever you bake, follow Julieās advice: āBe spontaneous, be unique, be authentic, be proud of what you are making and most importantly, bake with love in your heart.ā
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Pictured above:Ā White Chocolate CrĆØme BrĆ»lĆ©e Tart from Soulful Baker by Julie Jones
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When multi-platinum recording star Snoop Dogg published a cookbook in 2015āFrom Crook to Cookāit wasnāt too much of a surprise. He was already the definition of the multi-hyphenate celebrity, with film, TV and entrepreneurial success alongside hisĀ rap, song-writing and producing career. But what may be more of a surprise is that it proved to be an excellent (and highly entertaining) cookbook, andĀ a huge commercial success.
Success which makes its 2023 follow-up, written with fellow rapper Earl āE-40ā Stevens, an obvious move. In Snoop Doggās wordsā
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āE-40Ā is my big homie, my brother, my mentor. He paved the way for me on the West Coast. In the 1990s, he was the first artist to show me the brand game and introduced me to the liquor business and St. Ides. Watching him expand his love for food and cooking over the years to his many successful businesses is some boss-level shit. Which is whyĀ Snoop Dogg Presents Goon with the SpoonĀ had to be the next cookbook, ya dig?ā
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Discover Puerto Rican cuisine with a cookbook classic
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āThis special Caribbean cookery of ours has a fairly traceable family tree. One can seldom be exactly sure how any really ancient dish began, of course. But it is safe to say that ourĀ cocina criollaĀ was initiated by the first human inhabitants of the islands, the native Indians. (..) For almost five hundred years the basic ingredients the native Indians used have been enriched by the culinary skills of newcomers who have chosen these blue-green islands as their homesādescendants of the original Spanish, British, French, Danish, and Dutch settlers, or of Negro slaves brought from Africa to toil in the sugar fields.ā Carmen Aboy Valldejuli
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On her honeymoon in 1936, the late cookbook author Carmen Aboy Valldejuli discovered a great shared love of foodāand of the dishes native to their island home of Puerto Ricoāwith her new husband Luis. Together they set about collecting recipes, understanding techniques and flavor, the result of which was their now classic and much beloved cookbook Puerto Rican Cookery.
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The book includes recipes for Puerto Rican favorites including mofongoĀ andĀ tostonesĀ (two great ways to enjoy plaintains),Ā pastelesĀ (a Puerto Rican cousin of Mexican tamales),Ā arroz con gandulesĀ (rice with pigeon peas and pork),Ā temblequeĀ (coconut pudding), andĀ coquitoĀ (a coconut-based eggnog).
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Find Fish Soup, and Fried Biscuits, Barbecued Pig, and sour garlic Aji-li-Mojili Sauce. And the sweet stuff is not forgotten, there is a whole section on Coconut Desserts, or how about a slice of DoƱa Carmenās Fruitcake.
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To explore across the breadth of Latin American cuisines, browse our Latin America bookshelf.
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Ingredient focus: bok choy
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Bok choy (pak choy and Shanghai bok choy) is a leafy green vegetable, edible raw, crispy, tender, with a delicate bitterness, it is widely used across East and Southeast Asia. The size and degree of greenness varies. Many varieties have a fleshy white stem, while some are green all over.
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A vegetable that works very well in a wide variety of stir fried and braised dishes, soaking up and complimenting spiced and zingy flavors, there is a wealth of recipes to choose from. Take a look at our collection of 12 Ways with Bok Choy. Try Bok Choy Stir-Fried with Prosciutto and Chicken Fat, or Baked Tofu with Peanut Sauce and Bok Choy.
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6 of the best slow-cooked dishes
Long slow cooking makes for the maximum time for flavor to develop, and neednāt mean a lot of workāthink dishes where the pot, or the oven, do most of the work. Take a look at our collection of Easy Slow Cooker Suppers, or try one of this delicious half dozen.
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from The Complete Indian Regional Cookbook: 300 Classic Recipes from the Great Regions of India by Mridula Baljekar
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from The Organised Cook: The Life-changing Way to Save Time, Shop Smarter and Eat More Healthily by Amelia Freer
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from For the Love of the Land: A cook book to celebrate British farmers and their food by Jenny Jefferies
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from Boronia Kitchen: The Cookbook by Simon Sandall
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from The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen: Recipes for the Passionate Cook by Paula Wolfert
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from Soups and Stews by The Editors of Saveur
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