Publishers Weekly - 09.03.2020

Cookbooks

hours. The result is thick, firm, tangy labneh—the more sheep or goat’s

cheese, the tangier it will be. It takes more time to hang out your washing

than it does to hang your yogurt, but the perception is that it’s really hard

or involved.

What’s your favorite “show-off” dish for guests?

Jocelyn Ramirez: My mole colorado enmoladas, because the

mole takes lots of time, ingredients, and patience to prepare.

This is the perfect dish to make guests feel special.

Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley: Maqlubet et ful:

it’s an upside-down Palestinian savory rice cake

layered with hearty vegetables and chunks of meat.

Anything that gets inverted onto a big plate just

before serving is the perfect show-off dish for guests.

It’s impossible not to make the ta-da noise when it’s brought to the table.

Akhtar Nawab: Anything baked in large format. It could be a

perfectly whole-roasted chicken or fish, or even a head of cauli-

flower. It encourages sharing and conviviality.

Leah Cohen: White pepper lobster. Everyone thinks lobster is

so fancy, but it’s actually a really easy dish to make. There aren’t

a lot of ingredients that you have to source, and who isn’t im-

pressed with lobster?

What do you make look easy but really requires mastery?

Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley: The perfection of a

perfectly cooked egg—firm whites, runny yolks,

nothing in between—is not to be underestimated in,

for example, a green or red shakshuka. The key is to

take your time: low heat and an eagle eye, and also

removing the pan just before they’re ready. The eggs will continue to cook

and firm up from the residual heat in the pan once off the heat.

Leah Cohen: I think all my recipes are something the home

chef can master, but perhaps a more labor-intensive recipe is my

curry puffs. Making the shape of the curry puff, making sure

the dough is not too dry, not too wet—even my sous chefs are

having to learn how to make it work. Pastry is always intimidating.

Jocelyn Ramirez: My chile relleno con papas y huitlacoche dish

does require some mastery in preparing the pasilla chile itself.

Once cooked, it can become a very delicate ingredient, and it

takes time to carefully remove the skin and seeds. Then it gets

stuffed with the filling, being careful not to tear the chile. This is why I say

to make one extra chile in the recipe—one will always tear on you.

Akhtar Nawab: Getting the most out of flavors is the hardest

thing for some people. It requires patience and practice and an

understanding of where you want the dish to end up. Also tim-

ing—knowing the right time to re-season something or when

the oil is hot enough to caramelize something. It all takes practice. —L.S.

From plant-based

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