Looking For A New Cookbook? Try These Dinner And Dessert Recipes Before You Buy

Looking for a new chef to fall in love with? These sweet and savoury recipes are shared directly from cookbooks released in the past year – test run them before you buy.

Buying a new cookbook is quite the commitment.

A tome of recipes promises new possibilities for your kitchen, but sometimes, too late, you might discover they are not quite to your taste. This collection allows you to test out handpicked recipes from recently released cookbooks.

Savoury

Cha Ca La Vọng

Melbourne-based Vietnamese chef Thi Le shares this recipe for cha ca la vong, a serving of fish marinated in plenty of vibrant flavours – think lemongrass, mam tom bac (fermented shrimp paste) and fish sauce. It’s a good one for serving a big group, as there is some theatre in the separate plating for the noodles, vegetables and dill-topped fish.

Find it in: Viet Kieu: Recipes Remembered From Vietnam by Thi Le

This super savoury recipe can be made with beef, lamb or chicken (the spice mix is a powerful blend of curry powder, chilli, turmeric and garam masala). It results in an omelette served in a baguette, with a scattering of coriander, chillies and spring onion.

Find it in: Tony Tan’s Asian Cooking Class by Tony Tan

Orzo & Goat Cheese Salad

Warm weather, cold weather – this orzo salad is suited to any season. It makes use of cherry tomatoes, a distinctly summery vegetable, but you could certainly swap this out for more appropriate seasonal fare (oven-baked will add pleasant sweetness if you enjoy those flavours).

Find it in: Soups, Salads, Sandwiches by Matty Matheson

Umu Pulled Pork With Orange & Garlic

This recipe from New Zealand chef Christall Lowe produces a pork shoulder slow-cooked in a combination of garlic, apples, barbecue sauce and orange juice. There are a few condiments that help brighten up the dish, including pickled red onion and herbs. It’s also served atop a takakau flat bread.

Cheese, Potato & Spinach Filo Pie

Rick Stein delivers pure, melty comfort wrapped in flaky pastry with this vegetarian-friendly potato pie. Two simple ingredients are used to give this dish a kick: black pepper and mustard.

Find it in: Rick Stein’s Food Stories

Chelow Kebab

This overflowing plate, which serves 8 to 10 people, features char-grilled kebabs, saffron rice and lavash (flatbreads) alongside flavourful condiments and sides. It’s also finished with a sprinkle of sumac.

Find it in: Persian Feasts: Recipes & Stories from a Family Table

Chard, Potato and Chilli Saffron Omelette

Breakfast, lunch or dinner – this omelette recipe works for all three. It involves chard (silverbeet) mixed in with potatoes, which are then served with a herby omelette.

Find it in: Mediterra by Ben Tish

Sweet

Piped Cardamom Butter Cookies

These cardamom cookies will create a lovely perfume while baking in the oven. It’s a fragile batter, resulting in a buttery, crumbly treat.

Find it in: Crumbs: Cookies and Sweets from Around the World by Ben Mims

Sticky Toffee Pudding

A cartoonish and joyful serving of sticky toffee pudding is hard to overlook. These may not resemble the ramekin-cooked sticky toffee puddings you’ve had in the past – they’ve been given a contemporary update so they can be easily stored and portioned.

Find it in: Patisserie Made Simple by Maxine Scheckter

Venetian Brioche

Chef Laura Zavan recommends serving this one for breakfast (serve with milky coffee) or afternoon tea (jam). It’s a sweet bread serving, made with a dash of rum and a little lemon zest.

Find it in: Venice Cult Recipes by Laura Zavan

Chewy Almond Cookie

Slivered almonds provide a crunchy texture atop a chewy cookie, with a recipe that could come together in about an hour (if you’re speedy).

Find it in: Too Easy by Donna Hay

Kanelsnurrer Cinnamon Buns

These glossy buns are twisted into knots, providing little peeks into the cinnamon sugar layer. The sheen is created with a homemade spiced sugar syrup.

Find it in: Copenhagen Cult Recipes by Susie Theodorou and Christine Rudolph