COOK THIS: Suqar by Greg & Lucy Malouf
Twice a month our writer cooks from the book and decides if these farm-to-table recipes are worth the investment.
For those that don’t know a whole lot about Middle Eastern cuisine, desserts could be the perfect entry point. They remind you that you do actually know some of these flavors: the rosewater in Turkish delight; the pistachios with honey and cinnamon in baklava; saffron ice cream; and of course, all those figs, dates and citrus fruits. Suqar, by Greg and Lucy Malouf (Hardie Grant; $40) celebrates the sweetness of the region in a modern way. Greg, an Australian chef, draws on both his Lebanese heritage and experience working in the Gulf Region to interpret traditional recipes for home cooks outside the area, adapting them with more familiar (and accessible) fruits, a dash of sherry or brandy to balance a dish, or adding exotic ingredients to a cake or cookie you already bake. The book takes a wide approach to “sweets,” covering desserts and baking as well as ice cream, preserves and even drinks.
It will surprise no one who knows me that while flipping through this beauty of a book I was stopped dead by the Clementine-Negroni Granita recipe. Clementine and blood orange juices are combined with sugar as well as a dash each of gin, Campari and sweet vermouth – the trio that make up a Negroni cocktail. Making a granita is usually a hassle because you have to keep raking it with a fork as it freezes to avoid ending up with a giant ice cube. But Malouf has a trick: adding a little gelatin allows you to forget it in the freezer while still rendering it “forkable” when you go to serve it. Genius!
The Maloufs have collaborated on a number of books that focus on Middle Eastern food, and it’s clear that they have worked diligently to translate the flavors so that those of us living outside the region can understand them. Many of the recipes are simple enough for newbie cooks, but even experienced bakers will find plenty to explore in Suqar.
Wendy Underwood tests out cookbooks weekly on Instagram at @kitchenvscookbook.
Excerpted from Suqar by Greg Malouf and Lucy Malouf. Photographs by Alan Benson. Recipes Copyright © 2018. Excerpted by permission of Hardie Grant. All rights reserved.
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by Wendy Underwood, Modern Farmer
February 8, 2019
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