Despite The Guilt-Free Gourmet being subtitled indulgent recipes without wheat, dairy or cane sugar, there are recipes with blackstrap molasses in them. Blackstrap molasses is a byproduct of the refining process of sugar cane. If like me you are sucrose intolerant, this is an ingredient you should not use.
Chapters are divided into:
- Brunch
- Sharing Plates
- Light & Fresh
- Foods From Afar
- Comfort Food
- Home Baking
- Sweet Treats
Recipes that caught my eye:
- Spelt bread (p20)
- Sweet potato hummus (p31)
- Roast quail with quince & figs (p45)
- Spanish meatballs (p46)
- Halibut with fennel, olives & tomato (p54)
- Mackerel with sprouting broccoli, cherry tomatoes & almond aïoli (p64)
- Thai coconut & lemongrass soup with shrimp (p72)
- Sausages ‘n’ mash with red onion gravy (p93)
- Aubergine & tomato gratin (p101)
- Flapjacks (p118)
- Orange-zest brownies (p120)
- Moroccan orange cake (p123)
What I thought:
I liked the guilt free because notes with some of the recipes. I found the layout in The Guilt-Free Gourmet a bit clumsy, with the recipe name in the middle of the page, under the description of them. Not all the pages are numbered, which is slightly frustrating. Each recipe has a photograph, enticing you to cook from the book. The ingredient list seems long for most recipes but that is because they use both metric and imperial weights, and spell out the words teaspoon and tablespoon. Alternatives are also listed for some ingredients, making the list appear daunting.
What I made:
I have only made the sweet potato hummus from the book. The recipe calls for a sweet potato that is baked until very tender. For a novice cook this might leave them at a loose end on how to start the recipe. However, the taste was exceptional and so worth making again.
Publishing information:
Disclosure: I was sent the book to review by Penguin Random House South Africa. I was not required to write a positive review. This post is in line with my blogging policy.
Inspiration published on Lavender and Lime December 11:
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- 2017 – Dried Fruit Compôte
- 2016 – What Remains
- 2015 – Win A Ball® Home Preserving Starter Kit
- 2014 – Pâte Brisée
- 2013 – Nomu Baking Kits
That’s an interesting take on hummus.. unfortunately sweet potatoes cost a fortune in France.. ;-(
They must be imported? And they are so easy to grow!
The sweet potato hummus would be my number 1 choice too. I’ve never heard of using sweet potato in hummus before and am intrigued. Plus, they are only 39 cents a pound now so super cheap time of year to buy! Thanks. Sounds like an interesting cook book.
Wow, that is super cheap 🙂
Sweet potato hummus DOES sound good!
It really was good!
This sounds like a nice book, Tandy
It’s one worth keeping!