The London CookbookRECIPES FROM THE RESTAURANTS, CAFES, AND HOLE-IN-THE-WALL GEMS OF A MODERN CITY

ALEKSANDRA CRAPANZANO is the recipient of the James Beard Foundation M.F.K. Fisher Award for distinguished writing, and her work has appeared in several anthologies including Best Food Writing 2013. She writes the “A Little Something Sweet” dessert column for the Wall Street Journal and frequently writes their lengthy “Mega Meal” page. She has written about food for the New York Times Magazine, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Saveur, and Travel & Leisure. Now in New York, Crapanzano spent much of her childhood living in London, and continues to visit many times a year.

“London’s favourite restaurants offering their favourite recipes: what a delicious idea! This is as much about the vibrancy of eating in London as it is a working cookbook. Great stuff!” —Yotam Ottolenghi

“Aleksandra Crapanzano’s celebration of the new, vibrant, immensely creative, joyful, London restaurant world, of the best chefs behind it and their glorious dishes, captures so well the spirit and the flavors that have made the city a real capital of food.”  —Claudia Roden

“Food writers and journalists increasingly agree that British food has shed its bad reputation, and Americans are clamoring for cookbooks from London eateries such as Ottolenghi and the River Café. In this superbly written and photographed cookbook, award-winning food writer Crapanzano surveys significant shifts in London cuisine, noting the influence of chefs such as Fergus Henderson and Ruth Rogers. Readers need not have traveled to London to appreciate recipes such as Korean steak and shoestring fries, farro and porcini soup, scallops with corn puree and chile oil, and garam masala Christmas pudding with nutmeg custard. These and other dishes have been sourced from many popular restaurants and adapted for home kitchens. VERDICT Crapanzano perfectly captures all that’s exciting about the people, places, and foods that make up London’s modern culinary scene. After reading this cookbook, home cooks may find themselves planning a London vacation.” – Library Journal STARRED Review

“Crapanzano’s book takes readers on a journey through the current London restaurant scene. The book is filled with impressive and tempting recipes, along with engaging stories of the chefs behind the restaurants. Crapanzano, a food journalist and winner of the James Beard Foundation’s MFK Fisher Award for distinguished writing, engages the reader with wit and warmth. She starts her delightful book with an intoxicating history of the modern London restaurant scene—a useful reminder that the capital city has been an exciting place to eat for more years than naysayers might admit. Flavors from all over the world—Mexico, India, Italy, Japan—have made themselves at home in London and are reflected in the broad range of recipes that fill the book. Travelers to London would do well to choose this cookbook as a guidebook for touring the city’s restaurants. For those resigned to armchair travel, don’t despair: head for the kitchen. This book offers many unexpected and innovative recipes, and the directions and procedures have been modified to suit the American home kitchen.” – PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“The tired old sterotype of bad British food is being dispelled. The London Cookbook shows how, with recipes that are sophisticated yet cook-friendly from the city’s best chefs and restaurants.” – COOKING LIGHT

“Food writer Aleksandra Crapanzano, recipient of the James Beard Foundation’s MFK Award for Distinguished Writing, sure has been around the block — her words have appeared in the likes of the Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine, Marie Claire, andTravel & Leisure. Her latest venture has taken her to Ten Speed Press, where she’s captured what she calls the “soul” of one of the most diverse food landscapes in the world — London — for The London Cookbook. More than 100 recipes are laid out in the book, featuring renowned restaurants ranging from corner spots to fine dining establishments. Crapanzano promises to deliver an experience for experts of London’s gastronomic scene as well as travelers new to the city.” – EATER NATIONAL

“Like the best city-oriented cookbooks, The London Cookbook captures the culinary topography of the British capital in a carefully curated collection of recipes culled from the city’s best chefs. Each recipe is preluded by a description about the restaurant and the chef responsible for the creation. After being relegated to the lowest rungs of the world dining scene for generations, today’s British culinary traditions—as interpreted by London’s most talented chefs—demonstrate a whole new world view: one that embraces the many facets of the city’s vast diversity.” – DEPARTURES

INTRODUCTION

LIGHT FARE 1

SOUPS 33

PASTA, RICE, AND GRAINS 51

VEGETARIAN 79

SEAFOOD 103

FOWL 131

MEAT 157

DESSERTS 189

CHILLED DESSERTS 245

COCKTAILS 269