As reviewed on The Cafe, TV3!
Fran Mazza is pastry chef who is half Italian and half Australian and she lives in NZ. She and her husband Aaron Carson have been the masterminds behind a series of highly popular Auckland cafes. Their food is all about three things – family, food and community. Fran’s cookbook Feed Me has over 100 delicious recipes for people who enjoy tasty food that can be cooked easily with readily available ingredients. There are also short profiles of the many cafes they run, scattered throughout the book.
There are so many stand-out recipes, but here are just a few that caught my eye:
Baked stuffed zucchini. Fran jokes in her notes that her father had an unhealthy obsession with stuffing vegetables – if he could stuff it he would! But this dish is absolutely a winner!
The Banh Xeo, a Vietnamese pancake looks sensational, and its gluten and dairy free.
For something from their cabinet food section, you can’t go past their pork, apple and fennel sausage rolls. These are definitely a step up from most sausage rolls.
Baking makes up half the recipes in the book, and these recipes are amazing:
There’s the Belgium Slice, that has mixed spices and cinnamon.
I personally love the Salted Caramel S’mores – which are very morish!
For vegans there is a delicious Vegan Brownie, that is healthy and tasty.
The Gingerbread biscuits are also another great vegan option.
Feed Me, Feed Me is a beautifully presented cookbook with a lovely selection of recipes, great food that is colourful, fresh and tasty!
Reviewer: Karen McMillan
Penguin Random House