Sweet. Sensational. Spice. The luscious cover of this new cookbook says it all and is guaranteed to impress. Ashia Ismail-Singer is back with a collection of impossible to resist spice infused desserts and homemade delights. We all need a little sweetness sprinkled with a touch of spice, she says. According to Ashia, it’s the perfect flavour balance.
She creatively reinvents Western classics with a spicy twist and offers Eastern staples with her unique twist. The cookbook begins with an introduction to spices, including storage and preparation.
Saffron Swirls and Cardamom Dust is organised into seasonal chapters to take advantage of fresh ingredients when they are readily available and pared with complementary spices. Summer inspires cinnamon, vanilla and saffron matched with summer berries and stone fruits. Autumn desserts combine ginger, cardamom and star anise with baked apples and pears. Pistachio almond cake and spicy hot chocolate feature as winter indulgences. Spring recipes include lavender eclairs and spiced banana cakes. Gluten free and dairy free options are also featured.
“My recipes tell a story, my story, one that I love sharing. I am of Indian heritage, but I was born in Malawi, Africa. Political instability caused my family to move to the United Kingdom when I was in my teens and then later, I moved to this amazing country, New Zealand,” she says.
“My passion is food and I love sharing my love of cooking and writing and especially my style of cooking, which blends East and West and all the countries I have lived in,” says Ashia. Prior to publishing her first cookbook, My Indian Kitchen, Ashia was a regular food contributor for New Zealand House & Garden magazine. Follow Ashia Ismail-Singer online.
Reviewer: Andrea Molloy Bateman Books, RRP $49.99