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One More Slice

I confess that I had not heard of author Leila Lindholm. She is a celebrated TV chef and author ...but in Sweden. Good to see that a few publishers are looking further afield for good cookbooks. A different slant is refreshing and now all we have to do is persuade Food TV producers that some different faces in front of the cameras, behind the pans, would be welcome.

This is Leila’s fourth book and it has its focus on baked goods, along with some pasta as well as some gorgeous ice creams. There are well-loved classics but even these have been given twists. The first recipes are for Pizza and there are a dozen varieties offered, as well as suggestions of a few items to be made with left-over dough. Pizza with asparagus and goats cheese makes good use of that short season when those distinctive veggies are at their best. Pizza pinwheels show the glitzy side of a basic bread which is artfully turned into apero nibbles. Sardines and parmesan give tang although I would try this with a little anchovy as well. These are rather like savoury palmiers on steroids.

Sweet Pizzas are a dessert departure. Ricotta and mascarpone form the bed for berries, apples, figs and chocolate in various combinations, and these pizzas are not only delicious but they are visual stunners. Simple to make and economic if one sticks to seasonal fruits.

I love real cheesecake. I am referring to baked cheesecake rather than those made with gelatine. No, nothing wrong with them, but I just don’t consider them as authentic. Give me a modest wedge of the real thing, preferably in a favourite café in New York, and I’ll be a happy shopper. Leila offers us a bumper seven kinds of New York Cheesecake although the original will forever remain my favourite. Once you have mastered the basic recipe then it’s just a matter of adding a little of this or a suspicion of that to make a lime, strawberry or pumpkin cheesecake. The mixed berries and the ricotta cheesecake are also rather tempting, though.

The Pasta chapter gives a basic dough recipe and, sensibly, recipes for ravioli fillings. To be honest I don’t ever make pasta from scratch unless I am making ravioli. It’s worth making a big batch when you do go to that trouble. The meat filling has few ingredients, one of which is cream for a silky moist richness, although the ricotta and lemon filling is both fresh-tasting and creamy. Just garnish with a little melted butter and a grating of lemon zest.

The author is Swedish so I guess it’s no surprise that Dime bars are featured in a recipe. I am an addict, so Dime bar ice-cream is my pick of the book. No need for an ice cream maker, the airiness of this confection relies on fluffy egg whites. Use the freshest of free-range eggs for this as all the ingredients are raw. Leila suggests Lime Strawberries to go alongside this ice-cream cake, but I don’t think you need them – a small stack of Dime bars would be visually appealing.

One More Slice is a practical and attractive book. The recipes are enticing with some innovations. I look forward to more from Leila Lindholm.

Cookbook review: One More Slice
Author: Leila Lindholm
Published by: New Holland
Price: £19.99
ISBN 978-1-78009-00-9