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Cookbook review: The MasterChef Cookbook

It’s a TV series which has captured the imagination of amateur cooks and would-be professionals. MasterChef has offered a showcase and sometimes a circus-ring to those who think they can cook a bit. It’s been a revelation. Yes indeed, British home chefs have skill, imagination and flair.

MasterChef is now in its sixth series offering contestants, for that is what they are, the chance to win the coveted title of MasterChef 2010. This book represents the efforts of the best of previous years with its battery of some 250 recipes. They are guaranteed to work in a domestic kitchen even though some of them have names of a dozen or so words.

This is a smart, crisp book with plenty of striking photographs. The text is clear and the recipes are well-written. It’s probably best described as a cookbook for the more confident home cook, although there is plenty here that is simple and even the more complex dishes can be broken down into their constituent parts. For example the Rabbit Saddle and Langoustine Mousseline with a Carrot, Lemongrass and Ginger Puree has four individual recipes which could, in theory, be used to produce other dishes.

The chapters are divided into starters, veg and fish, meat, game, and desserts. Each section offers some culinary gems, be they traditional or innovative. Curried Butternut Squash Soup: it’s an easy but stylish starter and comes complete with a Master Tip on how to make your own coconut milk. Glazed Goat’s Cheese and Beetroot with Pea Shoots Salad is a must-try. It takes a good 45 minutes of preparation which might be off-putting to the anxious, but a perusal of the recipe reveals that it’s the cooking of the roast beetroot which takes the time. You don’t need to keep the cooking vegetables company, so the real duration for hands-on effort is a lot less-daunting 15 minutes.

I am very taken with Loin of Pork Stuffed with Sweet Peppers with Aubergine Puree, Choi Sum, and Star Anise and Ginger Sauce. It’s a three-part dish which illustrates, in my humble opinion, the best of fusion food. If you are after pure Asian then Thai Beef Massaman Curry with Jasmine Rice is a good choice. This uses a homemade curry paste but you know you’ll manage when the author directs you to simply put the ingredients in the blender and whiz. A painless introduction to fresh paste-making.

Pineapple Tart Tatin with Coconut Caramel is a dessert I’ll make often. 20 minutes of work gives a stunner of a pud. Pineapple is a great-value fruit these days and can be found for as little as a pound. The pastry used here is ready-made from your local supermarket and the other ingredients are desiccated coconut and golden syrup, which you may already have lurking in the far reaches of your larder.

Any enthusiastic cook will warm to The MasterChef Cookbook. At first glance it might seem a bit over-cheffy but read the recipes and you’ll discover that they are many-faceted and each of those elements offers inspiration, education or some nice nosh. A great gift for lovers of the programme.