SOULFUL SWEETS BY OTTOLENGHI & GOH

SWEET -- YOTAM OTTOLENGHI & HELEN GROH

“Sweet: Desserts from London's Ottolenghi,” a new cookbook, by Yotam Ottolenghi & ‎Helen Goh, presents a collection of over 110 recipes for their extraordinary sweets, from magnificent cakes, to delectable pastries, to crazy-beautiful confections and puddings.

While Ottolenghi became known for his award-winning savory and vegetarian dishes, served up at his London restaurants and shops, he started out as a pastry chef.

The Israeli born chef developed signature flavor profiles inspired by his homeland, including fragrant fig, rose petal, saffron, orange blossom, star anise, pistachio, almond, cardamom, and cinnamon. His flavors often described as “sunny.”

Pastry chef Helen Goh is a longtime collaborator with Ottolenghi. She brings classic baking technique to the party, while he pushes the envelope of ingredients. Both reference their childhoods as well as their subsequent love of travel.

Asian and Middle Eastern flavors are celebrated in “Sweet,” adding a much needed dimension to the Euro-centric perspective on dessert.

The first recipe that appears in “Sweet,” the Yo-Yo custard cookie with Roasted Rhubarb Icing, was Goh’s twist on a staple at her family house, growing up.

Born in Malaysia and raised in Melbourne, Helen Goh learned to care deeply about food growing up in a foodie family. Before she became a pastry chef, Goh had a career as a psychologist.

Self-taught, Goh gained her wisdom by reading pastry chef Emily Luchetti’s cookbooks. She developed an impressive career as lead pastry chef at several important restaurants in Australia.

Soon after, Goh moved to London in 2006, she met up with Ottolenghi. It was an instant match made in sweet heaven. They have been working together even since. “Sweet” is the first book they co-authored. Their recipe collaborations are nothing short of sweet genius.

Ottolenghi finds joy in pairing unlikely flavors, celebrating their unexpected synergies, as Goh makes them sing. “Blackberry and Star Anise Friands” takes blackberries to new heights in in a pink-frosted fantasy.

“Cinnamon Pavlova with Praline Cream and Fresh Figs” takes the classic meringue and fruit dessert to earthy depths and celestials heights.

Middle Eastern ingredients, like tahini and halva, find their way into American heartland staples like brownie… and it works!

“Lemon & Black Currant Stripe Cake” plays a visual twist, with vertical layers of sweet-tart yellow cake and winey fuschia icing.

Fragrance plays a major role in Ottolenghi sweets, like heady saffron, orange and honey madeleines.  “Rosemary Olive Oil Orange Cake” and “Flourless Chocolate Layer Cake with Coffee, Walnut, and Rosewater” standout for their fragrance as much as for their flavor.

Whether you’re moved to take them on in your own kitchen, or satisfied to enjoy them from the comfort of your sofa, the recipes in “Sweet” are inspiring to consider. Gorgeous photos by Peden + Munk make the book coffee-table worthy.

"It's ridiculously beautiful just like all his books, and filled with delicious recipes, same.”

— Sam Sifton, The New York Times

Ottolenghi’s previous award-winning bestselling cookbooks, “Jerusalem,” featuring his spin on the melting pot cuisines of the ancient city, along with “Plenty” and “Plenty More,” featuring his flights of vegetarian fancy, gave us an earlier taste of ingenious alchemy. “Ottolenghi” and “Nopi” feature recipes from his London restaurants which bear those respective names.

Ottolenghi spends much of his time creating and testing new ideas at his London test-kitchen. The resulting recipes sometimes end up in his column in the Guardian, while others end up in his shops and restaurants.

If you live in London, you can order Ottolenghi sweets and savories online for home delivery.

Read more about Beautiful Sweets in The Sweetest Escape: The Brando, Sweet Dreamy Visions: Isabelle Menin, Sweet News: Cinnamon Saves Lives!, Sweet Pie Designs by Lauren Ko and Sweet Dreams For Honeybees.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Mind/Body, Soul/Impact, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Arts/Design, and Place/Time, Daily Fix posts.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Peden + Munk. “Cinnamon Pavlova with Praline Cream & Fresh Figs.” From “Sweet.” Book by Yotam Ottolenghi & Helen Goh. Courtesy of Ten Speed Press.
2. Image: by Peden + Munk. “Sweet.” Book by Yotam Ottolenghi & Helen Goh. Book Cover courtesy of Ten Speed Press.
3. Image: by Peden + Munk. “Pistachio and Rosewater Semolina Cake. ”From “Sweet.” Book by Yotam Ottolenghi & Helen Goh. Courtesy of Ten Speed Press.
4. Image: by Peden + Munk. “Custard Yo-Yos with Roasted Rhubarb Icing.” From “Sweet.” Book by Yotam Ottolenghi & Helen Goh. Courtesy of Ten Speed Press.
5. Image: by Peden + Munk. “Ottolenghi and Goh in the kitchen.” From “Sweet.” Book by Yotam Ottolenghi & Helen Goh. Courtesy of Ten Speed Press.
6. Image: by Peden + Munk. “Blackberry and Star Anise Friands.” From “Sweet,” Book by Yotam Ottolenghi & Helen Goh. Courtesy of Ten Speed Press.
7. Image: by Peden + Munk. “Tahini & Halva Brownies.” From “Sweet.” Book by Yotam Ottolenghi & Helen Goh. Courtesy of Ten Speed Press.
8. Image: by Peden + Munk. “Lemon & Black Currant Stripe Cake.” From “Sweet.” Book by Yotam Ottolenghi & Helen Goh. Courtesy of Ten Speed Press.
9. Image: by Peden + Munk. “Persian Love Cakes.” From “Sweet.” Book by Yotam Ottolenghi & Helen Goh. Courtesy of Ten Speed Press.
10. Image: by Peden + Munk. “Lemon & Blueberry Cake.” From “Sweet.” Book by Yotam Ottolenghi & Helen Goh. Courtesy of Ten Speed Press.
11. Image: by Peden + Munk. “Not-Quite-Bonnie’s Rugelach.” From “Sweet.” Book by Yotam Ottolenghi & Helen Goh. Courtesy of Ten Speed Press.
12. Image: by Peden + Munk. “Spiced Praline Meringues.” From “Sweet.” Book by Yotam Ottolenghi & Helen Goh. Courtesy of Ten Speed Press.
13. Image: by Peden + Munk. “Pistachio and Rosewater Semolina Cake.” From “Sweet.” Book by Yotam Ottolenghi & Helen Goh. Courtesy of Ten Speed Press.
14. Image: by Peden + Munk. “Chocolate Banana & Pecan Cookies.” From “Sweet.” Book by Yotam Ottolenghi & Helen Goh. Courtesy of Ten Speed Press.
15. Image: by Peden + Munk. “Rolled Pavlova with Peaches and Blackberries.” From “Sweet.” Book by Yotam Ottolenghi & Helen Goh. Courtesy of Ten Speed Press.