Food for thought
It, admittedly, has been some time since the eponymous Sally Clarke?s Book was released, but in anticipation of the impending (and more affordable) paperback, a review is probably in order now. Anyone who has dined at Clarke?s Restaurant usually exits with a different view of food and dining culture, positive or otherwise. This is not to say that they are purely radical and visionary; rather, they are just very good at what they do.
The central challenge of Clarke?s to any diner is essentially one of trust ? there is a fixed dinner menu with no choices (except for bona fide allergies and vegetarians) that incorporates the freshest and most seasonal of ingredients available on the market.
A strange concept, perhaps, but one that calls out to many fed up with watery hothouse tomatoes, tasteless canned truffles and farmed salmon without any vitality. Ironically, Sally Clarke herself points to Alice Water?s seminal Chez Panisse as a source of inspiration, which is in California, drenched in unseasonal sun all year round. The recipes in the book are a result of many years in the restaurant kitchen, with tweaking as appropriate for the home cook.
Appropriately, they are divided up seasonally, and feature within each season full lunch, supper and dinner menus, with an ?&? section encompassing other dishes. It is perhaps this order that best brings out Sally Clarke?s philosophy of food ? the flavours build up successively with each course, and there are no discordant flavours, thus doing away with the need for oh-so-trendy palate cleansers such as lemon sorbets between courses. Meals are viewed and treated as a complete experience, satisfying hungers other than the purely physical.
It is impossible to single out just one recipe out of the many extra-ordinary ones that fill the book, but it is undoubtedly interesting (and seasonal) to take a quick peek at her autumn menu.
The lunch features a roasted gem squash with ceps, cream, rosemary and white truffles, which is highly tempting considering that truffle season in Alba is underway, and a quick trip to any good quality London deli will yield both the ceps and truffles. Equally mouth-watering is her suggestion of Stilton with assorted fruits, with nuanced flavours that bring out the best in the other. Also notable is her roasted free-range chicken (leaner) with a delicious combination of bread, wild mushrooms and pancetta on the side, the ingredients of which are easily obtainable in Oxford.
This, however, is just the tip of the iceberg, and there are numerous recipes for the enterprising and adventurous cook to try. And just to show her idiosyncratic side, there?s even a recipe for Bloody Mary!
The book resembles the restaurant in a way ? complete and satisfying on several different levels. Even non-cooks will love this, I?m sure, since she takes care to explain her recipes in detail instead of just instructing. That, and the fact that she does not assume professional expertise (though some level of competence is called for) on the part of the reader, means that Sally Clarke?s Book provides recipes worthy of the restaurant without the requisite ability or toil.
Sally Clarke?s didactic streak extends to her introductory and explanatory chapters on menu planning and such, which makes it more than just another cookbook with pretty pictures (although they are lovely to gaze at). She expounds on food without pontificating, displays enthusiasm without corniness, and most importantly, cooks with an eye towards the tastebuds and stomach, not the critics. As a cookbook, Sally Clarke?s Book is stellar; as a book, it is beyond superlatives. Buy it and cook your way to bliss.
26th Oct 2000