The Confident Cook

Book excerpt: Anyone who has ever used a Lauraine Jacobs recipe from the famous Cuisine magazine knows how fantastic they are and how well they work. Celebrating New Zealand's clean green, flavour-filled produce and recommending wine matches from among our huge range of peerless wines, this book by the longtime food editor of CUISINE is aimed at home cooks who want to cook well and expand their repertoire and who are passionate about food and wine. Lauraine Jacobs is the doyenne of New Zealand food writers and in choosing her 133 favourite recipes from over the years at Cuisine she is creating the stuff of many happy dinner parties to come. With beautiful photographs by Kieran Scott and presented in a stunningly handsome layout, this book is destined to become a classic. "I would easily classify Lauraine Jacobs as the high priestess of the international food and wine scene. The Confident Cook brilliantly serves up the ideas, recipes and thoughts that have propelled her to become one of the true leading lights of the gastronomic world. It's one thing to merely love all things food and wine with an extreme exuberance, but quite another to have professorial-like knowledge on the matter. Thank you, Lauraine, for this incredible and inspiring work from the heart!" Charlie Trotter Lauraine has done New Zealand proud. New Zealand food and wine lovers will feel a glow of pride at this collection of lovely recipes that does justice to New Zealand's excellent produce, including its outstanding wines. The photographs are delightfully evocative. And visitors will be steered towards the very best wherever they find themselves.o Stephanie Alexander