Alice Hart: a new voice in food
‘Alice’s Cook Book’ is
available at all good
bookshops.
Published by Quadrille.
RRP £14.99
It’s almost impossible to credit that Alice Hart is still in her 20s. As well as being a chef, she was the
youngest-ever food editor at Waitrose Food Illustrated, has run a hit pop-up restaurant – The Hart and
Fuggle – in London, and a Vietnamese restaurant is planned for the near future.
A graduate of Leiths who also has a BSc in physiology and neuroscience, Alice has cheffed for celebrated cook Tom Kime, as well as at the renowned Griffin Inn in Sussex. Her pride and joy is Myrtle the Hurtle, a beautiful 1972 VW camper van with kitchen, which takes Alice on adventures to gather recipes. She also fits in caring for the fruit and vegetables she grows on her roof terrace in London, marathon running and wakeboarding. Alice cites her food influences as her mother and grandmother – both great cooks – her travel experiences and, of course, the Winnie the Pooh Cook Book, her earliest kitchen inspiration.
Alice is an exciting and authoritative new young voice on food who loves to share her culinary knowledge with friends. In this, her first book, she aims to encourage her generation of 20-30 somethings to cook the original, modern food they enjoy to fit the lifestyles they lead. Chapters are based around occasions, from Sunday lunches to barbecues and camper van picnics, with recipes grouped into Frost and Fireside (for cold weather occasions) and Sunshine and Strawberries. Dip into the book in January to find an inspirational New Year brunch, or during August for a vibrant and memorable faded summer kitchen supper for friends. Above all, the book is cook-friendly, with quick ideas for packed lunches and recipes to get you out of a fix when time is really tight. And the practical hints on timing a meal and scaling quantities up or down will make life really easy for people who love to cook and eat. As Alice says, it’s not just about cooking, it’s about enjoying life.
Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
A graduate of Leiths who also has a BSc in physiology and neuroscience, Alice has cheffed for celebrated cook Tom Kime, as well as at the renowned Griffin Inn in Sussex. Her pride and joy is Myrtle the Hurtle, a beautiful 1972 VW camper van with kitchen, which takes Alice on adventures to gather recipes. She also fits in caring for the fruit and vegetables she grows on her roof terrace in London, marathon running and wakeboarding. Alice cites her food influences as her mother and grandmother – both great cooks – her travel experiences and, of course, the Winnie the Pooh Cook Book, her earliest kitchen inspiration.
Alice is an exciting and authoritative new young voice on food who loves to share her culinary knowledge with friends. In this, her first book, she aims to encourage her generation of 20-30 somethings to cook the original, modern food they enjoy to fit the lifestyles they lead. Chapters are based around occasions, from Sunday lunches to barbecues and camper van picnics, with recipes grouped into Frost and Fireside (for cold weather occasions) and Sunshine and Strawberries. Dip into the book in January to find an inspirational New Year brunch, or during August for a vibrant and memorable faded summer kitchen supper for friends. Above all, the book is cook-friendly, with quick ideas for packed lunches and recipes to get you out of a fix when time is really tight. And the practical hints on timing a meal and scaling quantities up or down will make life really easy for people who love to cook and eat. As Alice says, it’s not just about cooking, it’s about enjoying life.
BEAUTIFUL POMEGRANATE JELLY WITH POURING CREAM
You’ll need to start this the day before. The recipe makes one large, obscenely wobbly jelly, or six person-sized creations. Squeeze the juice from halved pomegranates as if they were lemons, then sieve it to remove any stray pith or seeds. But watch your clothes; that juice doesn’t seem so pretty when it’s splattered down your best white T-shirt. I should know. In spite of any temporarily-ruined clothes, this is my favourite. And I think it might be yours.Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp caster sugar
- 800ml fresh pomegranate juice (squeezed from about 3 large pomegranates)
- 12 gelatine leaves or 4 tsp gelatine powder
- juice of ½ lemon
- single or double cream, to serve
- pomegranate arials (fleshy seeds), to serve (optional)
- In a saucepan set over a low heat, warm the sugar in 300ml of the pomegranate juice until dissolved and steaming, but not boiling.
- Soak the gelatine leaves (if using) in cold water for three minutes until soft. Squeeze out the water with your hands and stir into the hot juice until completely melted. If you are using gelatine powder, sprinkle it evenly over the hot juice and stir to dissolve. Add the remaining cold pomegranate juice, lemon juice and 200ml chilled water.
- Pour into six bowls, cups or 200ml moulds, or into a large 1.2 litre jelly mould or bowl and leave to cool completely, then refrigerate overnight to set.
- Either serve the bowls or cups as they are, or turn out: stand the mould(s) in hot water for a second or two to loosen the jelly, before turning out on to a serving plate that you have sprinkled with a spoonful of cold water. Offer cold pouring cream, double or single as you wish, alongside. And some extra pomegranate arials, if you like.