Recipes to Know by Heart: Xanthe Clay: Books

The way we shop has changed. We shop seasonally. We buy fruit and veg boxes. So we end up with lots of produce and we want to use it to make our favourite recipes - say a tart, or savoury pancakes; a gratin or a casserole; and, an ice-cream or a cake. But most cookbooks are very specific, so you have to wade through book after book to find a recipe that uses what you have. "Recipes to Know by Heart" features classic dishes with seasonal variations. A recipe for a meat pie also has suggestions for using game and autumn veg or chicken and summer veg. And a recipe for creamy risotto also includes variations using spring's asparagus and green beans through summer's courgettes and leaves to autumn's pumpkin and mushroom to winter's leeks and nuts.An ice-cream can be made with everything from winter spice through autumn's blackcurrants and blackberries to summer's strawberries and peaches. Braises, souffles, meat pies, vegetable pies, soups, creamy pasta sauces, fish pies, roast lamb, fruit tarts, meringues, sponge puddings - they are all here! And for those who wish to delve deeper, there are short pieces on technique, such as making pastry or understanding why different season's veg require slightly different cooking methods.