Newsletter: 📚 A trio of books from Trish Deseine + St Patrick’s Day food aplenty ☘

📚 A trio of books from Trish Deseine + St Patrick’s Day food aplenty ☘

🍀 Celebrate St Patrick's Day & Save 25% on ckbk subscriptions! 🍀

A spotlight on Trish Deseine

‘I made a conscious decision when I started writing cookbooks not to make it into a science or an education. I wanted to stay on a level with the readers of my books, who mostly didn’t go to culinary school’. Trish Deseine

Kicking off our St Patrick’s Day celebrations we have three books from hugely popular Irish-French food writer Trish Deseine, newly added to ckbk. Born in Belfast, Trish has lived in France for 35 years. In our latest feature, Trish spoke to TV producer and member of The Guild of Food Writers—Antonia Lloyd about her unashamed love of the indulgent, her down-to-earth approach to recipe writing, and the parallels between French and Irish food.

Known for her accessible style and tempting recipes, many of Trish’s books were written first for the French market, a nation we know are more than exacting about their food. As Antonia writes: ‘Her recipes are all about depth of flavour, using the best quality ingredients you can afford with minimum fuss, and they offer a brilliant way into French cookery.’

Explore Trish’s French Kitchen for approachable recipes for rustic French classics such as this Pissaladière. Continue with Nobody Does it Better: Why French Cooking is Still the Best in the World.

Try Sole Meunière and Petits Pois à la Française.

There is no greater kitchen alchemy than the transformation of simple sugar into amber-gold, bitter-sweet, caramel—the French know this well, and know how to use it. Caramel is Trish’s book devoted to it—from Camembert with Caramel to Caramel Butter Cream and Maple Syrup Layer Cake—enjoy!

Read Antonia Lloyd's profile of Trish Deseine

Pictured above: Intense Guinness Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Icing and Fine Sea Salt from 100 Desserts to Die For by Trish Deseine

Happy St Patrick’s Day!

March 17 is St Patrick’s Day—a religious and cultural holiday dedicated to Ireland’s patron saint, and a chance for all in Ireland and the Irish diaspora to revel in all things Irish. Think parades and banquets, emerald green and shamrocks, and lots of lovely Irish food.

We have plenty of that for you—start by exploring the recipes in our Luck of the Irish collection. You’ll find Irish Stew and Colcannon or even try Nisha Katona’s bold mackerel-rich Irish Sea Soda Bread. What could be more Irish than cooking with national tipple Guinness? We’ve put a dozen recipes together for Cooking with Guinness. Try Mussels in Guinness, Beef Braised in Guinness, and don’t forget the Chocolate Guinness Cake.

Want to travel further into the Emerald Isle? Take a tour around our Ireland bookshelf.

Explore our Irish bookshelf

Get spicy with Chilli Crisp

As you cook your feelings throughout the book, you will discover how versatile this savory, fiery condiment is. Allow yourself to feel that joy and excitement of cooking with it. It’s going to be one spicy road ahead of you.’

James Park

Food writer and recipe developer James Park loves chilli crisp so much he wrote a whole book about it—what it is, how to make it, and how to use it. An ‘oily, textured condiment made from chili flakes’; chilli crisp is an essential and versatile Chinese ingredient that you can make yourself, buy in Asian supermarkets, and use in recipes far beyond its origins.

The recipes in this tempting and thoughtful book follow an extensive section on essential ingredients—you will not be left uncertain about different types of chilli flakes. Recipes are organised by type; such as noodles and carbs, side dishes, desserts. Try Spicy Pork Mandu with Kimchi, Tofu and Glass Noodles, or switch things up with this Chilli Crisp Burrata Salad with Arugula, Apple and Walnuts. The sweet part of the menu is unexpected and tempting; try Spicy Salted Caramel Chocolate Bars or Spicy Lemony Ice Cream.

Ingredient focus: spring onions / scallions

Spring onions, also known as green onions, salad onions or scallions, are the immature plants that would develop into mature onions if left in the ground. Their name derives from the fact that they were originally harvested in spring, although they are now available all year round. Tender, fresh and much milder tasting than a fully grown onion, they are often eaten raw or flash-fried in salads or stir-fries.