CUISINE REVIEW: Orient Express - Silvana Rowe

Release Date: 12/05/11

SYNOPSIS:

Orient Express is for busy cooks who want a touch of the light, beautiful cuisine of the eastern Mediterranean. Following her acclaimed Purple Citrus and Sweet Perfume , Silvena Rowe turns her focus to the delicious small dishes that you would find in the bustling street markets of Damascus or Istanbul - koftes, falafels and pilafs - as well as delicious puddings such as vanilla baklava, and chocolate and pistachio mousse. In this treasure trove of a book she presents 100 light, enticing new recipes, perfectly balanced for mezze-style summer meals. This is a cuisine both for celebrating and sharing: Ottoman-inspired food, based around stunning combinations of sweet and sour - honey and cinnamon, saffron and sumac - and given a brilliant modern twist by one of the most exciting chefs working in Britain today. Silvena Rowe has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the foods and culinary traditions of the eastern Mediteranean. Her cooking is light and the presentation of her dishes is elegant and sophisticated, while the flavours are powerful and the textures balanced. Her enthusiasm for the food of her heritage is evident on every page.


REVIEW:

Whilst most people would automatically think that this title is a quick and easy way to create Asian dishes, it’s not. It brings the flavour and culture of the eastern Mediterranean to the palette of the western world and whilst some of the dishes may seem quite exotic they have a wonderful taste sensation all of their own.

Taking influences from as far afield as North-Eastern Africa as well as Turkey, it has something for all palettes. It’s accomplished, it’s easy to follow and above all else it will give you a set of flavours that are not matched anywhere else in the world where savoury dishes vie against the sweetness of some of the ingredients. Its creative, it will give you something special for a dinner party and with a quick turn around on their creation, can be something that will wow a surprise party that very few will have experienced before.