good things - Liz Posmyk
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • My book
  • Writing & Media
  • FAQs

Almond Bar by Sharon Salloum

9/10/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
On opening Sharon Salloum's cookbook, Almond Bar, I couldn't resist turning to the Dessert chapter first, for I knew that it would offer an assortment of intriguing Syrian sweets based on exquisite ingredient combinations. And indeed it does. There's rose of damascus, for example, (filo pastry rounds filled with Middle Eastern clotted cream, orange blossom jam, sugar syrup and pistachios); and semolina fudge (semolina topped with rosewater, clotted cream, almonds, pine nuts, pistachios and  jam); as well as turmeric cake (made with semolina, turmeric, tahini and almonds); a simple fig sorbet; and also rosewater ice cream (served with chopped macadamias).
According to Syrian tradition, sharing meals is an essential part of spending time with family and friends – 'you should never eat alone,' Ms Salloum writes in her introduction. Hence, I turn next to the chapter on Shared Plates, where there are recipes for delicious dishes such as quail cooked in pomegranate molasses; za'atar prawns served with pumpkin mash; chilled yoghurt soup with barley and chickpeas; lightly fried whitebait served with tahini; falafel served with tahini sauce; and a lemony lentil soup. Other chapters cover sauces and dips; salads and sides; and mains, in all some 100 classic and contemporary Syrian recipes. There is also a comprehensive section on the Syrian pantry, and a national listing of the best Middle Eastern food suppliers.

Ms Salloum is the Australian-born co-owner and chef of the popular Almond Bar restaurant in Sydney's Darlinghurst. She is passionate about the artistry of Middle Eastern food and says she learned to cook authentic Syrian food from her mother and aunts, and learned to appreciate good food from both her parents. 'My mother poured all her young dreams into her passion for food; her time in the kitchen was the only time she could call her own. In typical Syrian tradition, she would sometimes cook for every man and his donkey, as relatives and neighbours were always dropping in for dinner. My father believes that food fixes everything. In our home, when you're not feeling well, it's because you don't eat enough. Or if someone is in a bad mood, they're not eating enough. ... An appreciation of food was passed down to my brothers, my sister and me from a young age.' Ms Salloum hopes that Almond Bar the book will shed light on the subtle difference in flavours between Syrian and other Middle Eastern food, and encourage greater appreciation for this ancient cuisine and its heritage.

Almond Bar by Sharon Salloum $39.99 (Lantern). Thank you kindly to Sharon Salloum and the publicity department at Lantern for giving me the opportunity to review this title.
Print Friendly and PDF
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Bookshelf

    Cookbook reviews and interviews with food writers and chefs.



    Titles/Authors

    All
    101 Cookbooks
    5:2 Lifestyle
    Adam Liaw
    Adrian Richardson
    Almond Bar
    Almonds : Recipes
    Ancient Grains
    Annabel Crabb
    Anna Bergenström And Fanny Bergenström
    Anna Gare
    Annie Rigg
    A Passion For Fruit
    A Story Of Seven Summers
    Australian Vegetable Garden
    Bake
    Catherine Saxelby
    Charmaine Solomon
    Chefs
    Clive Blazey
    Coffee Trails
    Complete Food And Nutrition Companion
    Cookery Book
    Country Womens Association Classics
    Crust
    Culture
    David Thompson
    Delicious
    Delicious Every Day
    Delicious. Home Cooking
    Dish It Up
    Doggylicious
    Dominique Rizzo
    Eat
    Eat In
    Eleanor Ozich
    Elizabeth David
    Emma Galloway
    Farmers Market Family Cookbook
    Food Markets Of The World
    Frances Mayes Edward Mayes
    Francis Van Arkel
    Fried Chicken & Friends By Gregory Llewellyn & Naomi Hart
    Growing Your Own Fruit And Vegetables
    Guy Mirabella
    Hayden Quinn
    Heidi Swanson
    Hilary Burden
    History
    Home Baking
    Home Cheese Making In Australia
    Hungry
    Ian Hemphill
    In A Glass
    Indochine
    Italian Food
    Jane Grover
    Johnnie Mountain
    Jo Wheatley
    Kate Walsh
    Limoncello And Linen Water
    Lorenza De'Medici
    Love
    Love Aimee X By Aimee Twigger
    Luke Mangan
    Luke Nguyen
    Maggie Beer
    Maggie's Christmas
    Margaret Fulton
    Marie Claire Summer
    Marion Grasby
    Marion's Kitchen
    Mark Jensen
    Matthew Evans
    Maximum Flavour
    Monday Morning Cooking Club The Food
    Monday Morning Cooking Club - The Food
    My Darling Lemon Thyme
    My Family Table
    My Kitchen Year
    My Petite Kitchen
    My Taste Of Sicily
    Naked Food
    New Vegetarian Kitchen
    Nicola Graimes
    Nigel Slater
    Pauline Nguyen
    Pies And Tarts
    Pig
    Real Food Projects
    Rediscover Australian Pears
    Richard Bertinet
    Ruth Reichl
    Salmon Cookbook
    Salt Grill
    Same Same But Different
    Secrets Of The Red Lantern
    Sharon Salloum
    Signature Dishes
    Simply Gluten-free & Dairy-free
    Simply The Best
    Slow Cooking
    Special Delivery
    Spice Notes
    Stephane Reynaud
    Super Natural Every Day
    Sweet Things
    Tessa Kiros
    Thai Food
    The Australian Vegetable Garden
    The Complete Asian Cookbook
    The Diggers Club
    The Dinner Ladies
    The Dirty Chef
    The Feast Goes On
    The Food Of Vietnam
    The Gentle Art Of Preserving
    The Good Life
    The Sisterhood
    The Stories
    The Tuscan Sun Cookbook
    Toby Smith
    Two Asian Kitchens
    Under The Tuscan Sun
    Under The Walnut Tree
    Valerie Pearson
    Veganissimo!
    Winter On The Farm


Good Things is written and published by Liz Posmyk © 2011-2020.   All rights reserved.
Excerpts may be used provided that full and clear credit is given. Thank you.


  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • My book
  • Writing & Media
  • FAQs