Moore to Food – Michael Moore
Not just another celebrity cookbook
Robyn Lewis
Moore to Food by Michael Moore [©New Holland]
A friend said to me the other day “cookbooks are the new spam”. There are certainly many new titles being published, not all of which make the grade. But despite the cover, Moore to Food is far from being just another celebrity cookbook.
In case he needs an introduction, Chef Michael Moore is the owner of one of Australia’s leading and most spectacular restaurants, The Summit in Sydney (and was formerly chef at Wildfire, Prunier’s and Bennelong), amongst others in nearly three decades of cooking in Sydney and London.
It used to be a truism that the words ‘revolving’ and ‘fine food’ never married well in a restaurant’s description, but 47 floors above Australia Square in Sydney, that myth is shattered. The views in The Summit are stunning, with food to match.
Michael Moore is also a familiar name to many with his appearances on Channel 9’s Fresh and in weekly cooking segments on Mornings with Kerri-Anne Kennerley, and more recently on MasterChef Junior. So familiar, perhaps he’s reached the chef’s pinnacle of becoming known by his first name, at least in Australia (not so easy when it’s more common than Heston). It’s a long way from the British caravan where he grew up.
Michael also recently hit a sweet spot in cookbook publishing with the sell-out release of Blood Sugar, a restaurant-quality cookbook devoted to diabetic cooking and health management (Michael is a diabetic).
However, not all of us can dine at The Summit, or even in its tapas lounge at The Orbit Bar. But there is no doubt that Sydney food is fashion-driven, and also sets the standards for dining in much of Australia. So in Moore to Food, Michael makes it accessible to the rest of the country.
The book is a shimmering silver tome, featuring a range of dishes of varying degrees of difficulty. The media release states that “Michael is letting us in on some of his secrets to his culinary excellence that chefs, experienced and amateur, can recreate at home.” As I fall into the latter category, I tested a few out.
Helpfully, most recipes are illustrated with stunning photographs (some credited to Karen Watson), but there are no step-by-step shots, and their execution require some kitchen skills; it’s not a book for the kitchen novice. But oh, they make me salivate, and even better, want to throw a party.
For Moore to Food is all about entertaining, whether for brunch, tapas, a cocktail party or a full-on dinner. It’s full of inspiration; as Michael says in his introduction “Good food is a moment in time, but you’ll never find it if you don’t look”. To which one might add, prepare – his first section is about planning your event, including taking ‘the sense test’, of which taste and smell are but two, and sound/music, touch and sight just as important.
Being a working mother, when entertaining I like to put more effort into the canapés and entreés, to create a wow factor which along with a few cocktails and wines, makes the rest of the meal much more relaxed. Moore to Food certainly doesn't disappoint, with easy recipes for oysters including served with cucumber tea or pickled tomato granita, warm roasted olives, beef carpaccio (both a summer and a winter recipe), through to sashimi tuna with scorched orange dressing, prawn minestrone with walnut pesto, Petuna cold-smoked ocean trout served with warm fennel broth…. all very delicious.
Michael says he could have written a book entirely about entreés, and like many women especially, I often prefer to eat two starters instead of a main course, especially for lunch. He also includes some easy tapas: goat’s cheese and blood orange dip with sweet potato chips; seared scallops with radish and vegetable salad; mozzarella, beetroot and horseradish to name but a few.
In the mains section, Michael gives his favourite recipes, “all… achievable in the home. Each of the more complex dishes are followed by an easier option, using the same primary ingredients and flavours”. He suggests trying the simple recipes first (such as grilled veal chops with risotto and pan fried snapper fillets with lemon butter) and building up as your confidence grows.
Professionally, cooking meals is broken down into components, and Michael recommends doing this at home, too. “Planning and timing play a big part; try to select dishes that are seasonal and within your skill level”. He also emphasises kitchen space (a premium in our house) and to try to clean up as you go along, but remembering always that the chef is also a guest!
Dishes like angel hair shellfish pasta; seared prawn, pumpkin and spinach rotolo (with a following simplified version to this signature dish); simple lemon chicken with mint yoghurt, and braised beef cheeks with stock pot carrots, all speak to me. For sides the chips with rosemary salt (you can do these in a wok if you don’t have a deep fryer) and variously dressed vegetables are all easy. (Overall, this isn’t a book for vegetarians).
The only reference to his diabetes in Moore to Food is in the sweets section – Michael can (and needs to) taste what he makes, but cannot consume entire dessert portions, and really, some of us should follow suit, too.
He loves soufflés and includes four recipes; being a fruit lover I am tempted by the iced summer and roasted late summer fruit salads, the poached cherries with chocolate and cream (a great alternative to Christmas pudding) and the peach bellini frappe. I’ll be making them all this summer.
I can't say I’m one for entertaining at brunch, except for a kitchen full of children clamouring for pancakes – perhaps Michael might invite me to his place to enjoy champagne summer breakfast jelly, raspberry and ricotta soufflé pancakes, and a cold set chicken, artichoke and chickpea salad with mayonnaise instead! But grilled figs and stone fruit with ricotta and toast I’ll be making for the family as soon as our figs and nectarines ripen.
Very helpful is a small cheese section at the rear (always after the meal, never before, says Michael – cheese is too high in fat and can have dominating, lingering flavours). This features various beautifully photographed cheeses and recipes to complement them, including Stilton with tea soaked prunes, Jindi triple cream with soft-poached quince paste, tallegio with walnut praline, followed by petit fours (vanilla brulée, chocolate orange tarts) and cocktails.
About now I’m wishing Michael could also come to our place and cater for a party; his drinks look as amazing as his food. (I can only find one visual reference to a wine; perhaps they are a sponsor?). At the end there are some ‘basics’ – not the usual apart from mayo, but things that will spark up your cooking instantly, and are easy to prepare and store.
I wasn’t expecting to like Moore to Food as much as I do. Yes, the initial thought ‘not another celebrity cookbook’ sprang to my mind, as I leafed through the obligatory photos of Michael with family, with guests, with cocktails, at the outdoor table, in the restaurant…. But it’s far more than that. It’s a snapshot of the best of contemporary Australian dining, adapted for the home, and not so Asian-influenced that it could be downtown Bangkok or Shanghai.
Buy it to treat yourself, as a gift for overseas visitors (especially to Sydney), and especially if you are planning to entertain this summer, with impressive yet achievable recipes. You’ll feel like a guest at your own party every time.
Moore to Food by Michael Moore is published by New Holland Publishers (Sydney, 2010; hb 272 pp) and retails in Australia for RRP A$49.95. VisitVineyards.com and Winepros Archive subscribers and members can purchase Moore to Food from our book partners Seekbooks at 12.5% off RRP here (postage extra).
Moore to Food is also available on Booko.com.au here »
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- Sydney (NSW)
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