They Draw and Cook presented by Nate Padavick and Salli Swindell
107 Recipes illustrated by artists from around the world
Laura Cullen
They Draw & Cook – Nate Padavick and Salli Swindell
They Draw and Cook is one of the most creative cookbooks I have ever seen. The artists featured in the book are all contributors to the They Draw and Cook website. This book was born from the website and features a collection of the best recipe artworks.
The illustrations range from ‘cute to goofy, to absolutely gorgeous. They are funny, tell stories, amuse, engage, and delight – and sometimes make you want to reach in to take a bite!’
They Draw and Cook has a lot of classic recipes, often with a twist – Bacon and Egg Toastie, Quiche Lorraine (French style), Raisin Muffins, Tzatziki, Risottos, Spaghetti, Bangers & Mash, Tacos, Brownies, cupcakes and fresh lemonade. However, there is also a massive multicultural and creative feel to many of the recipes. Try making some Monkey Banana Cream, African Lemon Cookies, Hong Kong Style Super Lemon Iced Tea, Mango Lassi, Kekslollis (biscuit lollies), potatoes multilevel and aubergine caviar to name a few.
The book has a great sense of humour; collecting ingredients for the beetrooty-yogurty-thingummyjig, the chicken in love or even palt (grey lump of Swedish goodness) should get you smiling.
However there are a few pitfalls to this book. To start there is no contents page nor an index. Themes and different types of menu items are not categorised in a handy way. There are certainly stages to the book, going from breakfast through to more hardy meals and on to desserts and drinks, but more specific referencing would have been useful to the chef in a rush.
Some recipes also suffer, due to the nature of the art, from not being overly easy to read. Something to be aware of if you, or someone you plan on giving this to as a gift, has any type of vision impairment.
Overall this book is what it is, a wonderfully exciting way to share recipes and to appreciate art at the same time. But it must be said that the emphasis is always on the art. This is the type of cookbook that would be found on many coffee tables as it is immediately appealing to the eye and also offers something to talk about. The recipes contained within are great and there is a substantial amount of variety, but its primary focus is art.
Best suited to those who often host guests, as a gift for the younger at heart, as an actual artwork feature in your home or workplace, or for those who like cookbooks that are truly unique.
They Draw and Cook compiled by Nate Padavick and Salli Swindell is published by Welden Owen (USA, 2011; hc) RRP A$19.95.
They Draw and Cook is available via Booko here »
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