The Cook's Companion

I learnt to cook at my mother's side, and the images of her that have stayed with me (and that still bring a feeling of loss almost 20 years after her death) include Mum bent in front of the Aga oven scooping baked potatoes into her apron, shaping bread rolls for dinner, forking rough troughs in the mashed potato on top of the shepherd's pie, slipping a slice of butter under the crust of Grandma's bramble cake, or in full beekeeper's outfit setting out to gather the honey from the hive.

So much has changed in Australia's culinary world since I first started work on The Cook's Companion more than a decade ago, but it is my mother's influence, mentioned in the Introduction to that edition, that above all else continues to inform my cooking. Her enthusiasm for fresh ingredients, her joy in creating new combinations and her love of providing for family and friends underpin everything I do.

I have been overwhelmed by the response to the original edition of this book, especially as many cooks have confided that it has become their 'bible'. But to continue to deserve this confidence I realised the importance of incorporating the changes in farming, horticultural and marketing practice that have taken place over the last 10 years, as well as documenting growing community concerns, in a new edition.

I have always encouraged feedback, and there has been a constant stream of letters and emails from family, friends and readers. A variation has been suggested, a tin size adjusted or a temperature revised, and here and there a better version of an old favourite has been included. Facts and statistics have been scrutinised and rechecked and industry authorities have offered opinions and new insights, and the text is even more authoritative as a result. I have found this re-writing, re-testing and tweaking most enjoyable and have rediscovered dishes that have become favourites all over again.

When planning the original edition the publishers and I were both conscious of the risk in producing such a voluminous work, and space became a major consideration. Now, encouraged by the support of Australian food lovers, I have been able to include 12 new chapters and to expand 11 others. Now POMEGRANATES and PERSIMMONS, ABALONE and VENISON have their own chapters; VERJUICE is considered along with GRAPES AND VINE LEAVES; and RABBIT has grown to become RABBIT AND HARE. The new entries are there not only because of extra space, but because they reflect a growing curiosity in the marketplace and the steady but sure acceptance of ingredients that were once considered only of marginal interest. I have also added many more personal recipe introductions, so that the recipes are placed in a broader context. There are new entries in the EQUIPMENT section, and one of the most popular features of the book, BASICS, has been considerably enlarged to include even more preparations essential in every cook's repertoire. There are more than 300 new recipes, and I'm pleased to be able to include many favourites – from a flyaway sponge and gingerbread men to corned beef and an improved guide to roasting the Christmas turkey – as well as contemporary dishes such as soft-centred chocolate pudding, Chinese roasted belly pork and new ways with lamb. The total recipe count is now close to 1000! To add to this there are more than 500 new margin ideas, and all of them appear in the expanded index. The recipe style has also been made more consistent throughout the book. And thanks to the generosity of the Australian Women's Weekly Test Kitchen, I have been able to include much-requested conversion tables (now you'll be able to convert your own family's heirloom dishes to metric).

I ended the Introduction of the first edition of The Cook's Companion by saying that it would 'all have been worthwhile if this book encourages young people to cook and experienced cooks to enjoy cooking more'. The public's response to that first edition has been the single most important experience of my professional life. It has been extraordinarily confirming to learn that first-time cooks, keen cooks, boys, girls, men and women were all turning to The Cook's Companion for guidance, and that they were enjoying themselves, and eating well.

Free recipe from The Cook's Companion, by Stephanie Alexander - Lemon Delicious Pudding, page 556.

SERVES 8
This is a classic and, in many families, the ultimate pudding - the golden sponge topping hiding a creamy lemon sauce. Lemon delicious belongs to the era when a roast was invariably followed by a hot pudding. Making 2 dishes rather than just 1 would have been seen as a sensible way of utilising the heat from the oven.

2 lemons
60 g butter
1 1/2 cups castor sugar
3 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons self-raising flour
1 1/2 cups milk

Preheat oven to 180°C and butter a 1 litre oven proof basin or serving dish. Zest 1 of the lemons and juice both. In a food processor, cream butter with zest and sugar, then add egg yolks. Add flour and milk alternately to make a smooth batter. Scrape mixture from sides of processor bowl and blend in lemon juice. Transfer to a clean basin. Whisk egg whites until creamy and firm and fold gently into batter. Pour batter into prepared basin. Stand basin in a baking dish and pour in hot water to come halfway up sides of basin. Bake for 1 hour. Allow to cool a little before serving. I like lemon delicious best with pouring cream.