Voluptuous Vegan by Myra Kornfeld
I have to admit I haven’t made everything from this book. Some of the ingredients aren’t so readily available in the UK. But what I have made has worked well and been impressive. There is a chapter on soup and a chapter on desserts, but other than that the whole book is set out as whole meal suggestions. In one way that’s great as it saves worrying about accompaniments, but it can be a bit intimidating. The secret is to not worry about the whole meal and just pick out the parts you want to cook. And, like so many vegan cookbooks, the lack of photos is frustrating.
But I’m glad I’ve got the book and it’s a good place to look when you want to cook something impressive. I’ve made ravioli from it which took a bit of work but was wonderful. The curried chickpea tart is a revelation – it’s so creamy and luscious and the zingy coconut chutney that goes with it is a must. The chilli and cornbiscuit casserole with guacasalsa is a firm favourite and the tofu and leek tart with pinenut crust is a very impressive centrepiece.
I’ll definitely be trying more dishes from this book, so I’d be delighted to get any recommendations. If you like spending time in the kitchen making impressive dishes, then this one’s for you!
Cooking the Vegan Books 