By Holly.
The irrepressible and multi-faceted food and wine identity, Lyndey Milan, has launched her newest offering, The Best Collection: Fast, Fabulous Food.
The book contains more than 150 of Lyndey's best recipes, new and old - as she says, "good food is timeless. If it was really good yesterday, rather than being a fad, then it is good today and will be tomorrow."
Ann Oliver, writing in The Independent Weekly, says Lyndey is loved for her no-nonsense fast and fabulous recipes that are the salvation of busy people who still want to eat well but don’t have the energy to cook for another three hours after a full day’s work.
The book launch was held in the spectacular Potts Point (Sydney) apartment of Lyndey's close friend John Caldon.
About 70 people, including Australia’s most famous cooking identity, 85-year-old Margaret Fulton, and many of Sydney’s food industry big name chefs such as Tetsua, Tony Bilson and Michael Moore came along to celebrate the occasion.
Tiny Margaret Fulton, who seems smaller every time we see her, launched The Best Collection, standing on a raised wooden platform so she could reach the microphone - 'Tom Cruise has one of these' she quipped.
Margaret delivered a string of anecdotes about her long friendship and some of her overseas travels with Lyndey, who she labelled "the hostess with the mostest" and she had everyone in stitches.
Lyndey in turn paid tribute to Margaret, acknowledging the doyenne of Australian food writing as her own inspiration after she bought two tattered Margaret Fulton cookbooks at a garage sale many years ago.
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This book is different to others because, as Lyndey says, it is not bound by a formulaic entree, main course, dessert model.
"I wanted to reflect how we eat now - maybe no plates, shared plates, or plates of different sizes reflecting contemporary ways of eating.
"We also thought chocolate deserved a section on its own as it is so perenially popular, and many of these are entirely new recipes," says Lyndey in her introduction.
She has also thoughtfully matched each dish with an appropriate wine or wine style.
It's a terrific book (the photographs are gorgeous) peppered with personal photographs, anecdotes, and no-nonsence tips and hints.
More importantly, because it is a Lyndey Milan cookbook, users can rest assured the recipes all work.
Her previous books include Plates: Real Food for Fast People, Flavours: A Fresh Approach, Lyndey Milan's Fabulous Food, and Balls, co-authored with Loukie Werle.
The Best Collection has been published by New Holland, hitting the shops in time for Christmas.