It seems like it has been ages since I have written a cookbook review but Perfect Flavors by Naomi Nachman is the perfect book for a return to reviewing! Naomi is known as The Aussie Gourmet because grew up there. But this book encompasses so much more than recipes from Australia.
The cover of Perfect Flavors by Naomi Nachman Photo Credit: Miriam Pascal
Perfect Flavors by Naomi Nachman
In this new release from the best selling author of Perfect for Pesach Nachman shares her passion and enthusiasm for cooking, serving, eating and sharing amazing food with recipes culled from years of culinary travels.
Best Selling Author Naomi Nachman Photo Credit: Miriam Pascal
“I feel so privileged to have experienced international food adventures and to be able to share my favorite recipes with home cooks everywhere,” Naomi says. “Within the pages of this book, you, too, can enjoy Aussie meat pies from Sydney and authentic Pad Thai served on the streets of Thailand, as well as easy to prepare everyday recipes, all in the comfort of your own kitchen.”
Perfect Flavors has over 130 delicious and creative kosher recipes with tips and variations. Eye-popping photos by renown food photographer Miriam Pascal accompany every recipe. Naomi also provides information on kitchen essentials, and herb and spice. Whether you’re looking for elegant and sophisticated cuisine or a quick and wholesome meal, you’ll find what you need among these delicious and doable recipes. “All my recipes use fresh, simple and delicious combinations of ingredients that you can get all year long and create interesting meal choices. With Perfect Flavors I invite you, through my recipes, into my home, to pull up a chair at our table, and enjoy.”
Crockpot Onion and Flanken Soup
Photo Credit: Miriam Pascal
Growing up in Australia and watching her mother and grandmother prepare amazing meals, Naomi developed her love of innovative cooking. In 2004, she started her own kosher personal chef business, The Aussie Gourmet. Sharing her enthusiasm for creative recipes, Naomi gives cooking demonstrations across the globe and produces kosher cooking competitions across North America, igniting excitement in the participants. Naomi has been the past recipient of the Cutting Edge Award, presented by her peers at a dinner for members of the kosher media industry.
Turducken Capons
Photo Credit: Miriam Pascal
Naomi hosts a weekly show, Table for Two with Naomi Nachman, on the Nachum Segal Network. The program covers all food-related topics, and in addition, she covers food and travel trends in a monthly magazine column for Mishpacha Magazine. As a contributing editor for The Jewish Home newspaper, her articles and recipes are published weekly across the country. Naomi is also a recipe developer and brand ambassador for several major food companies, representing them across several media platforms. She has been a guest host on the QVC TV network and has appeared on Home & Family on The Hallmark Channel, Great Day Washington on WUSA Channel 9, and CBS Sunday Morning News. Naomi is also the host of Sunny Side Up on Kosher.com. Naomi lives in Woodmere, New York with her husband and children. For more information on Naomi and The Aussie Gourmet, visit her website, www.TheAussieGourmet.com.
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Crockpot Onion and Flanken Soup
Who doesn’t love a big bowl of onion soup? However, making it can be time-consuming, as you have to sauté the onions for a long time while stirring them. This recipe allows you to skip the sautéing, as your crock pot does all the work for you.
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
12 onions sliced into half-moons
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup canola oil
2 pounds bone-in flanken
4 cups beef, chicken, or vegetable broth
3/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup red miso paste
Instructions
1. Combine onions, salt, pepper, and oil in a crockpot; stir to combine.
2. Add flanken to the crockpot; cover with onion mixture. Cover; cook on high for 4-5 hours, until onions are golden brown.
3. Add broth, wine, and miso paste; stir to combine. Cook on high for an additional hour.
Notes
Cook’s Tip
Miso paste is a paste made from fermented bean curd. Used primarily in Japanese cooking, it adds umami, depth of flavor, to the dishes. Miso paste is available in a variety of colors; the darker the color, the stronger the flavor. I use them interchangeably.
- Category: Soup
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Kosher
Turducken Capons
Thanksgiving has always had a special meaning to me. I came to America on Thanksgiving and met my husband exactly a year later on Thanksgiving. This recipe is a twist on a turducken, which is a deboned chicken stuffed into a deboned duck, stuffed into a deboned turkey, with layers of stuffing between each bird. This is a dark meat chicken capon stuffed with turkey and wrapped in duck fry. It’s a whole new take on turkey.
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
Stuffing
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 small onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 cup frozen spinach thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup (tightly packed) cubes day-old challah or bread
1–pound ground turkey
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup]
8 chicken capons (dark meat chicken cutlets)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
3 (3-ounce) packages duck fry or pastrami
2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Prepare the stuffing: Heat oil over medium heat in a large frying pan. Add onion; sauté, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 5-7 minutes.
- Add garlic and spinach; cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add bread cubes; cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Add turkey, salt, thyme, chili powder, and maple syrup to the spinach mixture. Stir until combined.
- Assemble the capons: Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Place about ¼ cup turkey stuffing onto the center of each capon; then roll up. Place capons seam-side down in a large baking pan. (Do not overcrowd the pan; use 2 pans if necessary.)
- Sprinkle salt, paprika, and onion powder over the tops of the capons, then drape duck fry over each one.
- Combine maple syrup and balsamic vinegar; brush mixture over the top of each capon, reserving some of the mixture for Step 8.
- Cover tightly; bake for 1 hour. Uncover, brush again with maple syrup mixture, and bake for an additional 10 minutes, uncovered. Slice and serve.
Notes
Cook’s Tip
For a unique side dish, bake any remaining stuffing in muffin tins at 350°F for 30 minutes.
- Category: Fowl
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: Kosher
I received a copy of this book to review but the opinions are 100% my own.
Recipe(s) reprinted with permission from Perfect Flavors by Naomi Nachman
Photos by Miriam Pascal
Mesorah Publications/November 2018
