Anna-Karien's Books, Cooks and Curiosities
A collection of my writings
Buenos Aires marked a new beginning. My partner J and I had recently reconnected so were embarking on a new life together. So when he phoned me up out of blue and said, “I’m going to South America, would you like to come with me?” I quit my job on the spot and gave up the lease on the lovely thatched roofed cottage I couldn’t afford. First stop – Paris of the South!
When I tasted cumin for the first time, it felt like a whole world was opening up before me. There was something familiar about its earthiness, yet that fragrant, almost astringent note was wholly new and surprising.
Quinces are one of my favourite fruits. Somewhat overlooked and under-appreciated, they magically transform from furry, knobbly things that look almost inedible to the most unctuous of cooked fruits with a layered, evocative flavour. And when you turn them into a jelly or preserve, they transmogrify from a nondescript, yellowish colour to the most celestial of all pinks.
I am always the first to admit that I am prone to exaggeration, but sometimes hyperbole is called for. Every single person who has ever had the pleasure of meeting Hilde Kretzmann has never forgotten her. Continue reading “Cheesecake for Hilde”
This is one of those dishes that starts with a simple idea and then magically takes shape into something truly delicious. It is such a surprise when a jumble of seemingly disparate ideas results in an almost perfect dish.
In Laura Esquivel’s seminal magic realist novel, Like Water for Hot Chocolate, food has a deeply transformative effect on all who eat it. Continue reading “Cocoa de Loco”
Anna-Karien's Books, Cooks and Curiosities 