Book review: Essential by Ollie Dabbous

Ollie Dabbous of Michelin-starred Hide in Mayfair has finally followed up Dabbous: The Cookbook, published back in 2014. Whereas that debut book featured dishes from his now closed eponymous London restaurant, Essential is a collection of recipes for what Dabbous calls “boldly refined home cooking”, where “simple techniques, good taste and concise ingredients underpin every dish”.

That refinement might be as simple as using milk and yeast to lighten dumplings served with a luxurious version of mince made with red and white wine, beef stock, mustard, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce, or spreading a croque monsieur with garlic truffled butter. This attention to small details crops up time and again over the book’s 300-plus pages, which include recipes for grains, dairy and eggs, vegetables, leaves, shellfish and fish, meat, fruit and berries and sugar and honey.

While the book ably does its intended job of invigorating a home cook’s repertoire, providing exciting and interesting ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, you can expect more unusual and restaurant-friendly dishes such as carrot tartare with sunflower seeds, mustard and tarragon; grilled quail with pistachio, mint and orange blossom, or roast venison with Jerusalem artichokes, tarragon and rye.

The short ‘Larder’ chapter contains ideas for flavourings, marinades and pickles that chefs will return to again and again to brighten up any number of dishes. Dabbous says the storecupboard miso, soy, rice wine vinegar, mustard, honey and vinegar marinade he spreads on aubergines before frying works just as well on salmon or chicken, while amlou, a Moroccan concoction of toasted almond, honey and argan oil, is an alternative to peanut butter that can be served on toast or with cheese or baked fruit.

With everything from a comforting venison toad in the hole and onion gravy to a light and sophisticated grilled bream with pink grapefruit, as well as baking projects that include a fig leaf cake, Dabbous has created a cookbook that’s as essential as its title suggests.

Essential by Ollie Dabbous (Bloomsbury Publishing, £30)