New cookbook from Matt Preston, popular Masterchef Australia judge

I have never met Matt Preston although I feel as if I know him through seeing him on TV so often in recent years. I  like him even more now after picking up his new cookbook while browsing at the Village Bookshop at Matakana last Saturday. I read his refreshing, honest and revealing introduction, flicked through the book looking at the beautifully illustrated, easy to follow recipes using ingredients easily found in most supermarkets, and decided on the spot that this would be $50 well spent !

Well if the first dish cooked from Matt's second cookbook, (his first by the way was Matt Preston's 100 Best Recipes), was anything to go by then we are in for some treats - Pork chops with roast figs (the new season is just underway) and a Byzantine sweet-sour balsamic and orange glaze.

Here's Matt writing in his introduction :

My new cookbook is full of recipes for stuff that is quite simply delicious, and that I cook for my family and friends. It's a wee bit different from my first book in that the dishes are fresher, lighter, healthier... Well, that was the idea. I then suggested all those naughty, over-the-top dishes that I also love. These had to go into a sealed section because, like a Bangkok nightclub act, they are just a little too full-on for the delicate stomachs of some, and for the good of your health. That section is sealed for your own safety. Please resist opening it if you are a helpless slave to your passions. In short, this book is like me. It starts out with REALLY GOOD intentions for a while until it is overwhelmed by temptation and then, quite frankly, once self-control is gone it turns into a bit of an orgiastic free-for-all. Good times! Welcome to the Pleasure Dome, my friends, please grab a fork. 

Matt Preston.

Do look out for this wonderful book at your local indie bookseller. It is a stunner.

Pan Macmillan Australia - NZ$50 - A$40