MasterChef at Home would be an excellent present for fans of the programme, the book contains 200 recipes and 9 menus from the amateur, professional and celebrity competitions from the 2010 series.
Like all books from Dorling Kindersley the volume is clearly laid out and beautifully presented. Recipes are well laid out with the time taken and ingredients clearly standing out. Photography is beautiful, and most recipes are accompanied by a full page photo, helpful "Mastertip" or comment from John, Gregg or Michel Roux Jr.
The book is divided into 6 colour coded chapters; starters, vegetables & fish, poultry, meat, game & desserts. I do wonder why they have a separate game chapter, but have not separated vegetables & fish.
Dotted throughout the book are 8 masterclasses from the fabulous Monica Galetti covering topics from dressing a cook crab, making mayonnaise, filleting a flat fish. Each is no nonsense, well written and accompanied by step by step photos that will hold the hand of any cook attempting the task for the first time.
Recipes are wide and varied. I love both Alex Rushmer's duck dishes, one with spiced tobacco caramel and the other tea smoked. Dhruv Baker contributes saffron glazed scallops with apple and pistachio puree and oil. For spring there is a rump of new season lamb with crushed spring vegetables from Neil Mackenzie followed by Jo Jenkin's rose and orange rhubarb zabaglione.
Recipes vary in skills needed, although I think that everything in the book could be made by a confident cook, and many recipes can be broken down into smaller parts or simplified making them more manageable. Pommes mousseline for example really is just mash with cream, which seems far more attainable! I can see that some of the recipes here will become regulars in my kitchen.
Given the enduring popularity of Masterchef I can see the book becoming an annual event, I am quite looking forward to recipes from both Tim and Jackie in the 2011 edition!
