Lora Hates Spam

by Ivana Nitzan and Michal Moses

I couldn't resist this cookbook because I love anything caramel, toffee or butterscotch. One of the first things the book clarifies is the difference between caramel and toffee, which I never really knew before. Dulce de Leche also comes up in some of the recipes and is defined for those who didn't already know.

The recipes! I did expect some wonderfully decadent sweet recipes and was not to be disappointed, but the unusual savory recipes, matching caramel with chicken and other foods we wouldn't normally think of, makes this cookbook unique. I should clarify though that the savory recipes are caramelised rather than having something like caramel sauce on chicken, although you could get that effect with the caramel fondue and chicken pieces if you were having weird pregnancy cravings or something.

I especially liked that it started with recipes to make your own caramels and toffees rather than relying on melting down commercially made ones. As a Brit who misses Toffos, I intend to experiment with the toffee recipe and flavoured syrups!

Some of the sweet recipes are just too good. Caramel marbled into chocolate brownies, a chocolate banana toffee torte with cream on top and sticky toffee buns are just the sort of thing I picked this book up for. The brilliant thing is that these wonderful recipes are easy! No weird, exotic, hard to find ingredients. Basic sugar, butter, and cream are the building blocks for most caramel related recipes and many wonderful treats await.

There are even healthy recipes like carrot cake with white chocolate caramel frosting or using fruits and oats in the sweet sections. I think I'll b e getting more use out of this cookbook than many others in my collection!