A glorious celebration of baking and life.
Feature image credit: Tracey Korsten
Malaysian-Australian London-based chef Helen Goh is best known for her collaborations with Ottolenghi. Baking & the Meaning of Life is her first cookbook entirely under her own auspices, and it is every bit as lush as you would imagine.
In her introduction, Goh states that the central question of the book i: ‘Why is baking so important in the way we signify … the things that are meaningful in our lives?’ She goes on to discuss the qualities that make up a meaningful life, including coherence, purpose, and significance. This might seem overly philosophical for what is meant to be ‘just a cookbook,’ but she speaks a universal truth when she states: ‘Every … person who … has baked of their own free will … has done it because … the act of baking created meaning for them.’ I totally get this. Baking to me is grounding; it gives me a sense of being close to something universal; it is an act of fundamental living.
Reflecting this thoughtful approach to baking, the chapters are divided into delightful topics such as: Giving, Receiving, and Sharing; Nurturing; Community & Belonging; and Ritual & Tradition. In all, there are 100 recipes contained within these pages, each with a story attached, a full-page colour photo, and extremely clear and logical instructions, including preparation tips.
Being a hard-core bruncher, I decided to start with:
Dutch Baby Pancake with Mortadella & Rocket (page 47)
Goh describes a Dutch baby amusingly as a ‘dramatic, over-baked, pancake.’ If you have not tried them before, they are similar to a Yorkshire pudding. I’ve always seen them as sweets, so this savoury version caught my eye. Super easy to make, delicious, versatile. I now have loads of ideas for toppings I could put on a Dutch baby. These are a great fun alternative to pancakes, waffles, or any other breakfast/brunch carb base.
The name Dutch baby still amuses me no end …*titters*
Anything lemon always gives me pause, and this magnificent creation is no exception.
Ottolenghi Lemon & Labneh Cake (page 127)
Originally made for the 20th anniversary of the first Ottolenghi store, it has meringue, lemon marmalade, dehydrated lemons, and on and on. You can find the full recipe on the Ottolenghi website. This is Goh’s simplified version. Although a fair bit of work, it is not difficult or a fussy, temperamental, bake. I was going to make my own lemon curd, but found a half-used jar in the fridge, so thought I should use that up. Labneh is relatively easy to find these days in the dairy aisle, in amongst the yoghurts or the soft cheeses. It is worth finding it, because the sharpness of the labneh just works beautifully with the lemon to create utter deliciousness! This cake looks fabulous, belying its relative ease of creation.
My final choice to try was:
Blueberry & Vanilla Sugar Crackle Loaf (page 198)
Goh admits to regularly buying blueberries only to have them go soft because she’s not keen on them straight from the punnet. I have to agree. I find them too tart when fresh and unadorned, but absolutely acceptable when used as a star ingredient in a dish! And there is something comforting about a loaf cake. This is a fairly easy bake, although some of the steps could be simplified even more if you were in a real hurry. The results are moist, lemony, blueberry-y (!) and vanilla-y. So what’s not to like? As my kids are not great fans of my cakes any more since they grew up (excuse me while I wipe a tear from my eye), this will be sliced up, put into the freezer, and then popped into my lunchboxes for work.
None of the recipes in here are super-quick, but nor are they overly complex, or requiring obscure ingredients. This a cookbook for the keen home cook, but not necessarily needing more than basic skills. It is as much of a joy to read as it is to cook from.
Other recipes I currently have bookmarked include: Puttanesca Galette with Lemon Ricotta (page 33); Plum & Pistachio Bars (page 72); Rice Pudding with Plums & Cardamom (page 83); and Red Curry Chicken & Vegetable Pies (page 96). But I could seriously cook ALL of them!
Baking & the Meaning of Life is a fabulous addition to any keen home cook’s library.
Reviewed by Tracey Korsten
The views expressed in this review belong to the author and not Glam Adelaide, its affiliates, or employees.
Distributed by: Murdoch Books
Released: September 2025
RRP: $55.00
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