I think about food blogging from the moment I rise till long after my head hits the sheets each night. Yes, it's a bit of an obsession.
But the idea of tackling a cook book is enormous to me and I am awestruck by Jennifer Schmidt's new production Delicious Everyday.
Jennifer is the author of Delicieux, one of Australia's most popular food blogs. She is known for her delicious recipes that vary from healthy and nutritious vegetarian food through to decadent and sinful desserts. Her aim is to get people back into the kitchen and remove some of the stigma often associated with vegetarian food.
1. What inspired your food blog?
I began Delicieux back in 2007 both as a way to challenge myself to learn more about cooking, and also to share the type of vegetarian food I enjoy. My type of vegetarian food has nothing to do with tofu and cheese, which were two common ingredients found in most vegetarian cookbooks back then that simply seemed to be just substitute for meat. I couldn't understand why there weren't more books and vegetarian recipes simply focusing on using vegetables. Thankfully that has changed over recent years with the vast array of new and interesting vegetables available on the market today.
2. What inspired your recipe book?
As I mentioned, I was always disappointed by vegetarian cookbooks so I'd long wanted to produce the type of cookbook I'd been looking for. For years I dreamed of writing it, but always thought I had to wait for a publisher to approach me with a book deal, but through the wonders of self publishing I was able to produce a book that met my vision exactly.
3. What is your favourite recipe in the book and why?
I'd have to say the Tomato and Goats Cheese Tart which appears on the cover is my favourite. The slow cooking of the tart really brings out the flavour of the tomatoes.
4. Any recipes passed down through your family?
I haven't included any family recipes in the book, although I have on my blog in the past. The most popular family recipe that every woman in our family knows how to make is Scottish Tablet , which is a condensed milk fudge. No Christmas in our family is complete without it.
5. Which recipes do you cook most often and why?
I have a few favourites from the book that I make at least a couple of times a month such as the vegetarian pho, tomato basil and spinach spaghetti and the Asian style quinoa patties. I'm also always experimenting with new recipes, some more successful than others.
6. Personally - sweet or savoury?
Sweet, definitely, which will come as no surprise considering the number of desserts I feature on Delicieux.
7. What is your highest return (least effort but best result) recipe?
That's difficult, because I have a couple of recipes I turn to on days I want dinner on the table quickly. The two I turn to most at my tomato, basil and spinach spaghetti, or stir fry. Both require very little effort.
8. Which three recipes would you combine for a dinner party entrée, main and dessert?
Entrée would by my mini Tomato and Goats Cheese Tarts with a salad. Main would have to be my Mushroom Wellington. The wellington does require a bit of effort, but is something that both meat eaters and vegetarians love. For dessert either a chocolate or lemon tart.
9. Do you have plans for another book?
I do. On the recommendation of my editor (aka my husband) I trimmed out a lot of recipes I had originally planned to include, but my wise husband pointed out that I needed to break it down into something more manageable for my first book. So yes, I do have plans for another book.
10. Tips for aspiring cook book authors?
The first tip is that putting together a cookbook is a lot more work than I originally expected. There's not only the recipe development and food photography, but dealing with word processing software, which gave me lots of nightmares.
I think the layout of the book is important too as is the photography. It needs to look attractive, so spend time flicking through cookbooks you enjoy and work out styles you like. Also, the cover is important. A good cover can decide whether someone purchases your book or not.
Call on friends to not only assist in taste testing, but also in reading your draft book to. Make sure they are happy to share their honest opinion. While gushing and telling you something is wonderful makes you feel good, real, honest advice on what works and what doesn't is much more valuable.
To purchase Jennifer's book Click here to visit Delicieux.
About Jennifer
Jennifer has written for Cravings Magazine, Honest Cooking, Gram and has been featured on The Kitchn, Huffington Post, GourmetLive, Meatless Monday and The Hoopla. In addition Delicieux has been shortlisted for a number of awards including Cosmopolitan UK 2012 Best Blogs Awards in the Food category, and The Kitchn’s 2012 Homies in the Best Food Photography category. Jennifer also works as a recipe developer, with the recipe she developed for the Australian Mushroom Growers Association, a vegetarian Mushroom Wellington, voted the winner at the International Mushroom Masters recipe competition in 2011.
Kerry Heaney