Encyclopedia of Sauces, Pickles and Preserves

This work contains recipes for all the classic sauces, plus creamy dips, hot and fiery salsas, tasty relishes, spicy marinades and simple dressings: try calvados and apple sauce for pork, sweet pepper salsa for fish, or basil and lemon mayonnaise for salad. Add something special to every type of dish for every kind of occasion, with over 350 sweet and savoury sauces, salsas, dips, dressings, marinades, jams, jellies, pickles, relishes, preserves and chutneys. It contains more than 1500 glorious specially shot photographs, with every recipe shown step-by-step to ensure success. A comprehensive reference section covers all the techniques, equipment and ingredients needed. Beginning with a guide to hot stocks, sauces and salsas, learn how to whisk a creamy hollandaise sauce to just the right consistency, prevent a sweet egg custard curdling, achieve just the right amount of citrus tang in an oil-based dressing or blend chocolate and cream to create a dreamy dessert topping. In addition, preserving roots and fruits - one of the oldest culinary arts - is brought up to date with all the necessary know-how to slow-cook, caramelize, set and strain. From sealing jars with paraffin wax to making microwave lemon curd, this delightful mix of old and new culinary wizardry will enable every cook to perfect their own jellies, jams and fruit curds. Thanks to full advice on presentation, labelling and storing, many of these recipes will also make fantastic gifts, such as Christmas chutney, tarragon and champagne mustard, spiced apple mincemeat or forest berries in kirsch.

Catherine Atkinson currently works as a full-time writer and food consultant, contributing to various food and lifestyle magazines, and producing many outstanding cookbooks such as The World Encyclopedia of Coffee (Lorenz Books); Quick and Easy Microwave Cooking for One (Foulsham); Chocolate and Sweets to Make (Usborne); Christine France is a food writer with over twenty years' experience. After training as a home economist, Christine spent many years working as both an editor and a contributor on many women and special-interest magazines, before setting up her own food and cooking consultancy. Maggie Mayhew is a full-time freelance cookery writer and home economist, contributing to several national women's magazines. Previously she was Cookery Editor of Home Magazine for 2 years and Deputy Food and Wine Editor of Living magazine for five years.