Now & Then

Filed under Reviews

November 10, 2023

It’s Foodie Friday! I’m back with another cookbook review (it’s been almost a year(?!)) since the last one because I’ve been slacking. Now & Then is a gorgeous (and hefty) one that’s equal parts cookbook/memoir, filled with tons of delicious recipes!

Looking for a gorgeous cookbook that’s also equal parts memoir? Check out Now & Then by Tessa Kiros! #ad #cookbookreviews #foodblogger

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Now & Then

Author: Tessa Kiros
Genre: Food/Cooking
Pages: 400

This book truly feels like a work of art + I love that the book is bound in such a way that it’ll lay flat wherever you turn the page to. It even comes along with a built-in ribbon bookmark to keep your spot! Since Now & Then is structured as a memoir as well as a cookbook, the table of contents is different than most. It’ll likely be more difficult to find what you’re looking for if you’re expecting a traditional cookbook divided by type of meal, so here are the sections:

In my kitchen

Tessa Kiros starts off with a discussion on the ingredients she generally keeps in her kitchen + the equipment she uses the most often.

Things that stay

The recipes here are from her memories from the author’s childhood days in South Africa — from Boereboontjies (green beans + mash) to lucky coin cake to warm malva pudding cake with whiskey sauce or her friend’s square scones.

Nowadays

This section is for “nowadays — what we are loving. Here is where we are and where we are going.” If you’re looking for a veggie section, this is it (for the most part)!

Vegetable yemista (stuffed veggies), vegetable moussaka, hortopita (wild greens pie), spanakorizo…

vegetable yemista (stuffed veggies)

What I would miss if I left Italy

If Italian food is your jam, this will likely be your favorite section! You an learn how to make lasagna di carciofi, red wine risotto, gnocchi della casa, giant tortello with porcini and sage, panna cotta with strawbery and vanilla bean…

ricotta + jam pastries

New Orleans sojourn

I haven’t been to New Orleans yet, but it’s on my list! I was somewhat horrified by the story she heard when she first got there (aka how the lady at the reception desk spent her weekend), but…hopefully the lady was just kidding. In any event, if you’ve ever wanted to learn how to make crawfish pies, buttermilk biscuits, fried buttermilk chicken, chicken + sausage gumbo, strawberry shortcake, you’re in the right spot!

strawberry shortcake

Mexico flowers

It’s hard not to love Mexican food! There are recipes for different types of chilis + tortillas here, guacamole, tacos, and elote (having just returned from a camping trip in Cobb, California, I’ve been especially craving this lately…)!

A few things I love every day

Cumin mince kofta plate + tomato piri piri sauce, flatbread, chicken kebabs, grilled lamb chops with sumac + mint relish, salmon plate with lime + soy…

Thailand stories

Thai food = one of my favorite cuisines, so this section is where it’s at for me! Some of the recipes include tom yum goong, kaho man gai (chicken soup with rice + cucumbers), pad thai, coconut + lime chicken leaf wraps, coconut ice cream, and my favorite dessert — mango with sticky rice. There’s even a recipe for nam manao soda!

The ones that got away

These are like her “miscellaneous section” of recipes that didn’t make it into her other books — I’m glad they made it into this one, because the Chicken 65 with lemon chutney and the raspberry creme brûlée look especially good!

A few things I’m obsessed with

I think the title of this chapter is pretty self-explanatory, but the piri piri lemon butter chicken, patates antinaxtes (Cypriot side dish made with whole baby potatoes), chicken + mushroom pies, and passionfruit + strawberry frozen duettos are calling my name…

stuffed artichokes

Roses

As the chapter title suggests, everything rose-related goes here! There’s a recipe for lamb biryani with rose, rice dessert with rose + cream, pistachio biscuits with figs, raspberries, and rose syrup…

Not gonna lie, this is one of those cookbooks that I feel like I’m going to have to “work up” to because I definitely don’t feel skilled enough to make most of these right now.

That being said, it’ll be good motivation to start cooking again, and don’t worry, there are some that look doable! I may start with the feel-good rose tea because it sounds absolutely amazing…