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Basics to Brilliance
Australia's bestselling cookbook author returns with a stunning new book, Basics to Brilliance - and a TV series tie in.
Australia's most trusted and best-selling cookbook author, Donna Hay, wants to take you from basics to brilliance.
Donna believes that, just like anything you want to be good at, mastering the basics is how you build confidence. So, in this book, she's sharing all her favourite, tried and true recipes - think the perfect tender steak, golden roast chicken, crispy pork belly, her nan's sponge cake, and of course the fudgiest brownies! Each basic recipe is followed by clever variations and simple flavour change-ups, so one recipe becomes many and your repertoire naturally grows. Take Donna's 'no-fail meringue mixture' - once mastered, this basic recipe can be tweaked to be turned into the perfect pavlova; divinely flavoured salted caramel, chocolate, rosewater and pistachio, and raspberry meringues for an elegant afternoon tea; or a silky smooth and tangy lemon meringue pie for a divine dessert for a dinner party.
This is your ultimate guide to being brilliant in the kitchen!
Basics to Brilliance is a luxurious hardback, featuring beautiful photography and featuring over 200 recipes. This is a book you will want to treasure forever.
In 2011, Donna's first television series - fast, fresh, simple - premiered on LifeStyle, garnering her a 2012 Astra award for Best New Female Personality and went on to air in more than 17 countries worldwide. In 2016 , Donna is returning to Foxtel with a brand new eight part show, Basics to Brilliance, based on this book, which will go to air in late May and be on repeat rotation as the book goes on sale.
Australia's most trusted and best-selling cookbook author, Donna Hay, wants to take you from basics to brilliance.
Donna believes that, just like anything you want to be good at, mastering the basics is how you build confidence. So, in this book, she's sharing all her favourite, tried and true recipes - think the perfect tender steak, golden roast chicken, crispy pork belly, her nan's sponge cake, and of course the fudgiest brownies! Each basic recipe is followed by clever variations and simple flavour change-ups, so one recipe becomes many and your repertoire naturally grows. Take Donna's 'no-fail meringue mixture' - once mastered, this basic recipe can be tweaked to be turned into the perfect pavlova; divinely flavoured salted caramel, chocolate, rosewater and pistachio, and raspberry meringues for an elegant afternoon tea; or a silky smooth and tangy lemon meringue pie for a divine dessert for a dinner party.
This is your ultimate guide to being brilliant in the kitchen!
Basics to Brilliance is a luxurious hardback, featuring beautiful photography and featuring over 200 recipes. This is a book you will want to treasure forever.
In 2011, Donna's first television series - fast, fresh, simple - premiered on LifeStyle, garnering her a 2012 Astra award for Best New Female Personality and went on to air in more than 17 countries worldwide. In 2016 , Donna is returning to Foxtel with a brand new eight part show, Basics to Brilliance, based on this book, which will go to air in late May and be on repeat rotation as the book goes on sale.
400 pages, Hardcover
Published September 19, 2017
6 people are currently reading
201 people want to read
About the author
Donna Hay
110 books75 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Donna Hay is an Australian food stylist, author, and magazine editor. Her food, recipes and styling focuses on basic ingredients, simply prepared and beautifully photographed – hallmarks of her work which have set the benchmark for food publishing worldwide and inspired a whole new generation of cooks.
Donna Hay is an Australian food stylist, author, and magazine editor. Her food, recipes and styling focuses on basic ingredients, simply prepared and beautifully photographed – hallmarks of her work which have set the benchmark for food publishing worldwide and inspired a whole new generation of cooks.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
November 7, 2017
Beautifully published! A real joy for the eye - high quality paper, great photography and very pleasant layout.
In terms of cooking and recipes it's a great book for those less confident in the kitchen, as well as those who already have some experience in that field and want to broaden their skills.
The recipes are not complicated, instructions clear and easy to follow, the ingredients widely available (and the fact that the author lives in Australia and I'm on the other side of the world in Ireland, is completely irrelevant here!).
There are recipes for "basics" like roast chicken, meatballs, pork belly, beef and sweet things like sponge cake or brownies. Each "master recipe" explains how to make your dish foolproof and also how you can simply change it to create entirely new dish! For example simple addition of different spices, or cooking it slightly differently or something so simple like reusing your leftovers to create a completely new dish.
It's a book sure to inspire and one that makes a perfect gift for someone who likes cooking/baking.
In terms of cooking and recipes it's a great book for those less confident in the kitchen, as well as those who already have some experience in that field and want to broaden their skills.
The recipes are not complicated, instructions clear and easy to follow, the ingredients widely available (and the fact that the author lives in Australia and I'm on the other side of the world in Ireland, is completely irrelevant here!).
There are recipes for "basics" like roast chicken, meatballs, pork belly, beef and sweet things like sponge cake or brownies. Each "master recipe" explains how to make your dish foolproof and also how you can simply change it to create entirely new dish! For example simple addition of different spices, or cooking it slightly differently or something so simple like reusing your leftovers to create a completely new dish.
It's a book sure to inspire and one that makes a perfect gift for someone who likes cooking/baking.
February 21, 2018
Brilliant! Take the basic recipe and then transform it into a number of brilliant creations. Beautiful layout & food photography. Can’t wait to start cooking my way through Donna Hay’s newest cookbook.
March 1, 2017
Inspiring me to try lots of new recipes.
February 2, 2024
I wasn't familiar with Donna Hay, but happened to see an ad for a new cookbook. My library system didn't have the new one but we had a couple of her previous ones so I decided to check them out. Overall, this seems like a really good cookbook. The recipes are organized in a couple basic sections, then each section has a "basic" dish like fried chicken, or pork ribs, then a few recipes using that basic base. There were several recipes I'd like to try and lots of helpful photographs and tips. My only (small) complaint is that it's a BIG book and the recipes take up multiple pages. Also, the background of most pages is black/dark and the text is white and kind of small so it can be a little harder to read. But, I do like the way she organized the recipes and it looks like lots of good stuff to try.
November 6, 2021
Mèh...
#AusReadingMonth2021
My Thoughts
#AusReadingMonth2021
My Thoughts
October 10, 2018
This was a big book. I was dreading reading it. I am not quite sure what possessed me to take it out of the library but I did. Turns out the reading of it was a lot simpler than I expected. Basic recipes followed by variations with pictures of all the dishes.
This meant that much of the book was pictures. I can see the value of having someone think about one recipe and all its spinoffs or even thinking about how to use a recipe as an ingredient for another recipe. This would be helpful for those who haven't quite figured out how to do this.
I do have a few Donna Hay recipes that I have tried. They are simple straight forward and work. These strike me as more of the same. I do get caught up in some of the Australian lingo but on the whole, these are solid recipes.
This meant that much of the book was pictures. I can see the value of having someone think about one recipe and all its spinoffs or even thinking about how to use a recipe as an ingredient for another recipe. This would be helpful for those who haven't quite figured out how to do this.
I do have a few Donna Hay recipes that I have tried. They are simple straight forward and work. These strike me as more of the same. I do get caught up in some of the Australian lingo but on the whole, these are solid recipes.
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October 5, 2022Gemüse? Was ist das?
June 22, 2018
I gained 10 pounds just reading this. I know have to go buy a ton of unsalted butter and work my way through the “sweet”chapter
August 21, 2018
This is a stunningly beautiful cookbook that makes exquisite cooking seem like something I can do at home.
April 1, 2020
To be honest I was never a fan of Donna Hay until I watched her on SBS.
I decided to give one of her books a go and chose this one. BEST IDEA EVER!!
The title is aptly named, the recipes are super easy to follow, they don't have a bunch of obscure ingredients and taste AMAZING! These recipes can be adapted to suit dietary requirements also.
A family favourite was the Beef Brisket recipe - first time ever cooking it and it was a success!
The Tips and tricks provided in this book will assist even the most seasoned home cook with their life long learning and love of cooking. Give it ago!
I decided to give one of her books a go and chose this one. BEST IDEA EVER!!
The title is aptly named, the recipes are super easy to follow, they don't have a bunch of obscure ingredients and taste AMAZING! These recipes can be adapted to suit dietary requirements also.
A family favourite was the Beef Brisket recipe - first time ever cooking it and it was a success!
The Tips and tricks provided in this book will assist even the most seasoned home cook with their life long learning and love of cooking. Give it ago!
August 15, 2020
This book has the most gorgeous pictures of buttermilk fried chicken (made three ways - including a crisp, green leafy salad and little brioche- like sliders, and the not-so- humble fried chicken burger). I could drool over the steak picture for all eternity. The spelt flour rosemary bread and pizza crust *look* amazing, but hey - 7 cups of flour? Just like the slow-cooked beef brisket (do I have a whole day to dedicate to kitchen stuff?) I shall probably never make any of it.
This is where the dessert section - over half the book - really comes into its own. The recipes seem less crazily complicated and ooooh - a creme anglaise, three ways - heavenly! Who couldn’t be a brownie perfectionist. Who could possibly fail at a basic vanilla cake? Well ahem, let’s not go there. And those ricotta hotcakes...with icing sugar and lemon, with raspberries.....ooooh. No more queuing with half of Aussie London in the leafy W postcodes, trying to get into Bill Granger’s Notting Hill on a Sunday morning. (Aussie London also seems to wake up and get out and about at 7am., with the Bill Granger queues already spilling onto the pavements.......whaaaaat). But I digress.
At first I thought, what is this book? Desserts are half of it. Now I realise that is the book’s particular genius. With simple ingredients (I even have them in my cupboards mostly!) thiS can be my new source of expertise in life.
Insomniac episode over worrying about the state of the world’s economy now over. I shall give grateful thanks for all that is good in this life, and try to get more sleep. The desserts can be my new hobby. Expert intentions!
This is where the dessert section - over half the book - really comes into its own. The recipes seem less crazily complicated and ooooh - a creme anglaise, three ways - heavenly! Who couldn’t be a brownie perfectionist. Who could possibly fail at a basic vanilla cake? Well ahem, let’s not go there. And those ricotta hotcakes...with icing sugar and lemon, with raspberries.....ooooh. No more queuing with half of Aussie London in the leafy W postcodes, trying to get into Bill Granger’s Notting Hill on a Sunday morning. (Aussie London also seems to wake up and get out and about at 7am., with the Bill Granger queues already spilling onto the pavements.......whaaaaat). But I digress.
At first I thought, what is this book? Desserts are half of it. Now I realise that is the book’s particular genius. With simple ingredients (I even have them in my cupboards mostly!) thiS can be my new source of expertise in life.
Insomniac episode over worrying about the state of the world’s economy now over. I shall give grateful thanks for all that is good in this life, and try to get more sleep. The desserts can be my new hobby. Expert intentions!
June 2, 2024
This book is a great concept: take some basic recipes and basic techniques and present some options and twists for the cook. It then provides a springboard for the cook to create their own twists and flavour profiles. I found it very difficult to read the text as the font and type is quite small and there wasn't enough contrast against the background. Beautifully photographed, very detailed directions. May have to do some research as some of the terminology is specific to Australian culture/cuisine. Her books are absolute food-porn!
March 10, 2025
I love cookbooks and this is one of my all-time favourites. I highly recommend it, you won’t be disappointed.
Stunning photography and layout, easy to follow instructions and helpful tips. Great collection of recipes from simple staples and familiar favourites to clever ways to use up leftovers in other dishes.
The no fail pavlova and my nan's sponge cake are two of go to recipes which I’ve made too many times to count now.
Stunning photography and layout, easy to follow instructions and helpful tips. Great collection of recipes from simple staples and familiar favourites to clever ways to use up leftovers in other dishes.
The no fail pavlova and my nan's sponge cake are two of go to recipes which I’ve made too many times to count now.
July 10, 2018
gorgeous lay out and photos but pretentious especially the photos of the author/chef having her make up touched up for her photo shoot. does anyone care about that in a COOKBOOK??? I had never heard of her....simple recipes for a beningiing cook.
December 28, 2018
I was lucky enough to get gifted two Donna Hay cookbooks for Christmas, and I read through both of them today. This one is amazing. So many awesome basic recipes, and then so many more awesome variations on them. I can't wait to start cooking from this.
April 8, 2022
I love the concept of this book. As someone who isn’t a beginner cook but still wanting to perfect the basics, it’s a book for me. I also really love a cookbook that goes for the dark/gritty branding rather than the overly saturated white and squeaky clean we are used to.
December 27, 2017
love. love love
November 9, 2018
I love the concept of this book. Make the basics well and then riff on them.
December 29, 2021
Love the concept of this book - basic recipes and then two or three ways to upgrade it. Wonderful chocolate brownie and chocolate chip cookie recipes. Not tried the savoury yet
July 18, 2022
This is my go to. Every recipe Donna Hay creates delivers a perfect result in the home kitchen.
Seriously, everyone kitchen needs Basics to Brilliance
Seriously, everyone kitchen needs Basics to Brilliance
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews