1 / 7Bitter: 80 Recipes for Balancing Bitter Flavours
Balancing: Bitter is a cookbook of 80 recipes exploring how to balance bitter flavours in sweet and savoury cooking. Alexina Anatole uses ingredients including grapefruit, greens, tahini, beer, walnuts, tea, coffee, cocoa and liquorice to show how bitter, sweet, sour, salty and rich flavours can work together.
At a glance
- Covers 80 recipes built around ten bitter ingredients and their different flavour profiles.
- Includes sweet and savoury dishes, from salmon tacos and aubergines to pavlova and cheesecake.
- The book presents flavour balancing as a cooking skill as well as a collection of recipes.
Reference price: £27.00
Price checked: 12 Nov 2026
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Pros and cons
Pros
- Combines practical recipes with an explanation of how bitter flavours interact with sweet, sour, salty and rich elements.
- The stated recipe range covers everyday cooking as well as entertaining.
Technical specifications
8 specifications| Publisher | Square Peg |
|---|---|
| Publication date | 28 Sept. 2023 |
| Language | English |
| Print length | 240 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1529193125 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-13 | 978-1529193121 |
| Weight listed | 1.1 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 19.6 x 2.5 x 25.4 cm |
What to know before buying
Listing details to confirm
The listing describes ten featured bitter ingredients and names grapefruit and bitter oranges, greens, tahini, beer, walnuts, cranberries, tea, coffee, cocoa and liquorice. The wording does not make clear whether grapefruit and bitter oranges count separately, so the exact ingredient count is unconfirmed.
Who is it for?
Customer reviews on Amazon
- 5 stars
70% 70% - 4 stars
18% 18% - 3 stars
11% 11% - 2 stars
0% 0% - 1 star
1% 1%
Customer feedback describes the book as an engaging exploration of bitter foods, with recipes seen as interesting and doable and the concept praised for originality. That reported appeal suits readers seeking both usable dishes and ideas about flavour balance. Ratings are largely at the high end, though some are lower, and ratings alone do not explain why.
Positive themes
- Customer feedback highlights the recipe content, flavours, recipe quality, concept and originality.
Frequently asked questions
What does Bitter focus on?
It explores ways to balance bitter flavours in sweet and savoury cooking through 80 recipes and discussion of how flavour elements complement one another.
What kinds of recipes are included?
The listing names dishes such as seared salmon tacos, roasted aubergines, coffee beef short ribs, Negroni pavlova and matcha Basque cheesecake.
Who is the book aimed at?
The listing positions it for confident home cooks who want to understand flavour as well as cook from a recipe collection.
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