Bitter, written by Alexina Anatole, features an incredible collection of over 80 sweet and savory recipes with a focus on the use of bitter ingredients in everyday cooking. A few highlights include Grapefruit Drizzle Sheet Cake, Celery Pisco Sour, Roast Chicken with Beer Butter Onions, Cranberry Brown Butter Bakewell Tarts, and Mushrooms on Toast with Sencha Butter. I will also be sharing her recipe for Tomato and Lapsang Souchong Salad following the review.
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book from Interlink Books in exchange for my honest review. All comments and opinions are my own.
Alexina Anatole
Alexina Anatole is a chef, TV presenter, and writer. She was born in Brighton, grew up in Paris, and is currently based in London.
She was also a finalist on MasterChef UK 2021, runs events such as Sel (London’s most intimate supper club), and writes Small Wins- a Substack newsletter “that enhances your cooking and your life in small, manageable ways.”
This is Alexina’s debut cookbook. Her second book, Sweet: The Secret to the Best Desserts, is set to release in November 2025 in the United States with Sour, Salty, and Umami to follow.
Bitter
Alexina begins Bitter with a short introduction before discussing a few notes to help get started from the basis of bitterness to balancing flavors and understanding your own palate.
The book is divided into ten sections, each surrounding a specific ingredient: Grapefruit & Bitter Oranges, Bitter Leaves, Tahini, Beer, Walnuts, Cranberries, Tea, Coffee, Cocoa, and Liquorice. Each chapter has a list of the included recipes with page number for easy reference.
Alexina has even put together a chart with the recipes divided based on specific occasion such as Breakfast + Brunch, Weeknight (veggie, fish, or meat), and Baking.
The food photography is provided by Yuki Sugiura with portrait photography by Danika Magdelena. Most of the recipes are paired with at least one full-page, beautifully-styled photo of the finished dish. There are also a few process photos.
Measurements are listed in US Customary and Metric. Titles are written in English. Each recipe has a headnote with background information, personal memories, yield, helpful tips, and pairing ideas.
Tomato and Lapsang Souchong Salad
Tomato Salads are one of my absolute favorite things during the summer, so I was particularly drawn to the Tomato and Lapsang Souchong Salad during my first look at Bitter.
This refreshing salad comes together in minutes. Simply cut the tomatoes into rough chunks and marinate for a few minutes in olive oil and salt.
After marinating, serve the tomatoes with a drizzle of sherry vinegar, generous sprinkle of finely ground lapsang souchong tea leaves, and a garnish of fresh basil leaves.
Alexina recommends serving the Tomato + Lapsang Souchong Salad with focaccia or ciabatta to soak up any remaining liquid in the bowl.
Lapsang Souchong
Lapsang Souchong (正山小種) is a black tea from the Wuyi Mountains in northern Fujian Province, China. The leaves are dried over a pinewood fire to develop a distinctive smoky flavor.
For those in Washington DC, I have come across Lapsang Souchong at the Teaism shop in Penn Quarter. It is also available online.
If you have some extra tea leaves, the next recipe in Bitter is for Tempura French Green Beans with Lapsang Souchong Dipping Sauce.
Tomato and Lapsang Souchong Salad Variation
The salad is delicious on its own, but you can add some torn fresh mozzarella if desired for a more filling option.
Other Dishes
I also made Burrata, Radicchio + Olive Oil Breadcrumbs; Rarebit Mac’n’Cheese; Matcha Basque Cheesecake; and Mocha Martini.
The Burrata, Radicchio + Olive Oil Breadcrumbs is the first recipe in the Bitter Leaves chapter. Creamy burrata is paired with lightly pan-fried radicchio leaves and toasted breadcrumbs for quite the incredible contrast of flavors and textures. I especially loved the touch of balsamic. Alexina recommends serving it with toasted sourdough.
Inspired by Welsh Rarebit (Cheese Toast), the Rarebit Mac’n’Cheese in the Beer chapter is a comforting meal with a fun twist. Pasta is baked in a bubbly sauce with Guinness, Cheddar, Parmesan, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, and crispy sage leaves to finish.
I have only made Basque Cheesecake a couple of times and was so excited to see the Matcha Basque Cheesecake variation in the Tea chapter. This dense and creamy cheesecake is packed with cream cheese, sour cream, heavy cream, and a couple tablespoons of matcha powder. After bringing everything together, it is baked in a hot oven until just set with a deeply golden top. As Alexina suggests, this dessert is perfect for making ahead and the texture peaks on day three.
Along with the wonderful meals, there are also a few drinks. The Coffee chapter has a recipe for a Mocha Martini. This easy cocktail comes together with vodka, crème de cacao liqueur, espresso, and cocao bitters.
Bitter is a fantastic pick for those interested in incorporating bitter flavors in unique and exciting ways using inspiration from around the world. Options range from appetizers, breakfast, and small plates to meat, seafood, vegetables, drinks, and desserts. There are even vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, and gluten-free recipes.
Most of the ingredients are becoming more available in larger American grocery stores. A few items that may require further searching include orange blossom water, fenugreek leaves, bulgur, endives, dried shiitake mushrooms, pomegranate molasses, sumac, saffron, allspice berries, Saint Lucia cocoa stick, and kecap manis.
Tomato and Lapsang Souchong Salad Recipe
Excerpt from Bitter
Tomato and Lapsang Souchong Salad
Ingredients
- 2 large tomatoes e.g. bull's heart or beef tomatoes (about 1 pound 9 ounces/700 grams total weight)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt flakes
- 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) high-quality extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lapsang souchong tea
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
- handful of basil leaves
- focaccia or ciabatta to serve
Instructions
- Cut the tomatoes into rough chunks and put in a bowl along with the salt and olive oil. Leave to marinate for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, crush the lapsang souchong to a fine powder using a mortar and pestle or spice blender.
- To serve, add the vinegar to the tomatoes, toss, then transfer to a platter (juices and all).
- Liberally sprinkle the ground lapsang souchong over the tomatoes, then garnish with basil leaves.
- This is lovely served with focaccia or ciabatta to drag through the leftover tomato juices on the plate.
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