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Pastry & Baking Cookbooks I Love - a list by Anna
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Viewing 1-9 of 9 Items
Austin Entertains
First to recommend
Description
Imagine you've been invited to lunch at an Austin Lakeside mansion. The hostess, who has chosen to devote herself to getting to know you, has purchased a wonderful spread from Central Market or Whole Foods. Her vast kitchen is immaculate, but on the counter, maybe a few feet away from the wine chiller, this book sits on a stand. It will most likely be closed, as your hostess's housekeeper knows that an open book messes up the particular feng shui here, but it's bookmarked with satin ribbons peeking timidly through the top. This is the book that every well-heeled Texan should own.
Pretentious? No. Practical and elegant? Definitely. It's menu driven, so pick a chapter and you can cover your whole party from appetizers to dessert. Some of the easiest yet most used recipes from this book are jalapeno fudge ( bite size cornbread things, actually), chocolate dulces (rich, decadent condensed milk based cookie) and Texas Sushi -- a tortilla roll-up thing with nary a trace of raw fish. In the back of the book you will find a smattering of recipes contributed by some of Austin's top chefs. I get a kick out of picturing an overachieving Tri-Delt gathering ingredients for "Chiles Anchos Rellenos de Picadillo de Pollo" contributied by Fonda San Miguel chef Roberto Santibanez. Some of the best Texas hostesses actually like to do things themselves and this book is their guide.
And here's another reason to buy this book. It's the official cookbook of Austin, TX. No, I'm not kidding. It has the city seal on the back. If you are an Austinite living somewhere else, you just have to buy this book. If you are not interested in Austin or Texas whatsoever, you will probably still love this book.
Updated Nov 20, 2006
Pillsbury: Best of the Bake-Off Cookbook: 50th Anniversary Edition (Pillsbury)
First to recommend
Description
Reading this book is like taking a trip through time. Start back in the fifties, then watch the recipes evolve into quicker and more modern creations. The Bake-Off Contest has changed quite a bit over the years. While today's recipes are certainly quick and easy and appeal to today's mindset of wanting to throw something together quickly, some of the older recipes are top-drawer drawer classics. Whether you are a "quick and easy" enthusiast or someone who prefers to do everything from scratch, you will like this book for both the recipes and the glimpse into the Bake-Off contest. My personal favorite recipe is Triple Espresso Brownies.
Updated Sep 12, 2006
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The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion: The Essential Cookie Cookbook
First to recommend
Description
Definitely one of the best cookie collections I own. The staff at King Arthur Flour are passionate bakers with a sense of humor. Each recipe has a short and sweet (very catalog-like, I might add) intro. But most importantly, the recipes never fail to turn out exactly as described.
Updated Sep 12, 2006
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Bittersweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate
First to recommend
Description
Alice Medrich knows a lot about chocolate. In Bittersweet, she shares her expertise, her recipes, and a few memories of her life in the chocolate business. Unlike a few other pastry experts, Alice Medrich (like Sherry Yard) has the ability to explain complicated things in ways that anyone can understand.
Updated Sep 12, 2006
The Secrets of Baking: Simple Techniques for Sophisticated Desserts
First to recommend
2 people recommended this item
Description
Save yourself thousands of dollars on pastry school classes and buy this book! Sherry Yard will teach you all the secrets, and do so in an upbeat, easy-to-understand yet scientific way. She starts with the basics such as ganache, financier, and various pastry doughs, then teaches you how to build on these basic elements to create fancy desserts from the book and then eventually, fancy desserts from your imagination. It's the kind of book you'll want to settle down with and read, rather than just pull recipes from. A definite must-have for anyone interested in learning pastry basics and then some.
Updated Sep 12, 2006
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The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes from the Texas Hill Country's Rather Sweet Bakery & Cafe
First to recommend
2 people recommended this item
Description
Rebecca Rather's book is not just a collection of recipes, but a short sketch of her life as a single mother and up-and-coming pastry chef.
Updated Sep 12, 2006
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The All-American Cookie Book
First to recommend
Description
This is a solid collection of good, practical American cookies such as New York Black & Whites, brownies, chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal etc. Nancy Baggett is extremely detailed, yet practical. Best of all, her recipes seem to yield fabulous results every time.
Updated Sep 12, 2006
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Good Housekeeping Illustrated Book of Desserts
First to recommend
Description
No celebrity chefs here, no clever prose, just tons of desserts and plenty of photos. This book has been around for quite a while, but it never seems to get the star billing it deserves on the shelves of bookstores. Again, I suspect because it has no FoodTV personality behind it to back it up. What it does have is The Good Housekeeping seal, which anyone whose been cooking for a while can tell you, means something. These recipes have been tested over and over and over and are extremely reliable. While this book covers the basics, there are some very unique and creative desserts here which you will want most certainly want to try after seeing all the pictures.
Updated Sep 12, 2006
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Classic Home Desserts: A Treasury of Heirloom and Contemporary Recipes Frm Around the World
First to recommend
Description
The late Richard Sax collected a variety of old fashioned, comfort-food type desserts and put them together in this classy yet homey book. Along with a wide variety of puddings and fruit desserts, there are a few cookie, cake and pie recipes. I haven't cooked as many things as I'd like to out of this book, but I do enjoy reading it for the descriptions and history behind many of these old desserts.
Updated Sep 12, 2006
Viewing 1-9 of 9 Items
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