Archive for the ‘Magazines & Cookbooks’ Category
It is always fun to sneak a little taste of homemade cookie dough, whether you’re a little kid or a big kid (adult), even though eating raw cookie dough isn’t necessarily the best idea because of the raw eggs it contains. There is something about the flavor of cookie dough that draws us in time and again. Ben & Jerry’s capitalized on our love of cookie dough by turning it into ice cream, and The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook uses it in a whole host of different recipes and takes cookie dough a few steps further than just putting it into a batch of ice cream. Every recipe in this book – from cakes to candies – features cookie dough as a flavor and ingredient in its own right.
The book starts off with an eggless chocolate chip cookie dough recipe. This is the basis for all of the other cookie doughs in the book, and it is a dough that you can feel comfortable indulging in because it contains no raw eggs. You will be amazed at the variety of recipes that the dough gets incorporated into here. It is used as a filling for cupcakes, a center for candies, a layer in cakes and even as a surprise base at the bottom of a creme brulee. The recipes are very creative – and they’re also easy to follow along with, with clear directions. There are many beautiful pictures throughout the book that make the recipes look as fun as they sound, and are a great source of inspiration as you read through. In addition to the basic recipes, you’ll also find lots of tips for perfecting the techniques used in the recipes and suggestions for variations on them.
The only thing that a chocolate chip cookie fan might find a bit unusual about this book is that these egg-free cookie doughs are not meant to be baked. They are designed to be at their peak when uncooked. In addition to excluding eggs, they also do not use any leavening, so the baked dough would not have the texture of a regular cookie. Fortunately for those looking to pair the raw dough with a real cookie, there are a few recipes in the book that have that concept (raw dough + baked cookie) covered. The book is definitely indulgent and, while these recipes might be a little over-the-top for everyday baking (since you can get tired of the dough if you eat too much), the idea is well worth a try for anyone who has every snuck in a second bite of cookie dough when mixing up a batch of chocolate chip cookies.
Cupcakes started as a dessert trend but became a sweet staple for many of us, which left room for more trends to hit the dessert market after them. One of these trends was for push pop-style cakes, where cake, frosting and other goodies were layered into a push pop container (the same kind you bought from the ice cream truck as a kid) and eaten by pushing the layers up with the push pop stick. The presentation for these treats is beautiful and in Push-up Pops you’ll find recipes and instructions on how to assemble these at home.
The book covers a wide range of different desserts including cakes, pies, frozen desserts and cookie-based push pops. It starts with a detailed introduction to the techniques needed to assemble these goodies and get the best finished product before jumping into the recipes. For instance, cake batters should be baked in a jelly roll pan so that the layers are very thin, and the rounds for the pops can be cut out simply by pressing your pop mold into the baked cake to get the perfect size and shape. The recipes are clearly written and easy to follow, with lots of delicious sounding flavor combinations. The techniques used in this book might be even more useful than the recipes because the wow factor in these desserts is their unique look. Once you have the basics down, you can layer any combination of cake, cookies, fruit, frosting or fillings in your push pops and come up with your own creations quite easily.
These treats are perfect for serving at a party or bringing to a bake sale. To make these recipes as described in the book, you will need to order some Push Up Pop molds, which can be found from some online cake and pastry stores. They make for an amazing presentation and are a lot of fun to use. If you don’t have the molds or don’t want to get them, not to worry: every dessert can be assembled in dessert glasses instead and eaten with a spoon. Using relatively narrow glasses (which you probably already have) gives you a beautifully layered dessert that you can serve easily and eat with a spoon, even if you don’t have push up molds.
Eric Lanlard is a French pâtissier and a celebrity chef in the UK, who has starred in two popular food shows in addition to owning and running a highly successful pastry shop, Cake Boy. He is a chef that knows his cakes and desserts, and in the book Cake Boy, named after his shop, he introduces home bakers to some of his best recipes and techniques. The book starts out with cakes, but covers a whole variety of desserts and baked goods that range from the very simple to more complex to appeal to bakers of all skill levels.
The book has a simple format and one that makes the book easy to reference and use. It doesn’t spend a lot of time on introductions and ingredients, but instead jumps into the recipes. The book is divided up into quite a few chapters: Sponge Cakes, Tarts, Meringues, Muffins & Cupcakes, Tray Bakes, Festive Recipes, Cheesecakes, Desserts, and Pastries & Cookies. At the beginning of each chapter, there is a brief look at the techniques used in making that particular type of baked good, as well as tips that are key to success. The recipes are easy to follow and very detailed, and most of the recipes have short ingredient lists (and reminders to always use the highest quality ingredients) that make them appealing and accessible.
One of the things that makes this book stand out from other cookbooks on the bookstore shelf is that it is a British book, and you’ll find a variety of recipes that you won’t see in many American cookbooks. For instance, there is more of a focus on sponge cakes than butter cakes, and you won’t see cakes slathered in American-style buttercream here. Plenty of the recipes could cross over into any other dessert cookbook, but it will add a lot of variety to your collection if you don’t have many books that focus on Victoria sponges and bread and butter puddings. The book is beautiful to look at, with lots of fantastic photos to get your mouth watering and your mixer working, and with the tips and tricks that dot the pages, you’re sure to have good results with any recipe you want to try.
Bundt cakes are the perfect example of simple, no-fuss cakes. This is laregly because they come right out of their pans looking beautiful and need no frosting or other decorations to finish them off. Something like 60 million bundt pans have been sold since the 1950s in the US, if that gives you an idea of just how popular this type of cake is. Cake Simple: Recipes for Bundt-Style Cakes from Classic Dark Chocolate to Luscious Lemon-Basil is a book dedicated to bundt cakes, with recipes that range from very traditional to a little more modern, but all with the same no-fuss style.
The book opens with an introduction that briefly discusses ingredients and techniques for getting a perfect bundt. The key to a clean release from the pan is to make sure that you grease and flour it well before adding your batter. The recipes are broken up into several chapters. The chapters include Better Than Ever Bundt Classics, Gooey, Swirly Bundt Decadence and a chapter on Mini Bundts. I have to admit that I find that the third chapter – Bundt Cakes for Food Snobs – is very poorly named. This chapter features more “gourmet” recipes with a more modern flair, which is great and helps set the book apart from other bundt recipe collections. The title alone might turn off some bakers who simply resent the implication that they’re “snobs” rather than foodies, food lovers or simply more advanced bakers interested in trying some new flavor combinations! The classic chapter includes Brown Sugar Bundt Cake and Lemon Bundt Cakes, while you’ll find Honey Jalapeno and Spiced Dulce de Leche in the food snob chapter.
The book is full of beautiful photos of the finished cakes that will surely inspire you to bake – and just might inspire you to add another bundt pan to your collection. The recipes are easy to follow along with and clearly written. There is something in here for everyone and this is the type of book that you’re very likely to turn to again and again for easy to make cakes that are crowd pleasers. There is also enough variety that you may never get bored with this book and will always be able to find something new to bake.
There is a little bit of a thrill when you make something successfully at home, from scratch, that you previously thought it was only possible to purchase at the store. I find that this is true when I whip up a batch of homemade Oreo cookies on a long weekend, and it was definitely true when I made my first batch of homemade marshmallows instead of buying them. The truth is that there are lots of foods that we could be making at home instead of buying them, but because of convenience or the lack of a good recipe, we buy them instead.
In The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying and Start Making, you will find plenty of recipes that will not only give you the satisfaction of having made a favorite food from scratch, but are well worth the time it takes to put them together. The recipes are easy to follow and most are not complicated, though a few require special ingredients to get them started. For instance, you need a culture to start the homemade yogurt recipe. Many of the recipes end up being much cheaper to make than they would be to buy, and there are plenty that end up being healthier because they include fewer preservatives and all natural ingredients. The book covers a wide variety of recipes and includes foods of all types. You’ll find recipes for homemade ketchup and butter, as well as recipes for homemade veggie burgers and toaster pastries (pictured on the cover).
The book includes plenty of photos that show the process of making these foods, as well as the finished foods themselves. It’s a fun, easy book to read and it’s not hard to be inspired as you flip through the pages. You will definitely find yourself wanting to try some of the recipes right away (homemade butter is a good one to start with, if you’ve never tried it before) just for fun, and others you’ll find yourself making on a regular basis. The book also comes with great advise for storage of all the foods that it includes recipes for, so you can make them when you have time and use them when you need them.
