Posts Tagged ‘cookbook’

I’m not too sure how many more reviews I’ll be doing. Partly because I’m busier now and don’t have as much time to test out more complicated recipes during a weeknight and partly because I don’t know if some books really need a review (e.g. Rachael Ray books).

Rose’s Heavenly Cakes is a follow up to The Cake Bible. This book is laid out much differently and I have to say I prefer The Cake Bible’s layout where cakes and frostings were separate because I could mix and match. Here, the frosting is with the cake that it’s supposed to go with. What I do like about this book is all the gorgeous pictures and this really brings the book alive. There’s also mini cakes and cupcakes section for those who love all things petite. Also missing from this book is the finished height measurements and storage/keep instructions that go with every recipe. Beranbaum decided to have the storage instructions near the front for the cakes instead. I prefer the instructions being with the recipe for easy reference.

I’m a big fan of measuring by weight which is another reason why I like this book. The recipes here are just as stellar as the original. The luxury lemon cake that I made for R’s 30th? It was a lot of work but turned out amazing.

The yellow butter cupcakes are some of the best cupcakes I have ever had and I highly recommend you try them.

If the original Cake Bible seemed intimidating, this is would be a better book. The approach is more simple and has a lot of visuals so you can see how the product is supposed to turn out.

If you’re looking to really get into complex cakes, buttercreams, and preserves, I would get The Cake Bible. Both books are good and they’re not really meant to replace the other.

Up for review is Martha Stewart’s Cookies. I like Martha Stewart and use her Baking Handbook frequently so I picked this one up. I love the way the way the book is laid out. Every recipe has a photo and the table of contents is broken into textures such as light and delicate, chunky and nutty, cakey and tender, etc. So whatever you’re in the mood for you can find a cookie (and photo) to match. Each recipe takes up a single page so there’s no need to flip pages with batter all over your hands.

I used this book to make some of my Christmas cookies. The sesame cookies are definitely repeat worthy.

The pecan bars that I thought tasted too much like honey and was going to write off forever ended up being a huge hit with my family. It goes to show what one person doesn’t like, another may love.

With 175 recipes, I’ll be looking to this book again for next Christmas.

A day late, but here is my next review: Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours.

I like that Dorie Greenspan wasn’t a perfect baker at first and was pretty clueless. While I’m still not a perfect baker, I was just as clueless. I always managed to set off the smoke detector with whatever I made.

There are enough pictures in this book to inspire anyone if they flip through it. This book is filled with her favourite recipes and this gives you extra assurance that anything you make will turn out. I like her “playing around” suggestions where she gives you variations on the recipes. I always like knowing the best way an item should be stored and for all the recipes she gives this info.

This book was on my wishlist for a few years before it was gifted to me. Most of the recipes have turned out (I did have an unfortunate outcome with the maple tuilles) and almost all of them being repeat worthy. The flaky apple turnovers beat out the much more complicated turnovers I made from the Pie and Pastry Bible.

My overall favourite recipe? The caramel-peanut topped brownie cake. It’s one of those recipes I need to make when I’m taking it to a gathering, otherwise I will eat it all.

The recipes for the most part aren’t finicky, but still turn out great. I have many recipes bookmarked to try.

To get more of a feel for the book, be sure to check out the Tuesdays with Dorie group.

This review is on one of the oldest books in my collection, Clueless in the Kitchen. When I was living on my own, this was one of the two books I bought. I bought this online just from the title alone.

The book claims it is a cookbook for teens, but it’s for everyone and it’s a book you can grow with. It’s aimed at individuals who are living on their own and goes over kitchen essentials, how to defrost a freezer, and how to shop for food. Throughout the book are icons to designate cheap eats, comfort food (“mom food”), vegetarian, cooking to impress, couch potato food, and quick food. I wish the index had a section for these icons so I wouldn’t have to flip through the book looking for an icon. There’s also suggested menus and a glossary at the back that is helpful.

I’ve made a ton of recipes in here and have dishes that make it into regular rotation. When my cooking skills increased and I had to figure out how to make a gravy, I turned to this book. The recipes here are simple but solid. My mom, who can make crazy good Filipino dishes, struggles with dishes that aren’t in her usual repertoire. She would use this book to make meals for when company came over and they always turned out tasty. If this book helped my mom and me out, it’s sure to help anybody else.

The book doesn’t have any photos at all. It has diagrams on how to cut up food, but no pictures of finished dishes. Please don’t let that deter you, the outcome is always turns out.

Here are a few of the (many) recipes I love:
- Curry glazed chicken
- Chocolate mocha torte (back when I couldn’t bake, I made this all the time)
- Mushrooms masquerading as escargots (mushrooms drenched in garlic and butter, instant winner)

I recently tried the stir fry recipe that’s in the book and it’s also repeat worthy. And guess what? This dish was more liked than the Cook’s Illustrated recipe I tried.

Stir fry is probably the quickest and easiest way of getting more vegetables into your diet. I used marinated tofu cubes that gave it a nice punch of flavour.

Stir-Fry (adapted from Clueless in the Kitchen)
Serves 3-4

1 bunch of broccoli, florets cut and stems thinly sliced
1 red pepper, sliced lengthwise
4 green onions cut into 1″ pieces
Marinated tofu cubes
1/4 cup vegetable broth
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil

Soy sauce mixture
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon sherry
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup broth

Prep everything beforehand as this is quick to cook. In a small bowl combine all the ingredients of the soy sauce mixture. Pour half the vegetable/peanut oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir-fry the tofu until it gets a bit crispy, remove and set aside.

Add the rest of the oil and when hot fry garlic until fragrant (about 10 seconds) then add the broccoli and pepper and stir-fry for 1-2 mins. Add green onions, the rest of the broth and cover the pan to steam the veggies (about 2 mins). The broccoli should be lightly cooked. Put the tofu back in, add the soy sauce mixture and stir constantly. When the sauce thickens and becomes glossy, it’s done.

It’s about time I talked about this book. Now I want to make it clear that I am not vegan nor vegetarian. But I love cook books and I love having options. I like that I can make a dish that everyone would be able to eat. I don’t think I would have picked up this book if I didn’t do the Veggie Challenge awhile back that introduced me to tasty dishes I would have missed out on.

This book is one of my most used cooking books. It’s been well used before Movie Man decided on a mostly vegetarian diet. As a meat eater, I love the recipes in here and everyone else who has tried the food from this book. My favourites are the carrot bisque, pumpkin muffins, Asian tofu, and the pancakes always come out nice and fluffy. If Movie Man requests a food to make, 90% of the time it’s from this book. There aren’t many pictures in this book which isn’t a problem if you check out all the pictures in their forum or on Flickr.

I finally decided to make the BBQ Pomegranate tofu from this book which uses pomegranate molasses (can also be called a glaze). I didn’t have any difficulty finding the pomegranate molasses, what I had trouble finding was the liquid smoke. This is a key player for that BBQ sauce flavour. This sauce is sweet and tangy and more importantly, absolute amazing! I put more molasses than called for in the recipe to sweeten it up a bit. Movie Man is already asking when I’ll be making this sauce again and has suggested bringing a jar of this for his next family’s bbq.

When I found out that Movie Man’s brother wanted to learn how to cook I got excited. I have a weird obsession with beginner cook books and even though I have 3 absolute beginner cook books in my possession I must have more. I think it’s because there’s always some sort of tip or trick that I always learn. Plus I dig the super easy dishes. I’ve had the discussion with my co-volunteer and he believes that beginner books titled “Cooking for dummies” is insulting. I find them not as intimidating.

The Guy Can’t Cook by Cinda Chavich (who also wrote The Girl Can’t Cook — a book I secretly covet) is the book I picked up for him as a Christmas present. The biggest drawback to the book is that there are no photos. This is a pet peeve of mine for cook books in general as I like to see what the food is supposed to look like before I make it. The tone of the book is very conversational. The author talks about the dish a bit and gives tips if needed. There are illustrations that are helpful like where to touch on the palm of your hand to determine when your steak is done.

The book is split up in three sections: Sustenance, Decadence, and Observance. There’s even a section for meals catered to two people and of course a section on grilling (this is a guy’s book after all). You can still refer back to even when you’ve accomplished the basics. It is not all about basic pastas.  With over 350 recipes, you’re bound to find a recipe (or thirty) that appeals to you.  Recipes that have caught my eye: a section on how to make different aiolis, Nut-Crusted Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Hot Crab and Artichoke Dip, Chocolate Lava Cakes with Crème Anglaise, and Mahogany-Glazed Short Ribs. The Lava Cakes are even made with frozen chocolate in the middle to prevent that disappointing cut into the cake to find that the gooey chocolate centre that was promised is non-existant.

I hope that Movie Man’s brother puts this book to good use and it helps expand his current repertoire of the same chicken dish he only knows how to make.