Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal: Blog2Print Gift Certificate Giveaway Winner!

Friday, May 4, 2012

Blog2Print Gift Certificate Giveaway Winner!

Just wanted to announce the winner of our Blog2Print $35 gift certificate. Drum roll please . . . Congratulations to Brooke at Tale of Three Forks blog! Brooke is a new mom who obviously loves everything about life with her baby girl. Brooke, please email me at janessweets@gmail.com, and I'll give you the info you need to retrieve your gift certificate directly from Blog2Print. Again, heartiest congratulations. I really hope you enjoy making your very own blog book.

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Welcome!

Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal was born of my ever increasing desire to learn more about the baking and pastry arts, and of my love for anything and everything related to baking. Just as food is meant to be shared, so is knowledge among bakers and among those who enjoy delicious foods prepared from scratch. So, please partake, and feel free to share your thoughts and comments. I'd love to hear from you.

If you'd like to know a bit about me please click here, or look for the tiny photo of a pink cupcake topped by a strawberry, further down, in the "About me" section. You can also reach me by email at janessweets@gmail.com . . .

Warmly,
Jane

JANE'S FAVORITE BAKING BOOKS

About Professional Baking: The Essentials, by Gail Sokol. This is a textbook, but not one that's intimidating. It contains lots of useful info, including interesting personal profiles of professional chefs.
All-American Cookie Book, by Nancy Baggett. Another winner of the IACP award. Loads of good looking cookie recipes with lots of very appetizing photos. (Don't you love cookbooks with tons of pictures? I do.)
All-American Dessert Book, by Nancy Baggett. Wonderfully detailed, with very reliable recipes, Baggett does it again in this valuable cookbook. Definitely worth your time!
Art & Soul of Baking, by Cindy Mushet. This large Gourmet Cook Book Club Selection is a feast for the eyes. I love the page layout, the photos, and the author's reassuring tone. Recipes range from the quotidian ("classic sugar cookies") to the ridiculous ("Moroccan-spiced sweet-potato tiropetes") to the absolute sublime ("duo-tone chocolate pots de creme"). Worth acquiring.
Baking and Pastry: Mastering the Art and Craft, by the Culinary Institute of America. This is a heavy duty textbook, not for the faint of heart. Intimidating, sure, but also kind of fascinating if you're an obsessive bake-a-holic like me.
Baking at Home with the Culinary Institute of America. This book contains one of the best blueberry muffin recipes I've ever encountered. A truly comforting and approachable alternative to the CIA's enormous baking textbook (listed just above).
Baking From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan. I love Dorie's writing style and companionable way of sharing her knowledge. A book you can sink your teeth into. Worth owning!
Baking in America: Traditional and Contemporary Favorites from the Past 200 Years, by Greg Patent. This James Beard Foundation award winner is much more than just an engaging cookbook. It's an historical retrospective/survey of baking lore and techniques. Charming and quaint, peppered with maxims and admonitions from stern cookbook writers of yesteryear.
Baking with Julia, written by Dorie Greenspan and based on the PBS series hosted by Julia Child. Yet another hefty and dazzling coffee-table-worthy cookbook. Wonderful to have around. (My copy was autographed by Julia herself!)
Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook, published in 1950 and available in a facsimile edition, holds a special place in my heart. This is the book my mom primarily used, or so it seemed, when I was a kid. The photos are such period pieces, and the little notations that accompany recipes are pricelessly cute and corny. I have an ancient copy that I still use. Every girl needs a copy of this in her house, for good karma if nothing else.
Bitter Sweet -- Recipes and Tales From a Life in Chocolate, by Alice Medrich. Much more than just a cookbook with a focus on fine dark chocolate, this is also a memoir of sorts from a legendary chocolate-dessert creator. Medrich is often credited with awakening American tastes to the finest aspects of superior chocolate. Very interesting read!
Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes, by Jeffrey Hamelman. An indispensable book for anyone who is seriously interested in learning to make fine yeast breads, Hamelman shares far more than just technical knowledge. Like fellow bread guru Peter Reinhart, his warmth of spirit and deep love for the tradition of bread baking shines through on every page.
Breakfast Book, by Marion Cunningham. Not to be confused with the character of the mom on Happy Days, the real Marion Cunningham has a long list of writing accomplishments, the most well known being that she completely revised The Fannie Farmer Cookbook. A contemporary of the late James Beard's, she is still held in high esteem.
Cake Bible, by Rose Levy Beranbaum. Rose is really into the science of baking, which can be helpful in some respects and off-putting in others. Like gardeners who talk mostly about soil components without conveying their joy in the plants themselves. Maybe I'm too sensitive? Probably so, as many consider this to be an invaluable classic. Despite my reservations, I wouldn't part with my copy. One of several highly detailed books by Rose. Her latest book, Heavenly Cakes, is much more down to earth, loaded with photos, and truly beautiful.
Cake Book, by Tish Boyle. I've called it a treasure trove before and please allow me to say it again here. This book is jam packed with wonderful stuff that's well explained. I used the Sacher-torte recipe in the fall of '09 for a culinary school project and it didn't let me down. I can endorse this book without reservation. I love it.
Chocolate: From Simple Cakes to Extravagant Show Stoppers, by Nick Malgieri. Beautiful photos for a wide variety of desserts and sweets. Malgieri never steers one wrong with his exceptional and reliable recipes.
Complete Book of Pastry Sweet & Savory, by Bernard Clayton, Jr. When this book appeared in 1981, famed food editor Craig Claiborne praised it in the NYT as "one of the most important cookbooks of this year, if not of this decade." No photos, but don't let that dissuade you.
Cookie Craft: From Baking to Luster Dust, by Valerie Peterson & Janice Fryer. Very good recipes for this type of cookie and lots of cute design ideas.
Craft of Baking, by Karen DeMasco & Mindy Fox. In 2009, some great new cookbooks were published and this was one of them. Down to earth, straightforward without being condescending, this smart guide offers creative and simple twists on dozens of diverse and well-proven "cakes, cookies, and other sweets."
Creative Cookies: Delicious Decorating for Any Occasion, by Toba Garrett. She's the queen of high-end decorated cookies. Good recipes for decorator icings.
Dessert Circus: Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make at Home, by Jacques Torres. Famed pastry chef and chocolatier Torres shows off his expertise and his wonderful whimsical side in this great book. Lots of fun to peruse, highly readable, and completely enjoyable.
Dessert University, by Roland Mesnier. As the White House executive pastry chef for over two decades, Mesnier has a lot of wisdom to impart. He does so well in this book, which is designed specifically for home bakers. A good book!
Desserts by the Yard: From Brooklyn to Beverly Hills--Recipes from the Sweetest Life Ever, by Sherry Yard. Acclaimed pastry chef Yard shares her story, along with dozens of exquisite recipes, in this engaging and beautiful book. Exceptionally well designed and composed, the book is a treat in and of itself, while the recipes are a unique amalgam of tradition and creative innovation.
Good Cookie: Over 250 Delicious Recipes from Simple to Sublime, by Tish Boyle. A great source for reliable cookie recipes from a wonderful pastry chef and writer. Check out her Cake Book too--beautiful!
Grand Central Baking Book, by Piper Davis and Ellen Jackson. Readers are welcomed into these pages with a tone of warmth and familiarity. The photos alone will have you scribbling a grocery list. Try the berry kuchen recipe--simple and scrumptious.
Hershey's Chocolate Treasury, published in 1984 by Hershey Foods and chock full of old reliables. The recipe for Black Magic cake is one I've used again and again--invaluable!
How to Bake, by Nick Malgieri. The writing style is matter of fact and fairly informal. That's one of my favorite things about Malgieri's books.
In the Sweet Kitchen: The Definitive Baker's Companion, by Regan Daley. A fine book that won the IACP Book of the Year a few years ago. Great reference to have around.
Kate's Cake Decorating: Techniques and Tips for Fun and Fancy Cakes Baked with Love, by Kate Sullivan. One of my favoite cake deco books of all time. Great designs, from not-so-hard to you'd-better-block-out-at-least-a-week!
King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion. The recipes are detailed and extremely reliable. King Arthur hasn't let me down yet.
King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking: Delicious Recipes Using Nutritious Whole Grains. You can do a lot with non-white flour and this book proves it. A great recipe in here for a peach bread flavored with nutmeg--delicious!
Magical Art of Cake Decorating, by Carole Collier. Sometimes at a used book sale you find an old gem like this. Published in '84, I found it very encouraging when I first began decorating cakes. The recipes are rock solid reliable.
Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts, by Maida Heatter. Famed baker (apparently her "Palm Beach Brownies" are known far and wide), whose work has centered on wondrous chocolate desserts, Heatter received a James Beard award for this book, one of many she's published over several active decades.
Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook, by Martha Stewart. Beautiful photos, but I must admit I've come to have reservations about the reliability of some of the recipes. Is it just me? Though I love flipping through the book for ideas, I'm a bit on the fence with this one when it comes to actual usage.
Martha Stewart's Wedding Cakes by Martha Stewart. Talk about a stunning and inspiring book! Chances are you may never decide to actually make one of the cakes from this glorious volume, but it's enough just to page through the gorgeous pictures and interesting recipes. Expensive? For sure, but worth it.
Passion for Baking, A by Marcy Goldman. If you're curious about how professional bakers manage to make things come out nicely every time, you'll appreciate this book. Goldman, in her highly approachable style, divulges many of their simple--but enormously helpful--tricks and techniques, and shows readers how to implement them throughout the wondrous array of down-to-earth recipes that pack this great book. Loads of enticing photos, too! I love this book!
Pastry Chef's Companion: A comprehensive resource guide for the baking and pastry professional, by Glenn Rinsky & Laura Halpin Rinsky. A paperback desk reference, very handy.
Perfect Cakes, by Nick Malgieri. Can't say enough about Malgieri's books. Absolutely worth using, versus just reading! The white and dark chocolate cheesecake is to die for; I've made it a few times, along with many other recipes from this book, and it is superb.
Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Everyday, by Peter Reinhart. This book is a revelation for anyone who approaches yeast recipes like a vampire approaches the dawn. Talk about down to earth, encouraging, and flexible! This guy knows how to talk to rookie breadmakers. Well worth reading, and using, this volume will find a comfy place in your cookbook collection--a worthwhile purchase, undoubtedly!

Professional Cake Decorating, by Toba Garrett. I get the impression that this book is perceived as the most thorough and comprehensive text available for serious students of cake decorating. This is the text that we used for my culinary school Beginning Cake Decorarting class (which means I finally own my own copy!).
Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours, by Sarabeth Levine. Almost too pretty to use, but use it anyway! This big book is so appealing, and the photos so remarkably enticing, you'll want to pick it up like a sandwich and bite right into it. Fine recipes for updated classics, well explained, from the famous Manhattan bakery. Worth buying. (You'll love it!)
Secrets of Baking, by Sherry Yard. A must have, bakers! This cookbook's forte is the way it's organized; master recipes are presented with full explanations of how they can be used, and related recipes follow, section by section. An exceptional manual to refer to. Get your own copy!
Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes, by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne. Huntsman is the professional pastry chef behind this beautiful book, filled with many tempting recipes, all designed specifically and scaled perfectly for three layers. I've made the Devil's food cake thus far, and it was exceptional--it rose well, was very moist, and had great depth of flavor. I'll be using this book more in the future, without a doubt. Love the photos also!

Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal

Friday, May 4, 2012

Blog2Print Gift Certificate Giveaway Winner!

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Bake the best apple pie . . .

Brown Sugar Pound Cake . . .

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Parmesan, Herb, & Garlic Popovers . . .

Buttermilk bread . . .

Strawberries & Cream in Muffin form . . .

Banana Nutella Mini-Muffins

Brown Sugar Buttermilk Muffins . . .

Lattice Cherry Pie . . .

Learn How to Make Whimsical Tuile Cookies . . .

Chocolate Mousse Dream Cake

Glazed Black Cocoa Brownies

Fluffy pumpkin muffins . . .

Cream Cheese Blondies with Milk- and Dark-Chocolate Chips, and Honey Roasted Almonds . . .

Need a great Italian bread recipe?

Leave the bagel . . .

Marble Mint Milano Cake

All year long, lazy mornings require . . .

Espresso Chocolate Chip Pound Cake . . .

An interesting variation on cherries jubilee . . .

Dutch apple cake . . .

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JANE'S FAVORITE BAKING BOOKS

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