5 comments about Ultimate Ice Cream Book, The.

1. This is a super recipe book for delicious ice creams, sorbets, drinks and other summer treats. The recipes are mouth-watering, different, and easy to follow. My only disappointment (as the book was purchased as a gift for a friend) was the quality of the paper used in its publication. It would have been helpful to know before purchase that this paperback was produced with 'rough-to-the-touch' paper, as the superb contents would have been greatly enhanced by glossy or at least smooth quality paper. Despite this, however, it is still a good buy and has given my friend lots of pleasure.



2. This is by far the best ice cream book out there. There are so many variations for each flavor! And the chocolate sorbet recipe made with coconut milk is to die for, especially for friends who are vegan or can't eat dairy products!



3. This book was not what I expected. All of the ice cream recipes are actually for frozen custards (contains eggs and require cooking mixture on stove top before freezing). There are some interesting recipes, especially for sorbets.



4. This is a great buy. I worked out some of the ingredients via the internet. Eg. If you don't know what half and half is it is normal cream where as heavy cream is thickened cream. Hope this helps others.
   I am enjoying making the icecream knowing that the ingredients don't have any nasty preservatives or additives and giving it to my child.
   So keep up the good work you deserve a medal



5. I got this last holiday season and quickly decorated more pages than not with "to make" flags. Now that I've started, however, the deficiencies are becoming evident. Most of the custard recipes call for whole eggs only, rather than all yolks or a mixture of the two. Using only whole eggs may save you a few calories, but you'll sacrifice texture in the final product and it will be much easier to curdle the eggs when cooking the custard. In addition, there are quite a few erroneous statements (almond paste does not equal marzipan) and strange assembly instructions that cause more aggravation than make sense (grinding nuts with corn syrup yields a sticky mess, not fluffy ground nuts for infusing flavor). Overall, the flavor ideas are numerous and interesting, but the execution is lacking. People with a little know-how (or familiarity with a few key episodes of Good Eats) will get the most out of this book, as ingredient and/or technique adaptations will be necessary for most recipes to get the best results. For novices, remember that 2 yolks are a better choice than one whole egg, slowly temper your egg mixture by using a gravy ladle or turkey baster to add the hot milk or half and half while stirring, and draw a line over the back of a spoon using your finger to see if your custard is finished cooking (if the line holds, it's ready). It's easier than it sounds, but more detailed than the book lets on.

5 comments about The Vegan Scoop: 150 Recipes for Dairy-Free Ice Cream that Tastes Better Than the "Real" Thing.

1. This book has lots of great recipes and ideas for a frozen dessert that's lower in calories than regular ice cream. And when you make it yourself you know that the ingredients are all fresh and natural. I bought the Cuisinart ICE-20 Automatic 1-1/2-Quart Ice-Cream Maker, White to go with the book and have had great success with making recipes from this book and some of my own. (I posted a video review of the ice cream maker). Every one has turned out well, and tasted great.
   
   The nice thing this book is that it's divided into sections of classic, fruity, healthy, Asian, Caribbean, novelty, aphrodisiacal, and with recipes for sides and additions to the desserts. I like recipes that are a little different and unusual and this book fits that description. In addition, there are lots of great photos of the finished product in full color. It's really one of the nicer cookbooks that I own.
   
   If you're an ice cream lover and want to include more vegan foods in your diet or if you or a loved one is allergic to dairy products, this is the perfect book for you.



2. This book is indeed full of delicious sounding and creative ice cream recipes. I couldn't wait to get started!
   
   I jumped right in with the Green Tea recipe (a favorite flavor of mine) and was SO disappointed!
   
   Now there are a few variables beyond the recipe of course - perhaps the ice cream maker I borrowed is not the best, or maybe the Matcha I used was not fine enough, but the ice cream did not freeze well and had a bitter and overwhelming soy flavor.
   
   Things I didn't like about the layout of the recipe; more times would be useful. For example, in the recipe you are told to heat over low heat until it boils - well it would have been nice to know how long I might expect that to take before I spent 45 minutes standing in front of the stove. Recommendations for brands would have been appreciated as well since the soy milk I used had a very strong flavor; perhaps another brand would be better suited to ice cream?
   
   But it is worth another try! I just may splurge for my own (reliable?) ice cream maker and may change to a nut based milk instead of soy. Also, I think next time I'll stick with a delicious basic - chocolate!
   
   An inspiring book though, all things considered.



3. The recipes really inspire you to think about how decadent you can make vegan ice cream, they kind of remind me of the crazy ice cream flavors you can get in Japan (big plus!).
   
   So far I have tried the champaign sorbet and the basic chocolate ice cream and have been satisfied, but not completely wowed by the end product. Still working on altering them to fit my tastes.
   
   The champaign sorbet ended up turning into an ice cube overnight, but was delicious the night it was made. The agave nectar does overpower the champaign a bit so when he says go for good champaign think Mumm not Veuve, not that I minded finishing up the open bottle, but just saying.
   
   The basic Chocolate was way too sweet for my taste. Sure that others would love it though and it is easy enough to remedy for next time.
   
   Overall very happy with this book as it will be great for making desserts to quiet guests complaining about having no meat in their dinner.



4. This recipe book is filled with beautiful photographs, innovative recipes for flavoursome ice-creams as well as handy tips and info along the way. It is well written, and also includes other dessert recipes to go with the ice-creams, such as: Brownies, Biscotti, Bon Bons,Ice cream Cakes, Sauces, etc.
   
   All the recipes follow a similar method, using Soymilk, Arrowroot Powder, Soy Creamer and Sugar, and then adding different fruits/flavourings for the different flavours.
   
   Tasty and delicious recipes, this book is a must-have if you're an ice-cream lover!



5. This is my all-time favorite cookbook. The photography is gorgeous, the recipes are interesting and original but not daunting, and the ice cream is delicious. Wheeler del Torro is really cool, and I'm so glad he's sharing his wonderful ice creams with the world.

5 comments about Pops!: Icy Treats for Everyone.

1. Item was covered in soot in the shipping box. I bought this as a gift & couldn't give it due to the damage. It looked used! I am very disappointed in the shipping conditions as I purchase from Amazon all the time. Other item in the book was also covered in soot.



2. This is the best little book for summer...I sent it to my grandaughter and daughter along with popsicle molds so that they could play around with different ideas for cool summer treats and have fun together. This book has beautiful photos and the recipes are awesome...some are just for grown ups because fo the alcohol addition but fun for everyone I say!!!



3. If you check the reviewers, they are almost all new reviewers with a single review (of this book) about the same time frame and having the same writing style and tone. Apparently the author or the publisher feels it necessary to stuff the ballot box on this one. It's unfortunate Amazon doesn't have a way to prevent this type of misleading biasing. Check for yourself.



4. Another hot summer in Southern California. My husband and I need some sweet relief -- so I'm going to make popsicles!
   
   Surprisingly, this is the only popsicle cookbook I could find on Amazon. I am happy to report that it surpasses my expectations. Not only is it thoroughly informative and fun to read, but also inspires creativity.
   
   HOW TO
   The opening section includes a brief history of the world (of frozen treats) - including how to say "icy treat" in 13 languages.
   
   There are useful tips on ingredients, types of molds, popsicle stick possibilities, and even freezer conditions. Even without the recipes that follow, this segment of the book arms you with enough information to invent your own concoctions.
   
   The book ends with a section on creating your own molds, encouraging the reader to look around and consider the unexpected. Anything that holds liquids is fair game!
   
   THE RECIPES
   The book is organized by "pop" type. There are 6 chapters (each containing at least 10 appealing recipes, most of which have a creative twist):
   
   1. Healthy Energy Pops (e.g., banana-date, ginger lemon-lime)
   2. Fruit Juice Pops (e.g., tangerine & blood orange, mulled cider)
   3. Soda Fountain Pops (e.g., root beer float, banana split)
   4. Cream & Pudding Pops (e.g., cheesecake, eggnog, coconut cream)
   5. Coffee & Tea Pops (e.g., caramel latte, mint tea)
   6. Cocktail Pops (e.g., margarita, sangria, pina colada)
   
   Each chapter includes at least one international recipe, such as: Filipino halo halo, Mexican mango & chile, Italian cremolatas.
   
   VISUALLY APPEALING
   The book is jam-packed with colorful photos. It's so fun to flip through, it could be a coffee table book. Even if readers are not inspired to make popsicles, they'll certainly want to eat one.
   
   HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
   Thanks to this book, what started out as a whim to make some juice popsicles has turned into ... well, the possibilities are apparently endless.



5. At my first Maker Faire in SF, I timidly went up to Krystina Castella's booth. Her beautiful new Pops! book was displayed prominently along with all kinds of creative pop molds. Oh heaven!
   
   She immediately drew me into her wonderful research on popsicles. This book is full of fantastic ideas for beautiful popsicles. I love the healthy popsicles, as well as the racier adult dinner drinks popsicles.
   
   It even has that "maker edge" and teaches you how to make your own popsicle molds--discussing the best shapes for easy extraction.
   
   Sadly I didnt buy it that day, and had to wait until it was officially published. I snapped it up. I am so happy to own this inspiring book. I would have joined amazon in a heartbeat just to give this book props. I liked this book so much that I also bought her other books too.
   
   It's that good. Total eye candy for those who love frozen treats!

5 comments about 500 Low-Carb Recipes: 500 Recipes from Snacks to Dessert, That the Whole Family Will Love.

1. I really like this cookbook. Besides low-carb recipes there are several different recipes for sauces, jerk rubs, rib rubs and things like that.



2. I have been low carb for about a year and finally ran out of ways to make a low carb meal (I also wanted a simple carb count without doing it myself for those days when time is not a friend). I received this book for Christmas and immediately started cooking. I loved the food as well as the fact the recipes are easy to follow and have a range of cook times from: takes a while - done in no time at all. She has a fun way of titling her dishes and I enjoy the stories on where she came up with them. While the titles are strange the food is not. I am not pretentious and either was this food. It was classics made low carb. My family also loves the meals I cook even though none of them are low carb eaters. I have made the bake goods and brought them to work and people love them, they can't even tell they are low carb until I tell them. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys to cook. I have used this book more than any other cookbook I have owned and enjoyed the food the most also.



3. Frankly, if you release a book that says "500 low carb recipes," you expect something more creative than a series of obviously now-carb things (meat and salad? Mein gott!) and completely impossible-to-make recipes.
   
   I'm sorry, but I don't live somewhere where you can casually walk into a store and find yourself some vanilla whey protein/special protein mix that is required for 90% of the desserts in this book.
   
   Just get a real cookbook and substitute flour for soy flour/bake mix and sugar for splenda.



4. Dana Carpender, 500 Low-Carb Recipes (Fair Winds, 2002)
   
   Not a bad little collection, with some interesting recipes and a few ideas you might not have seen before, but I may have not quite understood the definition of "recipe". I realize you can apply it to any written procedure for cooking, but I'm thinking more of the popular version of the word, and it strikes me that a recipe containing two ingredients (a steak and some butter) and one step (fry the steak) doesn't quite reach the mark. I mean, doesn't everyone know they can toss a steak in a pan with some butter and fry it? And don't you think that those who don't probably won't be in the market for a cookbook? Filler, in other words, and not the kind you roll into a freshly-pounded pork loin. Still, there's enough substance here to make it worth checking out of the library and seeing if you want to add it to the permanent collection. ***



5. Great book with lots of good ideas and recipes. Only problem is that you will have to shop at a health food store for some of the ingredients, but its worth it if you are doing the low carb thing. Unique low carb recipes that I haven't seen anywhere else. Even some faux baked goods like bread and muffins. So far, so good!

5 comments about Bite-Size Desserts: Creating Mini Sweet Treats, from Cupcakes and Cobblers to Custards and Cookies.

1. My book arrived a couple of weeks ago and it's taken this long to decide which recipe to make first.
   
   It just came out of the oven and wow! I made the first recipe in the book- brown sugar and cornmeal mini bundt cakes. They are ever so slightly lemony and the crunch from the cornmeal is a nice surprise.
   
   They whipped up quickly and I really appreciated the weight measurements in the recipes as I find this a more accurate way of cooking. I also like the smaller portions and recipe output. With a small family, I don't need three dozen mini bundt cakes hanging around the house. A dozen is perfect- I can provide dessert for us, and have a plateful to pass out to neighbors and friends.
   
   I am thinking I might want to "bake my way through this book."
   
   Off to figure out which recipe to prepare next...



2. This is an awesome cookbook, all recipes are mouth-watering, I recommend this book to everyone who wants to back bite-size dessert, It's fun !!!!
   Otherwise, the photos are spectacular, you may wish to make all of them at once !!!



3. I am familar with all of Carole Bloom's dessert cookbooks. Her recipes are precise, easy to follow, and fun for all bakers to make. Her flavor combinations are genius. Her latest book, Bite-Size Desserts, is truly a dessert cookbook gem.
   
   Bite-Size Desserts has a lively and lovely format, beautiful mouth-watering photos, and a total of 87 tantalizing recipes. Just like its theme, bite-size desserts that deliver big delectable flavors, Bite-Size Desserts delivers big as well, with its wonderful tiny details.
   
   I had Carole's book one week, and had already gleefully made "cornmeal-dried cherry scones", "wicked brownie bites", and "raspberry-blueberry crisps". All of them, were scrumptious.
   
   Congratulations Carole on your new book, Bite-Size Desserts!



4. The recipes in this book *look* wonderful. And many of them are. The cobblers and crisps are a hit at my house, and incredibly easy to make. But I think the author assumes greater competence in the kitchen (bakery?) than I have, or probably than most people have. Several of the recipes are extremely temperamental. I've made the venetian almond tartlets three times now. The first time, they came out very well. The second time, the almond filling caved in on itself and smothered the almonds. The third time, the tarts stuck to the tartlet pans and I couldn't get them out for the life of me. I made the recipe the exact same way in each case, but something--the phase of the moon, maybe?--was off. The walnut nectarine galettes are another good example. The dough, if you make it as suggested, simply isn't doughy: I had to add nearly four tablespoons of flour to get it to a consistency where I could even wrap it up and refrigerate it. Despite all of this effort, the dough still wasn't right, and didn't wrap around the nectarines correctly, resulting in burned edges when I cooked it. The dough recipes in particular seem to give me trouble, despite following the directions to the letter. They tend to stick to the wax paper unless you cover the dough in flour, resulting in so much wasted material that the recipes end up making half of what they should. The mascarpone raspberry parfaits simply did not come out: a direction that looks like a suggestion to refrigerate turns out to be an absolute command.
   
   So I can't really give this book my unqualified recommendation. It's important to read the instructions extremely carefully, three or four times. Even then, you might end up with a disaster on your hands. I really like the premise: I love to try multiple kinds of dessert, something I can never do with the full-size versions. But these recipes should have been vetted more carefully, or more instructions and ideas about possible points where they might go wrong provided by the author. Not all of us have the competence to improvise, or to see where recipes are likely to go wrong before they do.



5. I'm the target audience for this book ~ I LOVE a little sweet after my meal! So, I was intrigued by the concept and what I was able to glean from the view inside. As soon as the book arrived, I began with the recipes. So far, I have made three and they were scrumptious. I served some as desserts at a party and everybody raved. I can't wait to make more, but, they are time consuming and not waist-friendly, so I need to find the appropriate event. Additionally, some recipes (clearly the ones that intrigue me most!) do call for quality ingredients and special equipment, so be prepared to plan before you bake.

5 comments about The Best Ice Cream Maker Cookbook Ever.

1. I bought three Ice Cream/ Gelato/ Sorbet books from Amazon. This one was by far the best. Some really interesting recipes.



2. Just got this book, and while it does seem to have an ample supply of different recepies (and all that contain raw eggs do have you cook them into a custard, unlike the Ben & Jerry's cookbook), none of them contain any nutritional information. I purchased this book along with my Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Automatic Ice Cream Maker, and I guess the recepies included with the instruction manual (there are quite a few, all with nutritional info) spoiled me. I suppose if you're making ice cream the last thing you might care about is calorie, fat, cholesterol, etc. details. But for me, I am so conditioned to tracking the nutritional info of the food I am ingesting (even ice cream!) and I am so used to this info always being readily accessible, that I returned this book. It seems this content would have been a minor addition and I feel it was a big mistake for the author not to provide it.



3. This is great little cookbook. I've made several recipes and each have been delicious. There are many more recipes I am planning on trying. So far, each has beaten store bought ice cream hands down.



4. A MUST HAVE FOR YOUR ICE CREAM COOKBOOK LIBRARY. I LOVE ALL THE RECIPES BUT ESPECIALLY THE CHAPTER DEDICATED TO "THE LIGHTER SIDE"-YOU CAN HAVE YOUR ICE CREAM AND YOUR REDUCED CALORIES, TOO. GOOD REFERENCE COOKBOOK. THIS BOOK HAS A RECIPE FOR EVERY TASTE YOU CAN THINK OF PLUS SAUCES,GRANITAS, FROZEN YOGURTS, SORBETS AND AN ASSORTMENT OF FROZEN DESSERTS.



5. This book is just so-so. I agree with another reviewer about pictures would be great. I have been using the one that came with my ice cream maker and found on the internet over any in the book so far. I will be trying a few over the summer, but feel I could have been just as well off by not purchasing this book.

5 comments about Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments.

1. So far I've only tried one recipe, but I liked it because it wasn't too sweet. I like that there is a variety of recipes from the basics to more sophisticated flavors. I also like that there is variety because he doesn't focus on just ice cream...there's also frozen yogurt, granita, etc recipes.



2. I bought a new ice cream maker and wanted a book to compliment it. I debated between this book and Ben & Jerry's latest edition. I went with this book based on all the great reviews. I have to say I was greatly disappointed. The author goes on and on about how he discovered this recipe or what this recipe means or whatEVER! I just wanted to make some ice cream already! Most of the recipes are, well, weird. Who eats some of this stuff? The book is very nice quality too - too nice. It belongs in a library, not a kitchen. I guess I'm just a Ben & Jerry's girl afterall.



3. This book might as well be the only ice cream book you'll ever need and want... especially if you like besides the usual (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry) ...something more off the beaten path. I must admit that I personally have always been drawn to the more unusual flavor combinations, so ice creams like Roquefort-Honey, Avocado or Orange-Szechwan Pepper are on my must-try list. But of course, you'll find here a little less "wild" flavors, like Coffee; Rum Raisin; Cheesecake ice creams plus a wide assortment of frozen yogurts, sherbets, sorbets and granitas.
   My favorite feature is the "Perfect Pairing" ideas concluding each recipe that suggest mix-ins, sauces (recipes included) or serving certain flavors together to make these desserts even more spectacular.



4. I found the recipes to be easy to follow and the commentary was helpful and fun at the same time. There are some basic recipes to get started and then there are really gourmet recipes when you want to wow your peeps. Also the "serve with" recipes for sauces, cookies, etc. were a nice touch. I am in love with this book. More, please!!!



5. When my husband finally talked me into buying an ice cream maker this summer, I also bought three cookbooks, sight-unseen: the Ben & Jerry's one, the Williams-Sonoma one, and this one. After having read each of them, it seemed pretty clear that this one was the most complete primer on making ice cream. However, the recipes were still untested. Well, we're two for glorious two so far (Malted Milk and the "basic" Chocolate - major, like, I don't recall ever having had better, swoons for both), and I'm thoroughly convinced that this book is really all you need to make fantastic ice cream at home. The pictures are lovely, but the content will - unfortunately for my waistline - keep me coming back for more.

5 comments about BabyCakes: Vegan, (Mostly) Gluten-Free, and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York's Most Talked-About Bakery.

1. I got this book today and promptly made the chocolate cupcakes and attempted the chocolate frosting. I've been gluten-free for about a decade now so I already had many of the staples in her list in my pantry. I think coconut oil is the only item I needed to pick up, and I think that one is also going to be my nemesis in using this book. The cupcakes turned out fantastic. They taste great to me. The boyfriend, a wheat-eater, says they taste "like brownies". I'll do a couple things differently next time. First, I'm not going to turn the pan around 15 minutes into the cooking. All the cupcakes fell when I did that. I would have been better off leaving them alone for the full cooking time. Secondly, I'm going to tweak that chocolate frosting recipe. I followed the directions and ended up with chocolate soup. I suspect the 1.5 cups of unsweetened soy milk called for on page 93 should actually be 1.5 tablespoons. There is no way this could thicken up to a frosting-like consistency. I mean, I get that what we're going for here is a sort of modified mayonnaise, but it didn't work. Was it the humidity? A different brand of soy milk? I'm not sure, but I'm intrigued by the concept and I'll mess around with it until I get something that works.
   THAT is the best thing about this cookbook for me. She's got some ideas about how to eliminate wheat, dairy, and sugar and still get something that looks like and tastes like a baked good. I'm delighted and looking forward to experimenting.
   Word of warning, the entire muffin/scone section uses spelt, which doesn't work for us of the purist GF crowd. Who uses every recipe in a cookbook,though? I think it's worth the purchase for the many other recipes. I'm looking forward to her book #2.



2. I love this book. It's got so many good recipes for those who have celiac disease, or just want to eat less processed flour. One thing that she warns in the book that she could have stressed a little bit more is following the recipes exactly. The science here cannot be messed with if you want to have the recipe turn out. Measure exactly, and substitute ingredients with caution. If you do this, your recipes will turn out as good as the pictures.



3. Vegan, GF chocolate chip cookies that taste amazing, come on, how could you not love this book just for that recipe! I don't care if the book is not entirely gluten-free. I am loving the recipes we can eat. Yes, I agree that the book cover title should have indicated this but it looks like the title on amazon says this.
   
   My boys need to be on a gf/cf diet and my husband is allergic to eggs. I love the desserts in this book - especially the vanilla cupcakes, though I have not made the frosting yet! I like the use of highly nutritious bean flours and the bob's red mill all purpose flour (which makes it so easy) in the recipes. Thank You!!!



4. My friends can't even tell the treats from this book are vegan. So far I have made 5 of the treats. I love that they are low in sugar and use healthy flours. The only recipe I haven't liked so far is the vanilla frosting. It was time consuming because the 6 hour chill time did not work correctly, it actually took the freezer and then some thaw time to get it to the right consistency. Then the frosting melts when at room temperature for too long. I liked the frosting recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking better. But overall this book is wonderful. I am baking cakes from scratch now for the first time. The book calls for a lot of coconut oil in most recipes. I think this causes the desserts to be really moist and soft, but if left in the fridge too long, they need a little time to warm up before eating, because they become hard from the solidified coconut oil. Unlike the Joy of Vegan Baking, there is no Earth Balance vegan butter required, so if you can't find it, you can still bake vegan.



5. i've tried two recipes so far, the blueberry muffins and raspberry scones, and have enjoyed both. even my boyfriend thought they weren't bad and had them for breakfast. i don't have celiac and am not a vegan, but i did enjoy these dairy-free, egg-free and spelt flour goods. the techniques and ingredients are non-traditional but the flavors are a nice change and i will try some of the other recipes as well.

5 comments about Hello, Cupcake!: Irresistibly Playful Creations Anyone Can Make.

1. I do not cook and probably will never fix one of these cupcakes and bought three books. Two of the books purchased were gifts for my daughter and daughter-in-law (I call her the Cupcake Queen)who were thrilled with the book and will probably try the most challenging designs. I wanted one of my own to show the bakery the ones I would like to have made. This is a terrific, fun, creative book.



2. This book is so simple and fun. The items required to decorate the cupcakes are available and inexpensive. And, best of all, the finished projects look just like the picture!



3. great for any occasion! fun to do with the kids around, fun to do with just friends, definitley an ediable treat book that everyone will appriciate.



4. I actually spotted this book in a bookstore and flipped through it, but did not purchase as I am not really a cupcake person. A week later I was asked to bake something for a baby shower and I thought about the mini cupcake petit fours I saw in the book. I remembered how to make them just from a quick read through. They came out beautiful! Everyone really liked them so I went back for the book and they did not have any more. Of course, I found it on Amazon.
   
   There are some great and really simple decorating ideas in the book. My daughter made the amazing butterfly cupcakes for her own baby shower and they were so pretty. She changed the colors to match her theme. Everyone kept asking where we purchased them and then how we made them. They could notbeleive we made them at all, much less in a couple of hours. (Includes baking time)
   
   Some of the cupcakes are uber elaborate and would take a lot of effort, but they would be worth it. (I am thinking about the childs circus theme. WOW) There are just so many creative ideas that I have stopped making cakes for special occasions and began making only cupcakes using gourmet recipes I find online.
   
   I realy want an excuse to make the corn-on-the-cob cakes, or the TV Dinner Cupcakes, or the Spaghetti and Meatballs cupcakes.....
   
   Fun, Fun Fun!



5. This book is great for beginners. The equipment used is simple, inexpensive and easily found around the house. Even the extreme beginner can create adorable cupcakes by following the directions.I had friends and family gushing over how cute and professional these came out looking.
   
   The book includes recipes for both cupcakes made from doctored mixes as well as ones made from scratch. Some of the candy called for is not easily found in all groceries or has been discontinued, but is easily substituting by looking in your own candy aisle. Kosher consumers - the recipes are good for kosher keepers as well, just substitute soy milk for real milk if you want the cupcake to be pareve.

5 comments about Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book.

1. Ben and Jerry have done it again! Bringing the highest quality of ice cream home is their ambition and they have succeeded! Now instead of a special frozen treat from Ben and Jerry from the grocery store, we have the option of having it anytime! (And now I can have an entire ice cream freezer full!)



2. This book was written, I believe, in the 80s, which explains the raw egg thing. Yes, the book uses uncooked eggs. Modify the recipe to make an egg custard before you freeze it, using the same ingredients. I scald the dairy, adding a vanilla bean or anything else you want to infuse it with if you want, and then temper the eggs. I then return everything to the heat until it coats the back of a wooden spoon. Great custard-making help can be found in the first few pages of David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop, a great accompaniment to this book (these for the classic flavors and well known, his for more modern, unusual flavors).
   
   Your other option, of course, is to use those bottled egg products or you can buy in-shell pasteurized eggs. I have never made the recipes with either, but I don't see why that would be a problem.
   
   The recipes are both the classic Ben & Jerry's I have come to expect (Cherry Garcia, etc.) and plenty of flavors I have never had or even heard of. The company and personal history is fascinating.
   
   My only gripe is that it does not have a lay-flat binding or something that I consider to be essential in a cookbook. It's just a small paperback, but well worth that hassle. Totally recommended, as long as you keep in mind that the recipes are made with raw eggs.



3. I received an ice cream maker for my birthday, and this was the first cookbook I bought. Boy am I glad I did! The recipes all make a quart of ice cream, which is perfect for my machine. The book also talks about the science of ice cream and the growth of Ben & Jerry's as a business, both of which are a really interesting read.
   
   I made the Georgia Peach ice cream, and I added some fresh ginger to it. The result was expressions of delight on my husband's and kids' faces and three enthusiastic thumbs up.
   
   I'm going to make the Chocolate Cinnamon ice cream next!



4. I purchased this book along with an ice cream maker for a young adult. While the book is attractive and nicely illustrated to appeal to a young audience, I was disappointed to see that many of the ice cream recipes incorporate raw eggs. This is an outdated practice - raw eggs haven't been used in recipes for at least 20 years because of the risk of salmonella . The ice cream recipes using raw eggs in this book need to be updated or at least include a warning of risk of salmonella contamination inserted.



5. This book is well done, interesting BUT in this day and age, no one should encourage eating raw eggs and that is exactly what the recipes do - nowhere do the authors mention COOKING the raw eggs for their basic ice cream recipes.
   
   I won't make any recipe using raw eggs without cooking them.
   
   Too bad, the book is entertaining and informative.
   
   I want a refund, please.