1 comments about Savoring Desserts (Savoring ...).

1. I was very excited to see that they were publishing new books in the Savoring series, since I own most all the others. From previous experience with these books I found Williams Sonama had done a wonderful job, with vibrant and gorgeous pictures and wonderful discriptions of food. But not only that, they had within each book information about the various cultures of cooking and food from each area. With the Savoring Desserts book, it was a bit strange. No specific type of cooking, just all rolled into one. Sadly I found many of the same recipes I already had in the previous books, including some of the same pictures of the dishes. Although there were some new ones, if you have the full collection like I do, you really don't need this book. With that said, if you don't have the Savouring collection, then this is a wonderful cookbook. It has great information, more photos than any other book I know of and a great bounty of different types of meat recipes. A good addition to any collection of cookbooks.

5 comments about Bake and Freeze Chocolate Desserts.

1. These desserts are yummy and a cinch to make. The author's directions are easy to follow and she anticipates any questions you might have. This is easily the best dessert cook book I have found. This book makes baking fun!



2. As the holidays loom nearer, there's nothing like having a few desserts in your freezer on hand for those unexpected guests!

   The recipes are well written and easy to follow. And the freezing/thawing directions are very helpful, too. Plus, the author gives very good descriptions of specialty ingredients and where to find them.




3. This book was good i found it had alot of stuff to help me with making and choosing the right chocolate to use!!! The chocolate is a part of our world and we should all try it once and a while!!!The world has had its eye on chocolate and i think u should put some chocolate into your life! So that brings me right back to this book chocolate is the best thing to experiment on with how to make it you should try it once in a while!!! I made some chocolate and it was my first time and it just tasted delicious!! So if your a chocolate lover(like me) than you just have to read this book!!!



4. When I first ran across this book, I was skeptical. The positive comments on the dust jacket that the recipes really work convinced me and I tried them. I was surprised when all of the recipes worked (the ones I tried, anyway). I now regularly make chocolate desserts from this book and freeze them. Being able to just take something rich and chocolaty from the freezer, thaw, and eat is something not to be missed.

   Cookbooks written in the 1960's and 1970's used to routinely include instructions for saving and freezing the recipes. This is not true of recent cookbooks. This is a shame, as it a great labor saving technique. The home cook would make a spectacular dessert on a lazy Sunday afternoon or in lieu of a cancelled weekend activity, and freeze it for later use, mainly during the weekdays, when there is no time to properly bake a nice chocolate dessert (not to mention midnight raids for a snack). It is also an excellent way of preparing for parties and such. This book happily brings back this old-fashioned tradition our mothers used to practice regularly.

   I find 2 factors in this book rather quirky. First, the author recommends melting chocolate in a warm oven, then turning up the heat for the baking. Better methods are the microwave (the author states that she does not have one) or in a double boiler. You also must have a large stand mixer; there are no alternate insturctions for doing the recipes manually.

   There are some curious errors. This book should have been vetted by a test kitchen. Some of the recipes should involve the use of tempered chocolate (chocolate curls), yet no mention is made of how to temper chocolate or the use of vegetable oil based "summer coatings" (I skip these recipes; there are better ones for making and using tempered chocolate). Some of the recipes involve a dramatic visual presentation (chocolate-covered raspberry mousse mountain), yet there is no picture of the finished product. The instructions for freezing are not a part of the recipes, but are mentioned in sidebars, leaving the cook to guess as to how include the freezing instructions into the recipes. For the most part, this is not a problem, but it can lead to confusion in some recipes. They should have been integrated directly into recipes.




5. I used to daydream about moving to Maine because of the scenery. Now I daydream about moving to Maine so I could become Elinor Klivans' best friend! This is my most-used dessert cookbook and provides some of my favorite bedtime reading. I'm addicted to the chocolate chocolate chip cookies and chocolate chip cinnamon twists; while my husband loves the peanut butter milk chocolate chip cookies and the white chocolate-chocolate covered cherry brownies. I almost always have a batch of chocolate truffle sauce in the freezer and am not too proud to eat it by itself when a chocolate craving hits. Besides these everyday standbys, this book has provided special occasion desserts that bring raves from guests. The Razzle-Dazzle Raspberry Fudge Pie is a favorite, as are several of the cheesecakes.
   
   This book is well-written with clear instructions and interesting notes. I know that these recipes will freeze beautifully and am brave now about applying Mrs. Klivans' techniques to other desserts.

5 comments about The Chocolate Snowball: and Other Fabulous Pastries from Deer Valley Bakery.

1. In addition to being a beautiful book, it is packed full of fun and great tastes. We are using the Chocolate Snowball recipe (individual servings) as the finishing touch on a special New Year's Eve dinner for 100. According to my partner, Letty Halloran Flatt has caught the spirit of the skier/baker, which most can only aspire to. Congratulations, Letty - it's a hit!



2. An Exquisite Book! The photos,layout,recipe format are superb. The recipes are easy to follow and explicit. The chapter at the end is most helpful. I have recommended this to several others. A very successful undertaking, Lettie. Congratulations to you and Robbie



3. I bought this book for my mother as a gift. Before she even made her first dessert, she read the book cover to cover. She said she enjoyed the friendly manner in which it was written. My mother has been baking for 35 years so I trust her judgment. She has told me it's the best dessert cookbook she's ever seen. Highly recommended as a gift.



4. Not only are the recipes wonderful, directions for the appropriate adjustments to make for high altitude are given--and they work!



5. I live in the same town as this author, and have experienced first-hand her delectible creations. Not only are these recipes extraordinary, they are makable and edible. True gourmet without requiring ingredients from unknown Mediterranean villages. It is very difficult to bake at 7000+ feet, and these work (each recipe has altitude instructions if necessary). Amazingly, I emailed Letty for help with cream puffs (not in the book; mine were collapsing--not only did she return my email, she offered to taste-test them. Top notch chef, person, book. If live at altitude and love refined sugar, you need this book. Wherever you live, this book will not disappoint.

3 comments about The Ultimate Cheesecake Cookbook.

1. I had high hopes when I bought this cookbook simply because it bills itself as THE ultimate cheesecake cookbook. Heck, I bought it without even browsing through it! It's easy enough to read: directions on how to make a perfect cheesecake, pointers to remember, etc. There are also sections for baked, non-baked and other people's favorite cheesecakes. The book's drawback is that it has NO PICTURES - not one (save for the one on the cover). For a cookbook especially, pictures are what urge and inspire the reader to try the recipe. Secondly, the recipes for the no-bake cheesecakes are (almost) the same as the baked ones. No fair! Do buy this book if you're just starting to make cheesecakes -the book will be a good guide. But if you're familiar with making cheesecakes, this book will only bore you with its lack of variety.



2. I listen to Joey Reynolds radio show out of Fresno (we live in the Sierras up north) and have heard him talk about cheescakse for months. And my family likes cheesecake, especially tofu and other lower fat types. Like Reviewer Lori Baltazar from Manila, Philippines it is surprising that a cook book lacks photos of what an item might at least look like.

   Thus this isn't a cheesecake cookbook that I would recommend for anyone other than a cook who knows their way around a kitchen and has some major self confidence and has made cheescakes from other recipes from other books.




3. I love to make desserts, especially cheesecake but before I bought this book I had only attempted 1. Now I can't stop making them. I thought the book provides good directions and has a lot of helpful hints on the right and wrong of cheescake making. The only negative is that there are only so many recipes and those are limited. But on the flip side I think this book provides a good foundation for branching out to try your own recipes.

No comments about Budget Meals.

No comments about Eggless Desserts.

2 comments about I Knew You Were Coming So I Baked a Cake : More Than 130 Recipes for Delectable Desserts That Make a Big Impression With a Minimum of Effort.

1. This is a great cookbook if you like to make home-made baked goods, but don't want lengthy, complex recipes. The recipes are short, to the point, and lend themselves to many permutations, according to your own taste. I have had many raves over the white-chocolate chip blondies. The recipes are easy, delicious, and always boost my ego when I bring the goodies to a party, and I receive the compliments.



2. When I first saw this book I was so excited to see that all the recipes came with instructions on how to adapt each recipe to different types of pans. That was a major plus for me since I like the variety that the recipes gave me - being able to make a delicious cake recipe into a layer cake, muffins, or a sheet cake, as well as thorough instructions on doubling of recipes and their corresponding bake times. This proves very helpful and convenient when you are baking for family that may range from as little as two people to as much as twenty! Her recipes are easy to understand and her focus seems to be on providing the novice baker with with simple and delicious results that use easily accessible ingredients. She also includes directions in individual recipes for preparing a portion of the recipe beforehand and usually gives suggestions at the end of each recipe for you to try other delicious variations using the same recipe. There are recipes for cakes, brownies, frostings and glazes, cookies, bars, candies, frozen desserts, puddings, and fruit desserts. Having made her "smooth as a baby's ... carrot cake" with her cream cheese frosting, I can honestly say you will not be disappointed! That's a really good carrot cake with a wonderful frosting that was SO easy to make. My husband loved it too - and he doesn't really care for carrot cake! If you can get your hands on this book buy it! This trully accomplishes what many other books claim to do - encourage you, through simple and understandable prose, to say to yourself "I can do this!" and produce scrumptious results!

No comments about Natural Sweets and Treats: More Than 300 Recipes for Enjoying Sweet Things--Healthfully.

4 comments about Let Them Eat Cake: 140 Sinfully Rich Desserts-With a Fraction of the Fat.

1. This is a great cookbook for people who love to eat desserts guilt-free. Susan Purdy does an excellent job of turning traditional favorities (like brownies) into low-fat treats. She uses rich ingredients (like dutch-process cocoa) in smaller quantities to provide flavor and low-fat ingredients (like low-fat cream cheese) to cut fat and calories. She gives a complete breakdown of the fat and calorie content at the end of each receipe. The recipes are written step-by-step and there are some pictures. Most of the recipes make a couple dozen cookies or an 8-in square pan. If I had one complaint it would be that the receipes call for a lot of very specific ingredients (for example, you are advised against substituting low-fat cream cheese and Neufatchel cream cheese). However, everyone I've shared these recipes with can't believe they are low fat.



2. Just reading the Table of Contents may make your mouth water: Luscious Lemon Squares, Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler, Key Lime Pie, Southern Sweet Potato Pie, Pear-Prune-Brandy Cake, sauces, toppings, and more! Susan G. Purdy (former student at "Le Cordon Bleu" and "L'Ecole de Cuisine la Varennes" in Paris) is a master chef, whose previous book, "Let Them Eat Cake" won the Julia Child Award. Her number one criterion for these low-fat goodies is taste: "The recipes must stand on their own and taste wonderful, not `okay' because they are low fat."

   It's an easy yet complete guide to making low-fat sweets, with cooking tips on almost every page, enumerated instructions for each recipe, and notes on advance preparation, special equipment, and time requirements.

   Her recipe for the delicious and usually cholesterol-heavy Tiramasu is a wonder. Per serving, it has 341 calories (compared to 600 for her favorite non low-fat recipe), 7.8 g of fat (compared to 37 g), and 92 mg of cholesterol (compared to 243mg). Her lemon meringue recipe has half the fat and one-sixth the cholesterol of the usual by using non-fat butter, no egg yolks, and other healthy substitutions. There is a long, excellent chapter on nutrition and cooking, a list of recipes by dietary requirement (e.g., fat-free, lactose-free, reduced-sugar) and occasion (children; holidays). She includes also a humorous 4-pagesection called "quick-fix cover-up tricks" when recipes don't go as expected.

   This is a fun, thorough, and delicious set of recipes. Ms. Purdy talks about the importance of reducing fat and cholesterol but never sounds preachy. There's a guide to USDA food labels (for example, she explains the meaning of "fat-free" on a label), a list of mail order suppliers, a bibliography, index, and some beautiful color pictures within the book's 389 pages. An excellent book: Highly recommended!




3. I had a ball just reading the recipes. While they all wouldn't be considered "low-fat" they are reduced-fat and would definitely curb that craving that so many of us sweet-tooths get. I found the way the author reduced the fat (without adding sugar) to be fascinating. She really knew her stuff and I look forward to trying one of the cheesecake recipes later today.



4. AT LAST! She has an exceptional index of tons of fabulous main-stream baking recipes for those of us who suffer from Celiac Disease (can't eat anything made with wheat/rye/oats/barley). You've NO idea how difficult it is to bake without wheat flour! While this is certainly not the main theme of these marvelously decadently rich recipes, it's very sensitive of this author to include an index of her recipes for us. Fantastic for Celiac kids who miss out on so many desert goodies. And for the rest of us "big" kids who never outgrow our longing for great deserts! Also, don't miss the index on Lactose-intolerance recipes. THANK YOU SUSAN PURDY!

No comments about The All New Desserts Cookbook (Favorite recipes of home economics teachers).