In the Sweet Kitchen: The Definitive Baker's Companion - Softcover

Daley, Regan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0307359344 ISBN 13: 9780307359346

Publisher: Random House Canada, 2010

Synopsis

Regan Daley's first encounter with a vanilla bean was an epiphany. The heady aroma was intoxicating and the bottled stuff she was used to paled in comparison. Why had she never noticed the considerable gap between these two forms of the same ingredient? Naturally, a crème anglaise made with vanilla extract could not compare to one infused with the dark seeds of a fat, sticky bean.

Regan shows us that anyone, from complete culinary virgins to accomplished dessert-makers, anyone can make a fantastic dessert. The secret is in the ingredients. Her more than 140 original recipes, straightforward enough for any home baker to prepare, focusing on simple techniques with an emphasis on high-quality ingredients, range from the awfully impressive, Guava Cheesecake or Quince and Brioche Bread Pudding with Dried Sour Cherries, to the familiar, Really, REALLY Fudgey Brownies or World's Sexiest Sundae.

For experts, this book will serve as a comprehensive, professional-quality reference of ingredients from basic to rare and an incredible collection of unique flavourings. For the novice, it's a practical and palatable guide to the once mysterious art of baking.
From the Hardcover edition.

About this title

Review:

In the Sweet Kitchen truly is the definitive guide to the baker's pantry. While many cookbooks include chapters on tools and ingredients, Regan Daley's award-winning tome begins with almost 400 pages of introductory information. From her descriptions of ingredients to explanations of food science, it's clear Daley's done her research, and she offers a wealth of information as reference for both the professional and the novice. She covers every ingredient in a baker's pantry, from flours and sugars to eggs, fruits, nuts, spices, and flavorings, in a way that is both interesting and informative. She discusses how to choose them, use them, and why they do the things they do. She's tested tools and shopped around, and even recommends price points for your purchases. She explains myriad techniques, such as how to cook sugar and icing and assemble layer cakes. The writing is clear and intelligent and the instructions are easy to follow.

If she'd stopped at 400 pages, this would already be a must-have for anyone at all interested in the sweet side of the kitchen--but there's more. Daley's collection of recipes follows, and they cover the gamut from simple and straightforward to seductive and exciting. Some are actually quite complicated, but her explanations and descriptions of each step ensure success. Many recipes feature a flavor twist that will take your breath away, such as the Sweet Potato Layer Cake with Rum-Plumped Raisins and a Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting, Lemon Anise Churros, and Caramelized Banana Tart with a Lime Linzer Crust and a Warm Caramel Sauce. Other recipes bring back childhood memories, such as her All-in-the-Pan Chewy Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Butter Icing (mixed right in the baking pan) and Wild Blueberry Pie. This exhaustive volume was the 2001 IACP Cookbook of the Year, an award that it richly deserves. Make a place on your kitchen bookshelf for In the Sweet Kitchen--it's one cookbook that you shouldn't live without. --Leora Y. Bloom

Book Description:

This professional-quality, 704-page reference was singled out by the International Association of Culinary Professionals as the best cookbook of the year in 2000, in addition to being chosen as the best book of its category (Bread, Other Baking and Sweets).

What makes a book that special and that deserving? It's the wealth of information, the experienced voice, the eagerness to share. Celebrated pastry chef Regan Daley unravels the mystery of the baking process, explaining the "how" and "why" behind the components that go into making the perfect dessert, and provides the tools and information home bakers need to create delicious recipes of their own--in their own sweet kitchens. Includes 140 of Regan's favorite recipes.

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House Canada
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0307359344
• ISBN 13: 9780307359346
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 704