This cookbook is entirely devoted to brownies and the occasional non-chocolate bar cookie. I've never actually eaten a Fat Witch brownie from the bakery, but I'd heard good thing about them (and I love brownies) so I thought this cookbook would be a wonderful addition to my bookshelf. I was right. Their recipes are, in general, simple and well thought out. They have some really nice basics (many different chocolate brownies, for example) and some really interesting, more unique flavors as well.
My one complaint is that this book is very skinny. It doesn't have a ton of recipes and it's printed on flimsy paper (though the hard cover and dust jacket are sturdy), for the price anyway. Then again, how many brownie recipes can you possibly have? At least they made the most of it being a small cookbook. It's just shy of being 9 inches square. This is important because, as they note in the book, that makes it the perfect size to fit in a 9x9in brownie/cake pan--the size pan that is called for in all of the recipes (the fact they they all use the same pan does make things simple...no need to by specialized equipment to make the recipes in this book). That way you can put the book in the pan, tie a bow around it, and voila the perfect gift for a baker! The reason I like this so much is not because it makes an easy gift, but because it reflects an attention to detail--maintained throughout the book--that I too often find lacking in cookbooks.
I've made quite a few recipes from this book and all of them have been delicious. My favorites are the Cocoa Brownies, both for their ease and their taste, and the Earl Grey Brownies, which have a complex flavor and the moistest (spell check isn't having a problem with the word moistest, but I am, gosh it doesn't sound like a proper word at all) texture.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Cookies, Martha Stewart Style
Martha Stewart Cookies is a really good cookbook. As the name implies, it is all cookie recipes (including some bar "cookies" like brownies). I've always find Martha Stewart's recipes straight forward, well thought out, and precise; the recipes in this cookbook are no exception. Granted, some of them are pretty unrealistic for the average home baker. I mean come on Martha, who (other than you) has a springerle mold? I know I don't! Still, it is an really good book with 175 different cookies to make and color photos of each one (next to or, at their furthest, quite near the recipe). I like when cookbooks have photos of what you are making, there's something reassuring when you can actually visualize what you are making and see that it comes out right.
So far I've made about a dozen recipes from this cookbook and all of them have come out well. Some I've loved--the Earl Grey Cookies, the Orange Mocha Cookies (photo here), and the variations on Coconut Macaroons come to mind--while some I've merely liked--the Chocolate Nut Biscotti, for example, were nice but nothing special.
The coolest thing about this cookbook, though, isn't the clarity or simplicity of the recipes or the fact that I've loved almost everything I've made from it and still enjoyed the rest. Instead, it's the table of contents. I know what you're thinking, "the table of contents...that's something I usually flip past without even noticing, how could that be cool?" Well, I promise you it is cool! The cookies are divided up into categories based on their texture (i.e. light and delicate, or rich and dense,) which is a novel and very-nearly-cool way of doing things. Under each category, there are names and page numbers of each cookie (as is typical). What is atypical and so very cool is that each of the cookie names is paired with a small, color photo of the cookie...in the table of contents. See, I told you, cool!
So far I've made about a dozen recipes from this cookbook and all of them have come out well. Some I've loved--the Earl Grey Cookies, the Orange Mocha Cookies (photo here), and the variations on Coconut Macaroons come to mind--while some I've merely liked--the Chocolate Nut Biscotti, for example, were nice but nothing special.
The coolest thing about this cookbook, though, isn't the clarity or simplicity of the recipes or the fact that I've loved almost everything I've made from it and still enjoyed the rest. Instead, it's the table of contents. I know what you're thinking, "the table of contents...that's something I usually flip past without even noticing, how could that be cool?" Well, I promise you it is cool! The cookies are divided up into categories based on their texture (i.e. light and delicate, or rich and dense,) which is a novel and very-nearly-cool way of doing things. Under each category, there are names and page numbers of each cookie (as is typical). What is atypical and so very cool is that each of the cookie names is paired with a small, color photo of the cookie...in the table of contents. See, I told you, cool!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Welcome
I love cookbooks! Every time I get a new one I sit and read through it and mark recipes I want to make or think are especially interesting...of course I'd probably save sticky notes if I just marked the pages with recipes I don't want to make. I also read them for specialized tips and tricks, funny stories, interesting flavor combinations, or just plain old, general knowledge.
Currently I'm finishing up the Classic Pastry Arts program at the French Culinary Institute (a.k.a the International Culinary Center.) I love to bake (and cook) and I love trying out new recipes--both new to me and newly developed by me--and perfecting old ones. That's where cookbooks come in. I've amassed quite a collection of cookbooks--mainly devoted to sweets, but don't worry there's plenty of others too--and I want to share it with you.
When I'm not cooking or planning what I'm going to cook, I enjoy reading. I'll admit that I don't read all that much when it comes to food outside of cookbooks and the dining section of the NYTimes, instead I tend towards mystery novels--classics like Sherlock Holmes, as well as more the more thriller type like John Le Carre novels--non-fiction books about science--mainly astrophysics--and the plethora of politics books I read to keep up on my studies (when I'm not being a pastry chef, I'm studying political science). However, from time to time I'll read a memoir or biography of a chef or some other food-related book. When I do, I'll let you know what I think about it.
I digress. You haven't come here to listen to me talk about books generally, you want to read reviews of specific ones. Well here goes...
Currently I'm finishing up the Classic Pastry Arts program at the French Culinary Institute (a.k.a the International Culinary Center.) I love to bake (and cook) and I love trying out new recipes--both new to me and newly developed by me--and perfecting old ones. That's where cookbooks come in. I've amassed quite a collection of cookbooks--mainly devoted to sweets, but don't worry there's plenty of others too--and I want to share it with you.
When I'm not cooking or planning what I'm going to cook, I enjoy reading. I'll admit that I don't read all that much when it comes to food outside of cookbooks and the dining section of the NYTimes, instead I tend towards mystery novels--classics like Sherlock Holmes, as well as more the more thriller type like John Le Carre novels--non-fiction books about science--mainly astrophysics--and the plethora of politics books I read to keep up on my studies (when I'm not being a pastry chef, I'm studying political science). However, from time to time I'll read a memoir or biography of a chef or some other food-related book. When I do, I'll let you know what I think about it.
I digress. You haven't come here to listen to me talk about books generally, you want to read reviews of specific ones. Well here goes...
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