Hallelujah The Welcome Table or Pretty Party Cakes

Hallelujah! The Welcome Table: A Lifetime of Memories with Recipes

Author: Maya Angelou

Throughout Maya Angelou’s life, from her childhood in Stamps, Arkansas, to her world travels as a bestselling writer, good food has played a central role. Preparing and enjoying homemade meals provides a sense of purpose and calm, accomplishment and connection. Now in Hallelujah! The Welcome Table, Angelou shares memories pithy and poignant–and the recipes that helped to make them both indelible and irreplaceable.

Angelou tells us about the time she was expelled from school for being afraid to speak–and her mother baked a delicious maple cake to brighten her spirits. She gives us her recipe for short ribs along with a story about a job she had as a cook at a Creole restaurant (never mind that she didn’t know how to cook and had no idea what Creole food might entail). There was the time in London when she attended a wretched dinner party full of wretched people; but all wasn’t lost–she did experience her initial taste of a savory onion tart. She recounts her very first night in her new home in Sonoma, California, when she invited M. F. K. Fisher over for cassoulet, and the evening Deca Mitford roasted a chicken when she was beyond tipsy–and created Chicken Drunkard Style. And then there was the hearty brunch Angelou made for a homesick Southerner, a meal that earned her both a job offer and a prophetic compliment: “If you can write half as good as you can cook, you are going to be famous.”

Maya Angelou is renowned in her wide and generous circle of friends as a marvelous chef. Her kitchen is a social center. From fried meat pies, chicken livers, and beef Wellington to caramel cake, bread pudding, andchocolate éclairs, the one hundred-plus recipes included here are all tried and true, and come from Angelou’s heart and her home. Hallelujah! The Welcome Table is a stunning collaboration between the two things Angelou loves best: writing and cooking.

Publishers Weekly

Readers familiar with Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings will find what may be the secret ingredient of her success in this collection of tear- and laughter-provoking vignettes with 73 savory recipes. Here's Angelou's grandmother's Chicken and Dumplings, Crackling Corn Bread and Caramel Cake. Big brother Bailey makes a mean batch of Smothered Pork Chops and knows how to stretch them for a week's worth of meals. Mother, who "cooked wonderful meals and was very poignant about how to present them," can make a Roasted Capon play second fiddle to Red Rice. As the wider world beckons, Angelou dines. Sometimes she's the worker; having passed herself off as an experienced Creole cook, she becomes one with her Braised Short Ribs. Other times, she's the hostess serving what M.F.K. Fisher pronounces "the first honest cassoulet I have eaten in years." A batch of spoon bread nets Angelou a job and compliment: "If you can write half as good as you can cook, you are going to be famous." She does, and the food world widens (tamales, pat , minestrone, chachouka), and the fellow diners often have famous names (Oprah, Jessica Mitford, Rosa Guy). The food remains delectable and comfortable, and Angelou's directions are minimal but clear enough for experienced cooks. Color photos not seen by PW. Simultaneous audio release. Agent, Helen Brann. (On sale Sept. 21) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

In each chapter of this engaging book, renowned autobiographer and poet Angelou deftly couples brief anecdotes from her life with more than 60 recipes for food enjoyed at that time. These recipes reflect Angelou's experience and growth and become more diverse as the book progresses without becoming complex or difficult. Readers will be torn between losing themselves in the evocative text and rushing to the kitchen to whip up such delights as her grandmother's caramel cake or the white bean cassoulet that Angelou prepared for food writer M.F.K. Fisher. Order as many copies as possible--both foodies and Angelou's traditional audience will seek out and enjoy this gem. For all public libraries, plus literature and cookery collections. (Color photographs not seen.) [See Prepub Alert, LJ 5/1/04.]--Andrea R. Dietze, Orange Cty. P.L., Santa Ana, CA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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Pretty Party Cakes: Sweet and Stylish Cakes and Cookies for All Occasions

Author: Peggy Porschen

A romantic Three-Column Wedding Cake adorned with fresh roses; eye-catching Kalei-doscope Cakes iced in geometric designs; glittering Bollywood-inspired lollipop cookies—you don’t have to go to a high-end bakery to be able to serve these beautiful desserts at your next party. Master cake decorator Peggy Porschen shares her designs for the gorgeous cookies, cupcakes, and cakes that have graced some of the world’s most discriminating tables—and they’re as easy to create as they are spectacular. Written for everyone from beginning bakers to seasoned pros, each design in Pretty Party Cakes is broken down into basic steps that turn even complicated cake sculptures into rewarding, accessible creations.

Pretty Party Cakes is brimming with dozens of innovative designs that are all based on fundamental recipes provided in Porschen’s introduction to the basics. This section also covers the equipment and techniques needed to make her luscious creations. Once you’ve mastered the key skills, you can confidently move to chapters on cookies, cupcakes, miniature cakes, and large cakes. Designs range from sparkling heart cakes and butterfly-topped pastel cupcakes to enchanting, edible Treasure Boxes that can be used to present gifts. Ambitious bakers can create stunning desserts such as the Romantic Rose Tower cake and Gift Box Cake, and even simpler sweets such as Alphabet Cookies and Chocolate Canapés will wow your guests with their alluring presentation.

Packed with tips, step-by-step images, and striking photographs to accompany every design, Pretty Party Cakes brings together everything you need to re-createPeggy Porschen’s delicious masterpieces. Whether you’re preparing a wedding cake for dozens of guests or creating a showstopping dessert for an intimate dinner party, these stunning designs will be sure to rival the cakes that line the windows of the chicest designer bakeries.

An all-encompassing guide to creating shockingly simple—yet stunning—cakes, cookies, and cupcakes that rival those from even the most fashionable designer bakeries.