Desserts For Dummies or Pickled Potted and Canned

Desserts For Dummies

Author: Bill Yosses

Does the thought of baking a cake conjure up a nightmare vision of a 15-ft layer cake, scrolled and fluted with decorations fit for a king? If the word “dessert” just throws you into a cold sweat, the inside scoop on desserts is: they’re actually simple to make. And with the right help...well, just a piece of cake.

In the end, desserts are no harder to make than entrées. And with Desserts For Dummies, you’ll cut even a Wedding Cake recipe down to size, flip Crepes Suzette with aplomb, and throw together a batch of Chocolate Truffles your local chocolatier will envy. And with this handy, down-to-earth guide from a leading pastry chef and a former New York Times restaurant critic, you’ll discover the proper way to read a dessert recipe, organize your ingredients, and also how to:

• Think like a sweet chef—including basic tips on measuring, weighing, presenting, gauging cooking time, and pairing desse rts with meals
• Stock a pantry, and use leftovers creatively (such as caramel and meringue)
• Set up a kitchen—including tips on counter height and ovens
• Select the right cooking tools and how to use them

Before you know it, you’ll start creating desserts that you’ve only dreamed of, like:

• Pies and tarts—including Mom’s Apple Pie, Banana Cream Pie, Raspberry Tart, and Linzertorte
• Puff pastry, cream puffs, and éclairs—Classic Puff Pastry, Profiteroles, Napoleons, and Eclairs
• Crepes and blinis—including Crepes Suzette and Chocolate Blinis with Diced Bananas
• Custards and puddings—including Zabaglione, VanillaPastry Cream, Traditional Bread Pudding, and Rice Pudding
• Homemade cakes—including Whipped Cream Layer Cake, Classic Chocolate Mousse Layer Cake, and Yellow Chiffon Cake with Chocolate Frosting

With over 130 delicious recipes to choose from, plus sixteen pages of color photos, a summary cheatsheet of baking essentials, black-and-white how-to illustrations, and humorous cartoons along the way, Desserts For Dummies brings the world of delicious, elegant desserts right to your kitchen. And a little magic into the lives of your friends and family.

Table of Contents:

PART I: GETTING STARTED.

Chapter .: On Your Mark, Get Set...Whisk!

Chapter 2. Kitchen Setup and Equipment.

PART II: FLOUR POWER: PIE DOUGHS, TARTS, AND PUFF PASTRIES.

Chapter 3: Pies and Tarts.

Chapter 4. All Puffed Up: Puff Pastry, Cream Puffs, and Eclairs.

Chapter 5. Crepes and Blinis.

PART III: EGGING YOU ON.

Chapter 6. The Astonishing Egg.

Chapter 7. Custards and Puddings.

Chapter 8. Things That Go Crunch in the Night: Meringues.

PART IV: A REAL CAKE WALK.

Chapter 9. The World's Easiest Homemade Cakes.

Chapter 10. Ladyfingers and the Real Tiramisu.

Chapter 1.: Attack of the Killer Cakes.

PART V: GOOD COLD THINGS.

Chapter 12. Granites, Sorbets, and Ice Creams.

Chapter 13: Parfaits and .Frozen Souffles.

PART VI: SPECIAL DESSERTS FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS.

Chapter 14. You Invited How Many?! Desserts for a Mob -- and Then Some.

Chapter 15. Why Not Make Your Own Wedding Cake?

Chapter 16. Holiday Desserts.

Chapter 1.: Sweets without Sinning: Great Reduced-Fat Desserts.

PART VII: THE PART OF TENS.

Chapter 18. Ten Ways to Make Your Dessert Creations Look Great.

Chapter 19. Ten Desserts You Can Make in 30 Minutes or Less.

Chapter 20. Ten Things You May Want to Know about Chocolate.

PART VIII: APPENDIXES.

Appendix A: Glossary of Common Dessert and Baking Terms.

Appendix B: Common Substitutions, Abbreviations, and Equivalents.

Appendix C: Mail-Order Sources for Equipment and Ingredients.

Stencils.

Index.

Book Registration Information.

Interesting textbook: Professional C 2008 or SPSS For Dummies

Pickled, Potted, and Canned: How the Art and Science of Food Preserving Changed the World

Author: Sue Shephard

We may not give much thought to the boxes in our freezers or the cans on our shelves, but behind the story of food preservation is the history of civilization itself. The ability to preserve food was the key that liberated humans from the anxious life of the hunter-gatherer, forced to follow migrating herds or to forage for seasonal berries and leaves. The development of portable, preserved food enabled the great explorers to travel into the unknown and gradually map the planet, facilitated the conquest of new territories by great armies and navies, and created routes for the expansion of trade and the exchange of knowledge and culture that opened up our world. It allowed us to expand our daily menu from the limited repetitious range of our ancestors to the multicultural, international choices we enjoy today. In Pickled, Potted, and Canned, Sue Shephard weaves together the stories of the inventors and key developments of food preservation in a lively and richly detailed narrative that spans centuries and continents, a fascinating blend of social history, popular science, and man's ongoing curiosity and inventiveness. It is a tale filled with extraordinary characters, old legends, and new revelations. It describes how Attila the Hun and his men "gallop cured" their meat, how cooks became chemists and chemists became cooks, how men made or lost fortunes, and how some even lost their lives -- like seventeenth-century statesman and philosopher Francis Bacon, whose death was caused by an experiment with a frozen chicken, or the worker in an early canning factory, killed "most ridiculously and ignobly" by an exploding tin of turkey.

From the primitive techniques of drying and salting to the latest methods that have allowed us to feed men in space, Picked, Potted, and Canned gives us insight into the histories, cultures, and ingenuity of people inventing new ways to "cheat the seasons."

Library Journal

Written in a lively style by a creator of several British television food programs, this book recounts the development of food preserving from the time of the ancients to the era of the space program, from East to West and all points in between. The 16 chapters individually treat each technology, e.g., drying, salting, pickling in vinegar, smoking, fermenting, canning, refrigerating and freezing, and dehydration. Well-documented facts come alive with anecdotal support and the sense that the author truly cares about the ingenious way that humanity has preserved itself by preserving its food. Ultimately, one indeed understands that humankind's wanderings would have been impossible without the science of food preserving and its ability to improve flavor. While there are no recipes, the bibliography supplies a superb reading list for picklers, potters, and canners. Culinary history continues to be popular reading, which is just one reason to purchase this fine book. Highly recommended for public, academic, and special libraries. Wendy Miller, Lexington P.L., KY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

Adult/High School-This fact-filled chronicle of the development of food preservation delves into the historical context as well as the various procedures used for such ancient methods as salting, drying, smoking, and fermenting. Modern techniques like freezing and dehydration are also discussed. The development of each process is followed from its earliest time. Most innovations were born out of the necessity to keep an abundant harvest of food preserved during the winter or for long voyages. In turn new techniques empowered humans to undertake impossibly long journeys to map out trade routes, conquer distant lands, discover new continents, and eventually explore outer space. One especially interesting chapter tells of a late-18th-century race between the English and French to find a better way to preserve food and retain its flavor, nutrients, and palatability. The hero of this adventure about the process of canning was a French cook with an understanding of chemistry and a flair for business. His story is exciting and action-filled enough to be a book unto itself. This work is an excellent source for information about a small but important slice of history.-Penny Stevens, Andover College, Portland, ME Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Making of a Pastry Chef or Cooking Thin with Chef Kathleen

Making of a Pastry Chef: Recipes and Inspirations from America's Best Pastry Chefs

Author: Andrew MacLauchlan

"A first of its kind! In The Making of a Pastry Chef, Andrew MacLauchlan has gathered the hearts, minds, and souls of some of our greatest talents. It is easy to get caught up in the chapters of this inspiring collection of recipes and stories. This is required reading for anyone fascinated by food–and especially the sweet kind!"–Dan Budd, The Culinary Institute of America

"Being a pastry chef is so much more than baking a successful batch of chocolate chip cookies! In The Making of a Pastry Chef, you will find some of this field’s top dessert makers talking shop with a colleague in a way that is frank and compelling."–Nancy Silverton, Campanile and La Brea Bakery

"This book reads like a who’s who in the pastry world and contains a vast amount of information. Andrew’s writing is as good as his pastry and his pastry is as good as it gets."–Michael Schneider, Chocolatier Magazine

Library Journal

As the title indicates, MacLauchlan, pastry chef at Santa Fe's Coyote Caf , looks at the training, skills, and passion necessary in pursuing a career as a pastry chef. He organizes his book according to various aspects of this career, including its history, inspirations behind choosing this way of life, education and training, as well as traditions and trends. Unfortunately, the personal anecdotes of well-known pastry chefs that make this work interesting also tend to bog it down. Where one or two stories might make for an enjoyable and valuable reading experience, more than that results in a tedious repetition of advice. Interspersed among these oral histories are recipes that vary in level of difficulty. Still, this book is recommended for larger cooking and career guidance collections.--Debra Mitts, Burlington Area Lib., IL Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Table of Contents:

The History of Sweets in Food and Cuisine; The Rise of the Pastry Chef.
Origins of Inspiration.
Foundations of Learning and Honing Skills.
Inside the World of the Pastry Chef.
Ingredients for Success as a Pastry Chef.
Traditions, Trends, and Future.
Chefs' Biographies.
Bibliography.
Index.

Read also Water with Lemon or Incredible Edible Gluten Free Food for Kids

Cooking Thin with Chef Kathleen: 200 Easy Recipes for Healthy Weight Loss

Author: Kathleen Daelemans

Kathleen Daelemans's inspiring story is familiar to millions of readers and TV viewers. After creating a new cuisine for one of the world's most luxurious spas, the Grand Wailea, in Maui, Hawaii, she earned rave reviews from the New York Times, Bon Appétit, the Los Angeles Times, and Esquire. In the process, she herself lost 75 pounds, dropping all the way down from a size 22 to a trim and fit size 8. Now she tells how she did it, sharing tips and favorite recipes for her outrageously delicious food. Kathleen, who is a frequent contributor to NBC's Today Show, is also the author of Getting Thin and Loving Food!

Library Journal

Daelemans's Cooking Thin, the Food Network's first "healthy cooking" series, has just been renewed for a second season. The author, who lost 75 pounds after she was hired as chef of a luxury spa in Hawaii, knows whereof she writes, and her empathy and humor make for a very appealing book. She focuses on moderation rather than deprivation, and although her recipes are low-fat and low-calorie, she has not included the typical nutrition analyses that appear in most weight-loss cookbooks. The recipes are easy and include both make-ahead tips and suggestions for turning one dish into many. Testing the recipes was somewhat of a family affair there are tips from Mom and ratings from Dad, as well as some contributions from the author's siblings. Recommended for all subject collections. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Brown Sugar or Decoding Ferran Adria

Brown Sugar: Soul Food Desserts from Family and Friends

Author: Joyce Whit

Spiced with stories of family and friends, sweetened by memories of holidays and celebratory meals, Brown Sugar is a slice of life from African American communities across the country. In this collection of recipes and tales, Joyce White passes along generations of kitchen wisdom and dessert favorites, as well as fresh and creative variations on classic sweets.

From the wedding reception-ready Coconut Peach lake to the simple joy of Gingered Tropical Fruits, these are desserts for any occasion. The flavors are comforting and festive, as are the many poignant stories that White shares. A sublime Sweet Potato Cheesecake is passed along from a hardworking mother in California, while Three Sisters Coconut Pie is White's composite of three good friends' favorite pie recipes, each reflecting their unique backgrounds. The results are at once innovative and familiar.

Whether you are looking to make the perfect Lemon Meringue Pie or to preserve summer fruit, these recipes will satisfy your sweet tooth and add heirloom-quality recipes to your collection. The complex flavors of Star Anise Peach Ice Cream and West Indian Christmas Cake are within reach of any home cook, thanks to White's masterful guidance and the tips and cook's secrets that she provides. White's recipes encourage creativity, offering suggestions for variations as well as a solid foundation for your own soul-inspired sweets.

Brown Sugar is warm, memorable, and universal, and you will be eager to share its recipes and stories, to create your own sweet memories.

Publishers Weekly

In this follow-up to Soul Food, White turns her attention from main courses to dessert. The recipes, gathered from all over the country, conjure up the homespun style of African-American cuisine sprinkled with a healthy dose of brown sugar. The titular ingredient is a common thread throughout- in the effortless Banana Cake and in the simple, successful Rum Raisin Oatmeal Cookies, one of several easy drop cookies. Both are examples of White's unassuming style, which features step-by-step instructions for everything from a simple cookie to a showy layer cake topped with frosting. In sidebars and notes, White provides information on techniques like canning and ingredients. Also included are piecrust, puddings and custards, along with the traditional Buttermilk Biscuits, homemade candies, ice cream and some refreshing fruit desserts. The book successfully combines reminiscences and stories with tradition and culture reflected in heritage recipes. (Feb.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Journalist and food writer White is the author of Soul Food, a collection of recipes contributed by members of African American churches across the country. The dessert recipes here are more personal, having been collected from her extended family and wide circle of friends, and although many of them are down-home favorites, they are generally somewhat more sophisticated than the "community cookbook" selections in her first book. Among the delectable offerings are Caramel Cake, Brown Sugar Cookies, Cocoa Cream Pie, Burnt Sugar Ice Cream, and Fresh Fig and Plum Compote. Every recipe has a story, and White also includes several brief essays on essential techniques, culinary traditions, and other topics. Highly recommended for its lively, engaging style and mouthwatering recipes. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

See also: Open Focus Brain or Growing 101 Herbs That Heal

Decoding Ferran Adria: Hosted by Anthony Bourdain

Author: Anthony Bourdain

New York City chef/author Anthony Bourdain is invited to film the research laboratory of Ferran Adria, the most controversial and imitated chef in the world—chef/owner of El Bulli, voted "World's Best" by Restaurant Magazine and the most visited by chefs on sabbatical. The lab, an ultra modern, Dr. No-like facility with sliding walls, backlit ingredients, latest equipment and a full staff of devotees is tucked away inside a vast, renaissance-era palace in the old section of Barcelona, Spain. Adria and his chefs close the El Bulli restaurant for six months out of ever year to work on new concepts. Bourdain tracks Ferran's process from lab to a once-in-a-lifetime meal at El Bulli restaurant, enjoying a high-concept, surrealist, haute cuisine meal of unparalleled creativity and striking visual appearance.

Baja or The Huckleberry Cookbook

ЎBaja!: Cooking on the Edge

Author: Deborah M Schneider

"On the byways of Baja, there isn’t a burrito in sight. Any day, in any town, you can choose from a vast array of made-to-order tacos and salsas, fresh-from-the-ocean seafood cocktels, grilled corn, succulent fruits skewered with lime and chili powder, vivid fruit juices, piping-hot cinnamon churros, neon-bright candies that stick in your teeth, and frozen treats with names like Angel’s Kiss…and that’s just the beginning."

--from Chapter 1

Join acclaimed chef and seasoned Baja traveler Deborah Schneider for an intriguing and appetizing journey through the Baja California region of Mexico, from the dusty towns south of the U.S. border all the way down to breezy Cabo San Lucas at the peninsula's southern tip.

Featuring more than 150 tantalizing recipes as well as vivid stories and images, this deliciously unorthodox cookbook transports you to the real Baja, with all its vibrant flavor and brilliant color, a place still largely undiscovered by los turistas.

The famous Baja fish taco is here, of course, in a mixture of authentic recipes and Schneider’s own Baja-inspired dishes—ingenious creations for which Bon Appétit magazine named her "the reigning queen of San Diego chefs."

No matter how far north of the border you may be, with Schneider’s easy-to-follow recipes, now you can feast on uniquely Baja delights like Clams in Tequila Butter, One-Pan Paella, Garlic Cilantro Steak, and Chocolate-Jalapeño Truffles. Enjoy.

 

Publishers Weekly

Schneider delivers on her subtitle with kicky prose and more than 150 authentic recipes that evoke a sense of place and introduce home cooks to the cuisine of this peninsula. There's an entire chapter devoted to street food such as Fish Tacos, Carne Asada Tacos and Tamales with Shrimp "Chorizo" and Fresh Corn. Within that chapter, there's a section dedicated to salsas, which includes a chili primer (and the author's own fun chili reaction scale-a habanero, she says, will make you "burn, cry, gasp, gulp beer, run from room"). The seafood chapter features Fisherman's Sashimi, Campfire-Grilled Chorizo with Orange Chipotle Glaze, and Clams in Tequila Butter. Plenty of dishes in the book are worthy of dinner parties-such as the Sauteed Pork Tenderloin with Caramelized Fennel, Olives, and Dried Fruit; the Peppered Lamb Loin with Figs in Port Wine and Orange; and the Pan-Roasted Duck with Green Olives and Raisins. Sweets like Churros and Mexican Chocolate Bread Pudding with Apples round out the assortment of options. (June) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Schneider, now a chef in San Diego, has been traveling to Mexico's Baja California-the narrow peninsula extending south from Tijuana-for more than 20 years. Although parts of Baja have recently been discovered by tourists, much of it is still a "truly wild place," and this is the first cookbook to focus on the region. It begins with a chapter on street food called "Barbecued Iguana," with delicious recipes for Baja's distinct fish tacos and zesty salsas, followed by "Cooking from the Coast." Because there are more than 2000 miles of coastline, fish and shellfish dishes are a major part of the cuisine. "Mi Tierra" features vegetable dishes, and "Cocina Nueva in the Wine Country" showcases more contemporary recipes from chefs and others. Schneider feels passionately about preserving "the natural treasure that is Baja," and she includes valuable information on sustainable fishing and other ecological concerns. There are also dozens of boxes on culinary topics of all sorts. Schneider's text is both informative and entertaining, and her recipes are thoroughly written and mouth-watering. Highly recommended. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Book about:

The Huckleberry Cookbook

Author: Alex Hester

Tourists frequently travel to the northwestern states for one reason: to pick huckleberries. It is a huge industry in the Rocky Mountain states, especially Montana, Oregon, and Washington, where the weather is perfect for producing beautiful dark berries. This gift-sized cookbook is printed in huckleberry purple and includes recipes such as Huckleberry Sourdough Pancakes and Huckleberry Cheese Pie. Few berries merit a dedicated cookbook, but if you’ve been to Montana in the summer, you know this book will be an instant hit.