Family Book Corner

Pastries Recipe

The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread: Cakes, Cookies, Bars, Pastries and More from...
by Amy Scherber, Toy Kim Dupree
Amazon Price: $23.07
Customer Review: This book is new, so I've only baked 5 recipes so far, but I'm already in love. An interesting thing about the book, because the authors are professionals, is that the recipes give both weight and volume measures. So if you're a precise baker with a kitchen scale, this book has exactly what you need. If you're a little more casual of a baker like me, then you'll do fine with the traditional measures. Also worth noting is that the authors go out of their way to spell everything out in great detail. If you like the abbreviated recipe on the back of the package of chocolate chips just fine, then you probably don't need this book. If you're looking for the best cookies ever, then this book should be at the top of your list to try. I just made the Double Chocolate Chip Cookies, and that prompted me to write this review. My whole house smells like heaven, and the cookies are unbelievably good (don't skip the toasted pecans). And as good as these are, the Award-Winning Brownies recipe might be even better. Just let them chill overnight before eating, and you will be greatly rewarded.

I've tried the cakes at the Amy's Bread bakeries in New York City, and I wonder if I can get the same results at home. Based on the amazing results I've had so far with the cookie and brownie recipes, I'm thinking the answer is yes. By the way, the book is packed with color photos, so it makes a great gift.

The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes from the Texas Hill Country's Rather S...
by Rebecca Rather, Alison Oresman
Amazon Price: $21.45
Customer Review: The recipes are delicious; yesterday, I made the Sugar Saucers for my family and dipped them in melted bittersweet chocolate and they were a big hit. Beautiful photography, really different and creative recipes, and a folksy tone that makes me miss Texas (I'm from Austin but we currently live in frigid Ohio). Three minor complaints however: one, some of the recipes are ridiculously large and although you could halve them, it would be difficult to do so. Two, I may be just spoiled but in this nice, luxurious book with unusual and pretty food and where the book itself seems a guilty pleasure, I'd like a picture of each recipe. She describes this peach dulce de leche cake but no picture! Three, the tone is at times a bit too braggy and self-congratulatory and at points she goes from being the best baker on the block to being the person who just says she's the best baker on the block, if you know what I mean. All minor quibbles that are easily dealt with, but that keep this book from being the really incredible book that it could have been. And it passed the main cookbook test: all of the food made so far has tasted fantastic.

125 Best Cheesecake Recipes
by George Geary
Amazon Price: $13.57
Customer Review: Good recipes, easy to follow instructions, but I think that such a very famous writer as George Geary should spent a little more in pictures, there are only a few, not enough for someone with a very good resume.

Dessert University: More Than 300 Spectacular Recipes and Essential Lessons f...
by Roland Mesnier, Lauren Chattman
Amazon Price: $28.40
Customer Review: I feel like a better pastry chef by reading Ronald Mesnier's books. He emphasizes the quality of ingredients when it counts the most but mentions when it is o.k. to use frozen or preprepared items in a dish. He prepares dishes in slightly unconventional ways that happen to often be healthier than traditional preparations.

He LOVES his fruit, and you just might get tired of reading all of the fruit themed desert recipes and however imporant his information is, it can seem annoying if you have read his other pastry book, which is also full of fruit. I would have liked to hear him talk more on the subject of other things, but everything did get adequate enough time spent that I do not feel like it was a waste of time getting this book. I would recommend it.

Puff Pastry Perfection: More Than 175 Recipes for Appetizers, Entrees and Swe...
by Camilla V. Saulsbury
Amazon Price: $11.53
Customer Review: This is already one of my favorite cookbooks! It is wonderful and beautifully made, too.

Bubby's Homemade Pies
by Ronald M. Silver, Jen Bervin
Amazon Price: $19.77
Customer Review: I love baking but have always been a bit afraid of making a pie and so I always avoided it, because I was sure it would be too complicated and impossible to make a good pie crust, etc. Finally I got inspired and picked up this book. It was like having a trusted friend show me step by step how to make a perfect first pie. I started with the Mile High Apple Pie and it was literally the best tasting apple pie I've ever eaten.... and it was my first ever pie! I was proud. I actually like the fact that there aren't any glossy photos and just black and white sketches. It certainly doesn't take away from the instructional value of the book and it's such a nice change of pace for a cookbook. Packed with info. about tips and tricks, this is an excellent book for a pie beginner, it will make you feel like an old pro!!! Thanks Bubby's!!

Olive Oil Baking: Healthy Recipes That Increase Good Cholesterol and Reduce S...
by Lisa Sheldon
Amazon Price: $13.57
Customer Review: I have tried and LOVED at least 3 cookie recipes, a chocolate zucchini bread, and an apple crisp from this book. I have yet to try a recipe that doesn't work out. I would recommend this book to anyone, whether they were trying to eat healthfully, or not. In the end what is important is that the food tastes good, and that's exactly what you get from the recipes in this book.

The Making of a Pastry Chef: Recipes and Inspiration from America's Best Past...
by Andrew MacLauchlan
Amazon Price: $19.77
Customer Review: I was under the impression that it would include secret techniques and recipes for people who want to become pastry chefs. It turned out to be more of a story.

Sharing Mountain Recipes: The Muffin Lady's Everyday Favorites
by Randi Lee Levin
Amazon Price: $21.13
Customer Review: Living at 7500 is wonderful but presents problems with cooking. This is a great book with good re4cipes. I also recomend "Pie in the Sky" and "Chocolate Snowball" - they both have altitude adjustments.

Pies & Pastries (The Good Cook Techniques & Recipes Series)
by Editors of Time-Life Books
Amazon Price:
Customer Review: I found this book to be a disappointment, a little too French for me. There were far too many recipes for puff pastry and chou pastry, things most American cooks will not be likely to prepare. I would have welcomed more non European ethnic recipes such as Jamaican meat patties, Indian samosas, or Russian pirozhkies. Even the great meat pies and pasties of England, Wales, and Cornwall were not well represented. In my opinion, this is the weakest offering in the TimeLife "Good Cook" series.