(Actual illustration of Twistie at actual size… only two hundred and fifty years ago and much smaller)
In response to my harrumph of last week on the response my week’s worth of baking delicious things for the annual block party, several of you (and you know who you are) begged for the recipes.
Darlings, I love you all like Plummy loves her granny pants, but I’m not typing out that many recipes. I made four fabulous treats, three of which required a minimum of two recipes to assemble. In fact, two of them took three each. That’s a lot of typing of other people’s copyrighted materials.
Instead, I’m going to reveal the sources of all the recipes, tell you where to get copies, and leave it to your own ingenuity and budgets to get them or not. I will further recommend that any of you who enjoy baking more than once in a very, very, very blue moon pick up at least one of these three volumes. Every one is brimful of clear recipes for delicious treats for all occasions.
The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum is one of my all-time favorite baking tomes. This is where the white chocolate layer cake and its accessories came from. The recipes you’re looking for are: White Chocolate Whisper Cake, the Classic Buttercream (lemon variation) and the Lemon Curd. Seriously, though, there’s not a bum recipe in the book. Cover to cover, it’s all good. If you love cake, you need this book.
Get it from Amazon for just $20.98 (list price $35.00).
I got the scones and the ricotta galette out of Baking for All Occasions by Flo Braker. Braker has long enjoyed a reputation among bakers for delicious recipes practical enough to bake often. This volume is chockfull of delightful and tasty ideas. You’re looking for the Apricot Flaky Scones and the Double-Crust Sweet Ricotta Galette… but don’t stop at those two! I, for one, can’t wait to try out the Brown Butter Pear Tart and the Pumpkin Ice Cream Profiteroles with Caramel Sauce.
Get it from Amazon for just $23.10 (list price $35.00).
Last, but far from least, I got the Malted Milk Chocolate Tart and the crust for it from The Art and Soul of Baking. If you haven’t done much baking before but really want to learn, this is a fantastic investment. If you’re already a dab hand at baking but looking for an excellent compendium of recipes, both classic and innovative, this is a fantastic investment. It covers both sweet and savory treats and features lots of handy tips for making your baking life easier and more successful. I’ve been baking for more than forty years and I learned some tricks that I’d never heard of before!
Get it at Amazon for $26.40 (list price $40.00).
Oh, and remember, all of these books qualify for Amazon’s free Super Saver Shipping with purchase of $25.00 or more.
Happy baking, everyone!
Got a favorite baking book? Share in comments! I’d love to know what books you love, too.
