The Cookbook Junkies

Sugar Rush

October 1, 2014 by Jenny Hartin 1 Comment

Johnny Iuzzini does it again.

While his first book, Dessert FourPlay, was an incredible work in itself but advanced — this book is geared more toward the home baker with an edge. Any of these desserts would be show stoppers and I plan on making them all.

The book is broken down into chapters:

1. Custards and Creamy Desserts
2. Eggs and Meringue
3. Caramel
4. Cakes, Cupcakes, Brownies and Muffins
5. Cookies, Tea Cakes and Biscuits
6. Tarts, Cobblers and Crisps
7. Yeast Doughs
8. Glazes, Frostings, Fillings and Sauces
and
9. Building a Balanced Dessert.

The book is beautiful and has gorgeous photography.

Some of the recipes that stand out – banana pastry cream, pina colada pastry cream, pineapple coconut meringue torte, honey roasted plum mousse, banana fritters with tahini caramel, butternut-maple blondies, no-tella cashew crepe cake…and there are just too many to name.

Johnny touches on every dessert, sugar rush possibility…marshmallows, caramels, creams, garnishes — it’s stunning.

It’s a step by step walk through the sugar world and would be a great gift for someone that wants to start out baking and exploring or someone who is accomplished – the instructions and photos and information is fantastic.

I received this book through Blogging for Books.

FLOUR + WATER PASTA

September 23, 2014 by Jenny Hartin 1 Comment

FLOUR + WATER PASTA by Thomas McNaughton — is in one word stunning.

The pastas, the instruction, the step by step photographs…the overall feel of the book – stunning.

The book starts out with Part One — How to Make Pasta Dough and How to Cook the Pasta, Part Two The Recipes which are broken down by season. I have three pages of notes of recipes that I want to try – truthfully all the recipes are going to be attempted by me.

I have been on a real Italian kick lately – not the tomato, cheese and pasta Italian dishes that all the American Italian restaurants provide – but the more rustic true Italian dishes that you find in Extra Virgin by Gabriele Corcas and Debi Mazar or in this wonderful book.

With this book – I know I can make show stopping pasta dishes – or least that is my goal soon. Some of the recipes include — tomato farfalle with chicken polpettine with roasted peppers and basil, black pepper tagliatelle with mussels, lardo and corn, ricotta and tomato tortelletti in brodo, corn and crescenza cappelltti with bitter honey, pumpkin tortelloni with sage and pumpkin seeds, celery root tortelli with brown butter balsamico and walnuts (this photo WOW), pici with vin santo-braised squab pancetta and cabbage, toasted faro garganelli with short ribs, hazelnuts and radicchio, tagliarini with braised hen, lime and pistachio, oxtail and rosemary lasagna with spigarello and fresh horseradish, corzetti with sausage clams and fennel, whole wheat campanelle with anise braised pork and chard…goat’s milk ricotta, stradette with leeks and fava beans, lemon farfalle with spring pea ragu, garganelli with prosciutto and peas (another WOW photo).

I was really blown away by this book.

I’m editing this post to include that I made the egg dough pasta (so easy and delicious) and the Heirloom Tomato Sauce (with tomatoes from my garden) on page 52 last evening – my husband and son were raving. So proud of myself.

Blogging for Books provided this book to me for review. All opinions are my own. I’m giving away a copy of this book over at The Cookbook Junkies here.

Ooey Gooey Brownie Salted Caramel Cake

September 20, 2014 by Jenny Hartin 5 Comments

I’m originally from the St. Louis area — I miss the Midwest – it will always be home. That being said, I desperately miss New York but what I miss the most is the ocean. Colorado is beautiful — but there is no water – no water from the sky, no water to sit by and dream what is on the other side, no shores to walk along and let your mind wander. Oh yeah….we have a reservoir — woweeeeee….teasing I tease. We do have the glorious mountains.

One day, our dream is to live in California – I adore the Pacific Ocean – I love California and have been so lucky to have traveled there several times. The Pacific Coast Highway one of the most beautiful drives ever.

Back to St. Louis — St. Louis is home to many culinary treats – ice cream cones…Italian food “on the hill” including toasted ravioli which I made for my New York family and they were wowed… and ooey gooey butter cake to name a few.

This morning I decided I wanted to play with the ooey gooey butter cake – so I thought — brownies….salted caramel — and the ooey gooey butter cake topping…I wanted to add some candied pecans to the mix – but time slipped away.

Ooey Gooey Brownie Salted Caramel Cake

1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 fudge brownie mix (don’t report me to the food police)

1 8 ounce cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
2 cups of powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup salted caramel (purchased from store or make your own)
1 teaspoon of vanilla

In a bowl – stir together the one egg and 1/2 cup of melted butter. Stir in brownie mix until combined. It will be thick — press evenly into the bottom of a 13 x 9 pan. Bake in 350 degrees oven for 20 minutes. (I had to go 20 minutes — mountains — but check at 15 — should be still soft but not runny).

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, two eggs, two cups of powdered sugar, vanilla, melted butter, the salted caramel until it is combined. Pour over baked brownie crust.

I took a few dollops of salted caramel and made a beautiful design on top which disappeared in the baking – so don’t waste your time.

Ok, not so beautiful but art is subjective. It was a little Pollocky.

Bake for 35 minutes — center will not appear totally set..cool completely (that’s nuts -we had a warm gooey piece right after we took it out of the oven and it was glorious) in pan on wire rack before cutting into bars – you can sprinkle with powdered sugar if you like but why gild the lily?