Synopses & Reviews
With recipes organized by technique and step-by-step instruction, Fearless Baking is the antidote to years of crumbly cookies, tasteless tarts, and burnt biscuits. If you're a first-time baker, you'll be amazed at the ease and speed with which you can turn out the same kinds of quality homemade treats you've envied in others' homes. If you're an experienced baker, you'll find focused instructions on each aspect of baking, and original fail-safe recipes that can broaden your repertoire.
Introductory chapters detail the basic ingredients used throughout the book, along with the appropriate pans and utensils. Each recipe begins with a helpful "Baking Answers" section to anticipate questions or problems and explain the baking ideas or techniques that the recipe introduces or emphasizes. In addition, the directions not only include tips for visual measurement but also often provide descriptive instructions for recognizing when a batter is properly mixed or an item is done.
Each chapter builds on skills and techniques that have been previously explained. Beginning with the simplest recipe (for Perfectly Easy Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Blondies) in "Just Stir and Bake," you progress to Glazed Fresh Raspberry Pie in "No-Roll Crusts with Simple Fillings," Butter Shortbread Cut-outs in "Mixing a Smooth Dough," and Deep South Pound Cake in "Mixing a Smooth Batter." Now go on to Cranberry Eggnog Cake with Bourbon Butter Frosting in "Putting the Frosting with the Cake," Apple and Hazelnut Macaroon Tart in "Rolled Crusts for Pies and Tarts," Orange Meringue Ice Cream Cake in "Whipping Eggs for Cakes and Meringues," and Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Fudge Frosting in "Baking with Chocolate." Finally, wow family and friends with Aunt Elaine's Mocha Whipped Cream Shadow Cake from "Whipping Cream for Cakes, Pies, and Pastries," and the Pumpkin Pecan Praline Cheesecake from "Melting Sugar for Caramel and Praline."
This surefire guide to turning out delicious home-made treats should be on every baker's bookshelf.
About the Author
Elinor Klivans is a regular contributor to the Washington Post food section and the author of three previous cookbooks, 125 Cookies to Bake, Nibble and Savor, Bake and Freeze Chocolate Desserts, and Bake and Freeze Desserts, which won the 1995 Martini and Rossi Dessert Cookbook Award and was nominated for a Julia Child Cookbook Award. She is a native of South Florida and has resided on the northern coast of Maine since 1981 with her husband and two children.
Table of Contents
Contents INTRODUCTION
BAKING LANGUAGE FROM "A" TO ZEST
INGREDIENTS TO HAVE ON HAND IN YOUR PANTRY
BASIC BAKING UTENSILS -- WHAT YOU NEED AND WHAT IS NICE TO HAVE
MEASURE, MIX, AND BAKE! EXPLAINING BAKING TECHNIQUES
FREQUENTLY ASKED BAKING QUESTIONS ANSWERED
JUST STIR AND BAKE
Perfectly Easy Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Blondies x Peanut Butter and Milk Chocolate Brownies x Banana Butterscotch Blondie Sundae x Any-Season Fruit Crumble x Toasted Hazelnut Peach Crisp x Apple Crumble Bars x Deep-Dish Apple Strudel Pie x Big-Top Corn Muffins x Maple Muffins with Carrots, Pineapple, and Pecans x Big, Easy Popovers x Green Tomato and Cornmeal Pecan Crisp x Baked Blintz x Layered Cheddar, Vegetable, and Cashew Nut Pie x Zucchini Bread Pudding
No-Roll Crusts with Simple Fillings
Lemon Chess Bars x Three-Layer Walnut Bars x Lemon Icebox Pie x Orange Cream Cheese Pie with Shiny Strawberries x Glazed Fresh Raspberry Pie x Vanilla Cheesecake x Strawberry Vanilla Cheesecake x Cherry Custard Tart with Pouring Crust x Ham and Swiss Potato Pie x Savory Lemon, Sage, Parsley, and Thyme Cheesecake
Mixing a Smooth Dough
Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies x Buttery Brown Sugar and Oatmeal Shortbread x My Best Butter Buttons x Double Walnut Meltaways x Maple Butter Pecan Wafers x Chocolate Hazelnut Snowballs x Lemon Cream Cookie Sandwiches x Soft and Crunchy Golden Raisin and Apricot Oatmeal Bars x Open-Face Summer Peach Tart x All-American Peach Cobbler x Flying Cloud Biscuits x Orange Spice Scones x Butter Shortbread Cutouts
Mixing a Smooth Batter
Fifty-Fifty Crumb Buns x Peanut Butter Crumb Cake x Cranberry-Walnut Butterscotch Bars x Blueberry Crumb Cake x Sticky-Top Gingerbread with Brown Sugar Toffee Sauce x Deep South Pound Cake x French Pear and Almond Cake x Crushed Pineapple Upside-Down Cake x Pear and Gingerbread Upside-Down Cake x Black-and-White Cheesecake Cake
Putting the Frosting with the Cake
Carrot Cake Coconut Snowballs x Whoopie Pies x Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake x Cranberry Eggnog Cake with Bourbon Butter Frosting x Lemon-Glazed Lemon Pound Cake x Pumpkin Cake with Brown Sugar Icing x Rolling Pin Glazed Almond Cake x Hummingbird Cake x Chocolate-Covered Banana-Chocolate Chip Cake x Ebinger's Orange-Glazed Layer Cake with Orange Butter Filling
Rolled Crusts for Pies and Tarts
Fearless Piecrust x Butter Cookie Tart Crust x Sticky Walnut Pie x Pecan-Chocolate Chip Pie x Pear and Cranberry Cream Crunch-Top Pie x Bountiful Apricot, Cranberry, and Walnut Pie x Farmhouse Apple Pie x A Well-Filled Two-Crust Apple Pie x A Pair of Apple Dumplings Baked in Cinnamon Sauce x Especially Crumbly Rhubarb Tart x Apple and Hazelnut Macaroon Tart x Shimmering Fresh Berry Tart x Chile, Cheese, and Chorizo Quiche x Roasted Tomato, Basil, and Parmesan Pie x Deep-Dish Wild Mushroom Pie
Whipping Eggs for Cakes and Meringues
Cinnamon Pecan Swirl Coffee Cake x Lemon Ripple Crunch Cake x Italian Cream Cake x The Groom's Lemon Cake x Almond Angel Cake x Chocolate Chiffon Cake x Almond Crunch and Chocolate Confetti Chiffon Cake x Coffee Lover's Layer Cake x Tiramisù Ice Cream Loaf x Coconut, Fig, and Pecan Cake with Fluffy White Frosting x Orange Meringue Ice Cream Cake x Mom's Lemon Meringue Pie
Baking with Chocolate
Double Fudge Brownies x Half-Baked Brownie Ice Cream Pie x Chocolate Chip Cookie and Fudge Brownie Pie x Chocolate Chip Fudge Cake x Hot Chocolate Cake x Chocolate Cookie Sandwiches x Chocolate Cake and Ice Cream Roll x Reverse Chocolate Marble Cake x Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Fudge Frosting x Go for the Chocolate Cake x Chocolate Pound Cake with Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting x Chocolate Bride's Cake
Whipping Cream for Cakes, Pies, and Pastries
Deep-Dish Strawberry Whipped Cream Cake x Deep-Dish Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake x New England Maple Pumpkin Pie x Strawberry Shortcake x Chocolate Icebox Pie x Deluxe Coconut Cream Pie x Orange-and-White Chocolate Truffle Cake x Raspberries and Cream Macaroon Tart x Aunt Elaine's Mocha Whipped Cream Shadow Cake x Chocolate Whipped Cream Truffle Cake x Pecan Meringues Stacked with Whipped Cream and Strawberry Sauce x Zuccotto -- Italian Chocolate and Vanilla Cream Cake
Melting Sugar for Caramel and Praline
Cranberry Caramel Buckle x Fantasy Bars x Caramel Milky Way Ice Cream Pie x Caramel Pecan Cookie Sandwich Hearts x Two-for-One Hazelnut Lace Cookie Sandwiches or Stacks x Pumpkin Pecan Praline Cheesecake x Double-Decker Raspberry and Almond Praline Cheesecake x Pear and Almond Cake with Caramel Frosting x Banoffee Pie x Caramel Cream Pie x Blaze of Glory Chocolate Cake
EPILOGUE
MAIL-ORDER SOURCES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX