My 2010 End-of-Year Cookbook Picks!

I get very excited by new cookbooks. I've added several to my collection over the past year and I have a list of others I still want. Friends and family are going to give me a hard time for having such a list since I already own more cookbooks than most and I am out of space. They tell me to cut back, to resist, to use self-restraint, will power. Fight the urge! Just say no! But hey, a girl can dream, right?

Here are a few I have my eye on...


Weeknight Desserts: Quick & Easy Sweet Treats by Beatrice Ojakangas
I love Beatrice Ojakangas and I have several of her cookbooks. Most recently I discovered her challah recipe and I can't stop making it!! This Weeknight Desserts book gets me very excited. We'll see if I last the next few weeks without getting it.



The Gourmet Cookie Book: The Single Best Recipe from Each Year 1941-2009
I've flipped through this book at Barnes and Noble. It looks good. Really good. Some of the best cookies are old classics. Sometimes old cookies are reinvented in newer cookbooks, but a lot of great cookies were great back in the '40s and don't need to change! This book covers decades of delicious cookies and leaves well enough alone!



The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book: The Essential Recipe Collection for Today's Home Baker
I love Williams-Sonoma cookbooks. You know, if you flip open the cover, they often name the specific recipe authors and they're the cooks and bakers I already love and follow. People like Lou Pappas and Elinor Klivans. Their names aren't on the cover, so a lot of people don't pay attention to who wrote the recipes. But that's a really important piece of information when deciding to buy a book or not! I've basically reached the point where I trust any Williams-Sonoma cookbook because time and again I am impressed with who they asked to write the recipes. So I'm going to admit to you now that I don't even know who wrote the recipes in this Baking Book. They've earned my trust. And I want the book!



Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson
I own Tartine, the first cookbook. And it won my heart after I made the brownie recipe in it and then subsequently called it The Best Brownie on Earth on my blog. Now Tartine Bread has been published and I can't imagine life without it. I want to make every single one of those delicious crusty breads!



Skinny Dips by Diane Morgan
My mom introduced me to this cookbook. We try to make healthy foods. At least, healthy savory foods. When it comes to dessert, we don't skimp. But the idea of healthy dips is just plain appealing. Great to snack on, great for when guests are over, easy to make.



Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours by Sarabeth Levine
Earlier this month, I had an amazing Hanukkah dinner of latkes, homemade latke condiments, root vegetables, and salmon at a family friend's. Then for dessert, the hostess brought out individual glass dishes of chocolate pudding. She introduced it as a Sarabeth pudding. I had never heard of Sarabeth before that moment. But the pudding was so good, so chocolaty, that I went home that night and looked up Sarabeth. Low and behold, this new cookbook by Sarabeth was getting rave reviews all over the place. Now it's on my list of Must Haves.



Rose's Heavenly Cakes by Rose Levy Beranbaum
Rose Levy Beranbaum is a true master baker. She's a scientist. Maybe not in the official definition of scientist. But she is very exact in her explanations and recipes. She has you weigh your ingredients with a scale, and she wants you to chill the butter, or reach a certain temperature, toss flour in the freezer before using, and other specific instructions you don't often see in recipes. I made her apple pie a few months ago, and I followed her instructions to a tee. Well, it was one of the most fantastic desserts I've ever made in my life. The flakiest crust and perfectly sweet but not too sweet apple filling. I was very proud of that pie and my guests were so impressed. Earlier this year my mom and I got to hear Rose Levy Beranbaum speak at Omnivore Books in San Francisco. She was there to introduce her latest cookbook, this Rose's Heavenly Cakes. The gorgeous photos and recipes had my mouth watering. I'm excited to get this book. And I recommend you get it, too. But only get it if you intend to follow her instructions exactly. Otherwise, the great lengths she goes to to have you create the perfect dessert are wasted. And that would be a tragedy!



Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz
By now you might have noticed I love David Lebovitz. I refer to him regularly on this blog. I own his books, I bake from them, I recommend him to others. When this cookbook came out, I wasn't just all talk, saying "OMG, I have to have it! I'm going to get this book!" Instead, I bought it. Immediately. And it was one of the best decisions of my cookbook-buying life!



Quiches, Kugels, and Couscous by Joan Nathan
I usually think of Joan Nathan as the Queen of Jewish Cooking. My mom and I heard her speak about some of her travel experiences and childhood when she guest lectured at a nearby synagogue in Saratoga, California, many years ago. I make her challah and several Passover dishes from her Jewish holiday books. What caught my attention about this latest cookbook was "Kugels" in the title. There are so few cookbooks that focus on kugels, and I love kugel so much! I don't have this book yet, but it's on my Must Have List and hopefully I'll take care of that void soon.



The Perfect Finish by Bill Yosses and Melissa Clark
I flipped through this book at a store and the pictures were good enough to eat! They are the kinds of desserts I'm always in the mood to make. I want it! I want it!




Martha Stewart's Cupcakes and Martha Stewart's Cookies
Actually, the cupcake cookbook came out in 2009 and the cookie one in 2008, but I don't own either one and somehow I'm reminded of this constantly and need to rectify the situation. I'm a Martha fan. I all but owned the apron that said "Free Martha" back in the day. Each of these books includes really big photos of the dessert you're about to make, and the layout for each recipe is very readable, which I don't take for granted. How many cookbooks have you seen that use frilly script fonts and the ingredient lists are not next to the directions and they're just a big mess! Martha Stewart got it right with these books.



Luscious Coconut Desserts by Lori Longbotham
Lori Longbotham is one of only a few cookbook authors I swear by. I would recommend anything out of her cookbooks without exception. Several of her recipes are in my regular repertoire. I just made her Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Cake for the fourth time! I even wrote a poem about her here. Her Ganache-Filled Brown Sugar Bars are fantastic. Her Dark Chocolate Tart is great, too. Do you like chocolate pudding? Hers makes my dad drool. She has a series of books with similar titles that all say: Luscious _____ Desserts (and you fill in with Chocolate, Lemon, Creamy, Berry, Coconut...). This coconut one is not yet in my collection, which is a shocker! But not to worry, I will remedy this pronto.



Flour by Joanne Chang
Now here's a book I wouldn't have known the first thing about, except that it's impossible to miss all the positive reviews it's getting by food critics and newspaper columns everywhere! The recipes have a very homemade, home baker feel to them, rather than stuffy, overly fancy desserts. They are approachable, and that's exactly the kind of cookbook that appeals to me. I want this. And it's only a matter of time before I bite the bullet and get it!



The Craft of Baking by Karen Demasco
I admit I've had my eye on this one for a long time. Every time I visit a Williams-Sonoma store, it's on the shelf, staring at me in the face. Karen Demasco is a James Beard Award winner, and is known for the many years she served as Tom Colicchio's pastry chef. She's kind of a big deal. I want the Almond Pound Cake with Apricot Compote. And everything else in the book, too.



Chocolate Cakes by Elinor Klivans
Read the title. Need I say more? No. But I will. Just a few words. Elinor Klivans is a great baker and is often involved with Williams-Sonoma cookbooks. That might be where I first learned about her. What I love about this cookbook concept is that it's dedicated to one thing only: chocolate cakes. So if I am in the mood to make a chocolate cake, or need to for a birthday, I can turn to this book and have a bunch of options to spice up an otherwise conventional, regular cake. And I know it will be delicious. Because it's Elinor Klivan's recipe. I don't like to gamble. :)



Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich
Ok, I caved. I bought this book and then told my dad to buy it for my mom. And then she and I spent exactly one night reading through our respective copies, cover to cover, then called each other up, and were quoting lines out of it without looking at it! We had done our homework!!! I've already made a few recipes out of this book. They are all stellar. Go buy it! Alice Medrich is the First Lady of Chocolate, the inventor of the chocolate truffle, founder of the legendary Cocolat shop, and all around chocolate Know-it-All. Trust anything she says. Never doubt her. Kiss her feet.



Bon Appetit Desserts by Barbara Fairchild
Bon Appetit Magazine has long been my favorite food magazine. I love the RSVP section where readers can write in asking for recipes from a restaurant. And there are always stories with delicious sounding recipes and fun product reviews. Bakers I respect, such as Dorie Greenspan and Lori Longbotham, are featured writers. So naturally when my favorite food magazine publishes a cookbook on sweets, I want it. I am so utterly predictable.



Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito
Strangely enough, I don't have their first book, but I bought this one! I will eventually buy their first one. It just so happened I was in Williams-Sonoma looking at the cookbook section and this was in it and I flipped through the recipes, my stomach started to grumble, and I bought it. Actually, my first experience tasting their goods was when I made their Spicy Brownies, which were published on Oprah's website. After rave reviews from my guests and my tummy, these guys had a special place in my heart.



Bake! by Nick Malgieri
Nick Malgieri isn't just a good baker, he's a good teacher. His book will teach you how to become a better baker. So buy this book not just for the recipes, but for the investment. Hone your skills! Um, and enjoy the recipes. They are very much the kinds of baked goods you'd make with your grandma.



Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois
One of my favorite things to make is bread. But bread takes a lot of time. Even if there are two rising times so you're not actually working on the bread the whole time, you have to be home that whole time. Ok, I take that back. You can take the bread with you. My mom has been known to bring her bowl of rising dough with her to the grocery store so she could punch it down if necessary. It's a pretty strange sight. But these are the things we do for the things we love! :) Anyways, the concept of being able to make yeast bread quickly seems impossible and contrary to science, but this book will show you how. And that gets me very, very excited.


Well, I think I've given you a lot of food for thought. Hopefully you now have a better idea of how to spend your Christmas bonus or the Amazon gift card you got from your aunt. I may have missed a book or two in here that I'd really love or you'd really love, but the list wasn't meant to be exhaustive. That is not humanly possible. I don't know about you, but there will always be more cookbooks I want. It's in my blood.

Happy New Year!

Cranberry Pecan Pumpkin Upside Down Cake

I love Emily Luchetti! It was my mom who first introduced me to this master baker. Emily was the Executive Pastry Chef of Stars Restaurant in San Francisco, and has several other impressive roles on her resume. I own a few of her dessert cookbooks; they are all fantastic. Plus, Emily is down to earth and approachable and actually responds to her Facebook fans. Follow along as she posts recipes and updates by becoming her fan here.


She posted a recipe for Cranberry Pecan Pumpkin Upside Down Cake to her Facebook page a few days before Thanksgiving and explained that this is what she'd be serving for dessert on the holiday rather than pumpkin pie because pumpkin pie just doesn't do it for her. Well, my Thanksgiving didn't skip the pumpkin pie, but I did find time to make Emily's pumpkin pie-replacement over Thanksgiving weekend and bring it to my grandparents' house for a very special brunch.


All 11 of us sat around the table enjoying each other's company and when I sliced into the cake, there was a moment of silence, followed by ooohs and aaahs, followed by applause, followed by several requests for a slice, until most of the cake was gone. Ok, maybe the applause was an exaggeration, but everything else really did happen. One of us, and I won't name names (you know who you are!!!), had thirds.

My uncle Phil is one very happy camper

I am a fan of upside down cakes in general, because I think they make great presentations. There's that moment of nervousness and surprise when you invert the cake onto a serving plate and see what the underside looks like. With all the butter and brown sugary goodness, the topping is out of this world. But I had never seen a pumpkin upside down cake. I couldn't pass up the chance to make this. So glad I did! And my family was quite appreciative, too.


Cranberry Pecan Pumpkin Upside Down Cake
Adapted from a recipe by Emily Luchetti on her Facebook page
Serves 10-12

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 cups cranberries
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
2 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin or homemade puree, but NOT pumpkin pie filling)
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Choose your baking pan: either a 9-inch square pan or a 10-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom of your pan with parchment. No need to grease it since you're about to put a whole lot of butter in the bottom of the pan!

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar and stir until combined (a wooden spoon works well). Pour this brown sugar-butter mixture into the bottom of the cake pan and spread evenly around to cover the entire bottom.

In a medium bowl toss the cranberries and pecans together. Scatter them over the brown sugar-butter mixture in the pan so they look evenly placed.

To make the batter, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin puree, and oil.

Cut a large piece of wax paper or parchment paper and place your sifter in the center. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt over the wax paper, then carefully lift the wax paper up and transfer the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture. Stir the dry ingredients in with the pumpkin mixture until well combined. Then spread this batter over the cranberries and pecans in the cake pan. Be gentle as you spread the batter so you don't pull up the cranberries or pecans or stir them into the batter.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes (less for the square pan, more for the round pan). The cake is done when a cake tester or toothpick is inserted in the center and comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Then loosen the edges of the cake with a knife or metal spatula and invert onto a serving plate. Peel the parchment paper off the top of the cake.

Cool completely before serving. Enjoy! You are about to be in heaven!


Step-by-Step in Pictures
Melt the butter and add the brown sugar; stir until combined...

Pour the mixture into the bottom of the cake pan...

In a bowl, combine the cranberries and pecans...
Scatter the cranberries and pecans evenly over the brown sugar-butter mixture in the pan...

Sift the dry ingredients together...
Whisk together the eggs, pumpkin, and oil...
Add the dry ingredients and stir until well combined...

Pour the batter over the cranberries and pecans in the pan...

Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 45 minutes...

Cool for about 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate and peel the parchment off the top...

Cool completely, then slice and serve!

Chocolate Spice Cookies

What do you call it when you make something that tastes super delicious, with the perfect amount of crisp on the outside, implying the existence of loads of butter, and absolute chewiness in the center, with all the right spices to make your mouth warm up but not fire up, and yet, it's low calorie and made with applesauce and little butter?

I call that Victory.


Chocolate Spice Cookies
Adapted from a recipe by Nick Malgieri in Perfect Light Desserts
Makes about 36 cookies

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into your measuring cup
1/3 cup alkalized (Dutch-process) cocoa powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup molasses

Prepare the oven racks by placing one of them in the upper third and one in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and set aside.

In another bowl, beat together the butter and sugar. Since the butter is melted, it is easy to do this by hand rather than with an electric mixer. A large wooden spoon or rubber spatula should do the trick. Beat in the applesauce and molasses.

Add in the dry ingredients and stir until you form a soft dough.

On two cookie sheets or jelly roll pans lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats, drop tablespoons of dough, spacing them out about an inch apart. You can also use an ice cream scoop to make evenly sized dough balls.

Bake for 10 minutes. Halfway through baking, swap the two cookie sheet locations and turn them from front to back. Don't overbake the cookies. If they look a little undone and moist, that's a good thing. Take them out! If they look a little undone they will turn out perfectly chewy as they set!

Leave the cookies on the sheet (or slide the parchment onto a rack) to cool for a few minutes, then transfer from the paper to the rack with a flat spatula.

Store in an airtight container and layer with wax paper so they don't stick to each other.

There are only 61 calories per cookie and 2 g fat!


Step-by-Step in Pictures
In a bowl, sift the dry ingredients together. Set aside...

Beat together the melted butter and sugar...

Beat in the applesauce and molasses...

Stir in the dry ingredients...

Form a soft dough...

Drop tablespoonfuls evenly apart on the cookie sheets...

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes. Don't overbake!

Yum!

Black & White Brownies, Because Chocolate Comes in Many Shades

I've never been a huge fan of white chocolate. I don't hate it. I don't even dislike it. It's just not something I'd choose over dark or milk chocolate. Oooh dark. Drool drool drool. But the point is, I don't advocate on white chocolate's behalf.

This Black & White Brownie by King Arthur Flour just rocked my world so much that I'm willing to give white chocolate another chance to be on the Hot List. Give the recipe a try and see if you understand what I mean. Or maybe you were already a white chocolate fan and it's a no-brainer that you'd like this brownie and I'm preaching to the choir? But if you were like me, unimpressed, bored even, by the thought of white chocolate desserts, then view this as a very unique opportunity to grow your palate.


Besides the delicious taste and texture of these brownies, they are fun and whimsical looking because of the scattered dark chocolate pieces that bake on the top of the white batter. I recommend using large, geometric chocolate chunks, such as round wafers (Trader Joe's now sells these!) or square blocks.

Sorry I don't have step-by-step pictures of this brownie. But save the jawdrops and appalledness for someone else (with tougher skin). I'm not perfect (Doh! The cat's out of the bag!)! I didn't have my camera out during the making of this brownie and I'm pretty sad about it. I'm kicking myself enough already for the both of us. But come on, I know you can do it! You don't need photo instructions. There are very few ingredients, all basic, and no fancy technique to learn and apply. I believe in you!


Black & White Brownies
Adapted from a recipe from King Arthur Flour
Makes 16 brownies

1 cup (6 ounces) chopped white chocolate
1/4 cup (2 ounces, 1/2 stick) butter
3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups (5 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (6 ounces) bittersweet chunks or chopped chocolate, divided

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch square pan.

In the microwave, heat together the white chocolate, butter, and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Only heat for 30 seconds at a time because you don't want to burn the chocolate (and white chocolate has a tendency to burn easily). You can also do this over a double boiler, but I often find the microwave does the trick, and it's a lot easier!

Remove the bowl from the microwave when the butter is melted and the white chocolate has softened. Then stir in the vanilla, nutmeg, and salt. Wait till the mixture has cooled down to lukewarm, then add the two eggs and beat to incorporate.

In a small separate bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder. Add these dry ingredients to the egg/chocolate mixture. Stir in 3/4 cup of the chocolate chunks. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and scatter the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chunks over the top.

Bake the brownies for 20-25 minutes, until light golden brown and the edges pull away ever so slightly from the pan. Remove from the oven, place the pan on a cooling rack, and allow to cool completely before cutting.