On my shelf - Laduree: The Sweet Recipes

Laudree: The Sweet Recipes * is the best cookbook I purchased last year.

Yup I'm in Laudree love and have been since it arrived, each recipe I have tried has turned out deliciously perfect, allowing me to recreate that just visited a patiserrie feeling at home.

OK I admit some of the recipes involve many steps - this is not a book dedicated to one bowl baking. But if you follow the instructions the end result is completely achievable and you can rest assured you will have a sweet worth the time and effort.

Although in saying that there are a few simple recipes which can be undertaken in less than an hour.

The book includes sections for macarons, large cakes, tarts, tea cakes, confections, drinks, pastries and more.

Laduree at Amazon

Look at these pretty little puffs I made for my daughter's birthday party. They were totally amazing, and the chocolate version were fabulous as well.

(ummmm the fondant topping is a little rough due to my fault not the recipe - I was rushed as guests were arriving and I did not melt it enough)

A couple of the recipes do call for specialist ingredients for example, pouring/dipping fondant which is different than ready rolled fondant. But in these days of easy internet online ordering you should be able to locate any item will little fuss.

Link to Sucre at Fishpond (free shipping to Australia and NZ)

 

Laduree: Sucre: The Recipes 

The actual book is a little smaller than regular, has a velvety cover with gilt edge pages and it comes in a pretty little box. It is such a treasure I have managed to keep it looking quite good to date despite the fact that it has been used unlike many of the books that lanquish on my shelves. Plus each recipe has a lovely little full page picture showing the finished treat.

Recipe measurements are in both metric and imperial :)


Oh and make sure you get the English version, unless of course you are looking for the original. 

* I purchased Laduree Sucre myself and did not receive it in exchange for a review. I just like to share what works for me.


If you are looking for other cookbook favorites of mine I also recommend the following books which are well suited to the home baker. I have tried many of the recipes with consistently good results :

The Whimsical Bakehouse

The Whimsical Bakehouse: Fun-To-Make Cakes That Taste as Good as They Look!

More from Magnolia (which contains the recipe for Magnolia's famous vanilla cupcakes)

 

More from Magnolia: Recipes from the World Famous Bakery and Allysa Torey's Home Kitchen

 
Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores:

Or here at fishpond (Aus/NZ)

Sweets on a Stick also available at the Bleeding Heart Brisbane: contact details info@bleedingheart.com.au

Daniel Herbert's Best Ever Baking Recipes

OK - I love baking.

I love decorating as well, but what good is a pretty looking cake if the taste lets you down.

So it makes sense that I love baking cook books. Y'know the type that promises to deliver simple yet delicious tried and tested recipes, some of them handed down through the generations.

When I received David Herbert's Best-Ever Baking Recipes, which by the way has a super temptingly looking chocolate cake on the cover, I looked forward to flicking through the pages to see if there was anything I would like to try.

and I wasn't disappointed. With over 200 recipes included and chapters on Butter Cakes and Sponges, Cakes with Baked-on Toppings, Chocolate Cakes and Brownies, Slices, Biscuits and Cookies and Tarts and Cheesecakes to name a few the book ended up with quite a few post it notes stuck out the side ear marked for future baking endeavors.

I'm thinking for starters in might be the Raspberry and Coconut Macaroon Cake, with a baked topping based on the old fashioned coconut macaroons that I loved as a child. Or perhaps the Orange and Chocolate Chip Pound Cake or maybe the All in One Coffee and Walnut Cake, and that's without even getting past the first couple of chapters.Oh and I must mention I noticed quite a few gluten free options as well.

There are lots of colour pictures with a kind of retro feel and a relaxed styling approach that makes the end product look within the reach of regular home bakers everywhere.

David Herbert's Best-Ever Baking Recipes is available now at most book stores, it is published by Penguin Australia.



I received a copy of Best Ever Baking Recipes for the purpose of this review

Celebrate with Food and Wine by Victoria Heywood book review and Frozen Anzac Caramel Cream recipe

Great recipes for a year of feasting and festivities. Well with an opening line like that this is sure to be a book that I will enjoy.

Broken into types of celebrations and festivities rather than the normal formula this is a book created to get you whipping up a feast of great food and enjoying it with family and friends. With chapter headings that include Australia Day, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mothers’ and Fathers’ Days, Halloween, Birthdays, Anniversaries and Christmas and each of those chapters including more than 10 dishes you can be assured you will have enough recipe ammunition to take the stress out of planning and put the fun back into entertaining.

Heywood writes in the introduction, “One notable Christmas dinner I remember involved a very large goose, a disorganised hostess who was still in her pyjamas when we arrived at the designated time and a five-hour wait for food. Five long, hungry hours—now that’s not a celebration in my book. And while some excellent wine filled a few gaps, by the time the hostess’ goose was cooked and finally served, we would have cheered the arrival of anything resembling food. So take heart, this book isn’t a collection of tricky dishes that will have you stuck sweating in the kitchen for hours while the celebration gets going without you. Instead, most of the dishes here will hopefully elicit congratulatory oohs and aahs, while also being designed to be prepared ahead of time or tossed together at the last minute.”


An added bonus is the wine recommendations by Ralph Kyte-Powell for each recipe. I don't generally drink alcohol, so having someone else who knows what they're talking about do all the hard work makes delivering the total package of a memorable meal just that little bit more achievable.

I'm not gonna lie (cause this wouldn't be a very good review then would it), when I first received the book it wasn't quite what I expected. I like glossy pages with large full colour photos on every page.

But after that initial thought wore off I remembered that more than a couple of my favorite, most often used cookbooks are nearly completely devoid of photo's.And to be clear, Celebrate with food and wine does have quite a few photo's, just not every second page. I guess what I'm trying to say is this is a book designed for real cooking not just looking.

When it get's down to it a successful cookbook is one with simple recipes made from easy to source ingredients that you can actually use, which is what Celebrate with Food and Wine appears to provide. A number of the recipes are suitable to get the kids involved and in many instances there are alternatives given which I always think is super helpful.

Any-hoo there are a number of recipes in the book I am looking forward to trying out including the Crumbed Mozzarrella with Cranberry Relish or Raspberry and White Chocolate Breakfast Jaffles (under the Valentines chapter), but seeings as it's coming up to Australia Day soon I thought I would share this recipe from the book with y'all.

Image from the book Celebrate with Food and Wine

Note: This is an Australian release book and the recipe is provided in metric measurements, I have provided the below recipe as it was provided to me. As I know a lot of you do not use metric here are some rough conversions (provided by me so any mistakes are mine not the authors) 250g = 8  3/4oz, 2 Litres is just over 4 pints, all purpose flour is required and a passable substitute for golden syrup would be dark corn syrup.

Frozen Anzac Caramel Cream - makes enough for 16 serves from Celebrate with Food and Wine by Victoria Heywood reprinted with permission from Slattery Media

With its layers of crunchy Anzac biscuit crums, gooey caramel and rich vanilla ice-cream, this dessert is both decadent and dead easy to make.

You can make it even more simple by crumbling ready-made Anzacs—simply pop about 16 biscuits into a plastic bag and smash with a rolling pin until you reach the desired consistency.

This dessert does take a while to set properly, so aim to make and freeze at least one day ahead of time.

Ingredients 

250 grams butter, melted

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons golden syrup

1 3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup dessicated coconut 

500ml quality caramel topping

2 litres quality vanilla ice-cream, softened 

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper.

Combine the butter, sugar, golden syrup, flour, oats and coconut in a bowl. Divide between the trays and press into a thin layer.

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes, then crumble while the biscuit mix is still warm. Set aside to cool completely.

Line a 20cm x 30cm high-sided dish or 2 loaf tins with non-stick baking paper. (You could even scoop the ice-cream out into a bowl and use the empty container.)

Spread half of the crumble mixture evenly over the base of the dish (or the 2 tins) and drizzle half of the caramel topping over the top. Spread the ice cream over the caramel.

Sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture over the ice-cream. Drizzle the remaining caramel topping over the crumble. Cover and freeze overnight. Cut into squares to serve.

Wine tip (by Ralph Kyte-Powell as provided in the book Celebrate with Food and Wine)

Heavenly with a luscious liqueur Muscat from Rutherglen.

I received a copy of Celebrate with Food and Wine for the purposes of this review.

........and on the topic of book review, the book blog tour for my book Sweets on a Stick is still underway, here are the

1/9/12 – Moogie and Pap blog,Review
1/10/12  Still Blonde after all these YEARS Review/Giveaway

1/11/12  Random Cravings Blog Review with recipe/Q&A

1/11/12  Katy and Kid Review/Giveaway

1/12/12 Giveaway Blogs, Review/Giveaway

1/13/12 Consumer Queen, Giveaway

1/14/12 Confessions of an Over-worked Mom Review/Giveaway

1/15/12  Mommy Pants blog Review/Giveaway

1/17/12  Mom Vs. the Boys Blog Review/Giveaway

1/19/12  Mommy’s Free Time blog Review

If you miss on those giveaways out you could always pick up a copy yourself here at Fishpond or Amazon

Country Women's Association Classics Cookbook

 

Quick and Easy Biscuit (recipe page 527)

Wow - the CWA Classics (Country Women's Association) cookbook is one heck of a cookbook. It's huge, 400 recipes huge and filled with the kind of cooking you have come to expect from an Association which although not founded on food, has certainly made it's mark and name in that arena.

I was sent this book a couple of months ago, just as I was heading off for holidays and took it along to read during the trip despite it's hefty weight and as it turns out I'm glad I did.

I was kinda expecting a baking book, filled with scones, sponges and the types of fare you might expect to find at the CWA stall at a country fair but to my surprise this book has a great mix of savory and sweet recipes.

In fact some of the main meals were so simple and good I whipped them up while we were on holidays and to my delight the kids really enjoyed each of the meals.

The introduction gives a bit of a background on the CWA which I found very interesting as I have forgotten over time the CWA provide more than tea and scones and that they work tirelessly to support rural families in so many ways. In fact the proceeds from this book are being used to fund a postgraduate nursing scholarship for a nurse working in a rural area.

The book is a collection of recipes including starters and mains through to desserts, baked goods and preserves from CWA members.  A lovely touch is that each recipe has the name and state of the contributor which I liked and in some instances a little introduction written by the contributor which I totally loved. Some of the intro's were funny, some to the point , some told where the recipe originated..... I enjoyed reading each of the introductions as much as the recipes themselves.

So far I have tried quite a few of the recipes and not one of them has failed. Honestly would you expect any less.

Quite a few of the baking pages had been tagged to try, and when I noticed that the Quick and Easy Biscuits (page 527) only required 4 ingredients all of which I had in my pantry it quickly got pushed to first place. I helped my kids measure out the ingredients and then they pretty much sifted and mixed these babies up themselves.

Easy to find ingredients, clear instructions and yummy results. Yup that's what good classic cooking is all about.

Overall I found the recipes in this book easy to follow with ingredients that in most instances you probably already have at home as kitchen staples. Some of the recipes did not have clear instructions regarding what size pan to use but I put that down to the fact that the women of the CWA are a resourceful bunch and they make do with what they have. Something I could probably learn from if my crowded kitchen cabinets are anything to go by.

The book is distributed by Penguin and is available pretty much everywhere in Australia where you find good books.

CWA Classics

Handmade Wedding - Book Giveaway and Review

I received an early copy of Handmade Wedding over Forty Gorgeous Projects to help you style your wedding your way published by Penguin Books Australia in my mailbox the other day.




Handmade Wedding is a charming book full of gorgeous colour photography that beautifully portrays the finished projects, along with a host of other inspirational pictures.

The book is a collaboration of a host of well known and well respected bloggers, stylists and talented artists and is divided into sections such as Before the Wedding, Getting Dressed, Ceremony, Table, Party and Details.

There are detailed step by step instructions on how to make all the pretty projects, including templates where required and the Party section includes a few recipes including macarons (by Macaron cookbook author Alison Thompson), truffle pops and cookies. I did notice that the macaron recipe recommended a few trial runs before the wedding, so I would say the book offers pretty sound advice as well.

I fell in love with some of the diy craft projects and the day the book arrived found myself ordering items to make the super cute cupcake toppers from the Party Section. Sooo totally in love with them! Many of the 48 projects in the book would be easily transferable to any fabulous soiree you might be hosting, and are not just wedding specific.

I had hoped to floor you all with my super crafty skills and show you all some pictures of the amazing things I had made from the book (hello cupcake toppers) but sadly my stuff is still in transit somewhere.

Anyhoo to round up I guess it says a lot that I was willing to attempt some projects, cause although I'm ok at dipping cakeballs and baking macarons I'm not the craftiest gal around and after reading the book I was pretty confident that I could attempt quite a few of the projects.

Giveaway - Win A Copy of Handmade Wedding

I have the precopy of Handmade Wedding to offer as a giveaway. Just leave a comment here by 12pm Monday the 15th of August and I will randomly choose a winner. Any comment will do, just say Hi if you like. If you would like me to contact you and let you know that you are the winner make sure you leave your email address in the comment as well, otherwise I will announce on Tuesday here and on the facebook page the name of the winner and you can have until Friday to contact me before I redraw.

Good Luck!

Oh and here is my everyblog announcement about my book, which is by the way totally not related to the book I reviewed above......In case you haven't heard I have a book coming out in December available for preorder. It's a US release and is aimed at cooking with kids specifically sweet treats on a stick and has lots of recipes for cake pops, cookie tutorials, pie pops, candy and more.

Here is the link to buy my book Sweets on A Stick by Linda and Vandermeer at Barnes and Noble :)

WINNER  update

Random Org came up with #6 so the winner is Karla

Thanks everyone who entered

Preorder my book Sweets on a Stick: 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes,candies, cookies and Pies on the Go!

Yay! Someone told me yesterday they saw my book for preorder (Thanks Miss M)on one of the big sites so I popped in to have a look and they were right.

So as though I had nothing better to do I popped into all the online book sites and guess what nearly all of them had it listed........

Here it is at Amazon



and for those in Australia and New Zealand who like to buy from Fishpond.....

Sweets on a Stick: 150 Kid-Friendly Recipes for Cakes, Candies, Cookies, and Pies on the Go!

and I also spied it over at book depository, borders and a stack of other places.

Then I spent time on the phone with my mum giggling about the little author blurb which is all true but just funny to read on Amazon about yourself.

Remember if your outside of the US this book is a US release with weights and measurements accordingly, although there is a conversion table in the back.

OK today I promise to spend my time better and get some photo's of the cutest new cake pops I made.

These are a few of my favourite things

I love cookbooks and have shelves groaning from the weight of the many I have collected over the years. Most of my cookbooks are specifically baking and decorating and like everyone I have some favorites, and if I use a recipe exactly as it has been written in a cookbook I don't copy it into the blog so I thought I would share a couple of my fav Baking books (that is books I use specifically for baking not decorating tips).

Whimsical Bakehouse: Fun-to-make Cakes That Taste as Good as They Look

My number 1 fav is The Whimsical Bakehouse - "fun to make cakes that taste as good as they look" by mother and daughter team Kaye and Liv Hansen

This is one book that actually lives up to it's promise. I admit I haven't tried every recipe in this book but the ones I have work every time and are completely delicious.



My favourite chocolate buttercake which I also use for cupcakes,



creamiest Italian Meringue Buttercream,



the chocolate chip pound cake for my son's recent birthday cake



and the golden buttercake I used for the Wizard of Oz rainbow cake.

I love every recipe I have tried. There are lots of colour pictures and detailed explanations on their decorating technique. Be warned however that this book does not use fondant decorations so if your looking for a book dedicated to that type of decorating grab something else.

The book is from the US so if you are Australian like me you'll need to do some converting, but I promise it's completely worth it. Just remember a stick of butter is 4oz or 114g, a US tablespoon is equal to 3 Australian teaspoons and buy a pyrex measuring cup and you should be pretty good to go.

Book I can't live without #2 is More from Magnolia "recipes from the World Famous Bakery and Allysa Torey's Home Kitchen"

More from Magnolia: Recipes from the World Famous Bakery and Allysa Torey's Home Kitchen

Yup these are the cupcakes famously featured in Sex and the City and they are simply delicious. Best vanilla cupcake and simple frosting * recipe ever....need I say more. (this is my own opinion and I know everyone has different tastes, please don't send me any hate mail, although if think you have a better recipe I would be happy for you to send me that).

OK I will say more, simple is the key to these recipes they are plain old fashioned baking, no fancy decorating tricks to deceive you, so the focus is on the taste. Other favourites from this book include black bottom cupcakes  and the Cream Cheese Crumb Buns which are a little fiddly but soooo soooo worth it.

Black bottom cupcake - chocolate cupcake with choc chip cheesecake baked on the top, I know......YUM, The pic above is modified with an Oreo on the bottom.

It also has a handy conversion table in the back for temperature and weights which is super handy for us Aussies. I only wish it had more pictures, I love pictures in cookbooks and this book only has a few colour pictures included.

Example of magnolia frosting.....

and here is a coffee version.......Mmmmmmm 

These books do sometimes use baking items that may not be easily found in your local grocery store, sometimes they use graham crakers or butterscotch chips etc, however you can just substitute a more easily accessible item. But all the recipes I have specified above and lots lots more that I use all the time are totally grocery store friendly.

*note when I make the frosting for the magnolia vanilla buttercream I reduce the milk to around 100m which seems to suit the Australian climate a little better.