The Artful Baker #AbramsDinnerParty

If you're looking for a large baking book that will have you in awe of the stunning food photography, The Artful Bakerby Cenk Sönmezsoy is a treat for the eyes, with recipes you'll want to make.

By the way, I got this book for participating in the Abrams Dinner Party - they're sending me their complete library of new cookbooks for this season.

From the symmetrical fig, thyme and bleu cheese galette, to the chocolate and salted caramel tart on a very whimsical plate, to the messily attractive raspberry jewel pluot galette, to the blanche that looks like a painting, every photo is a gem.

A lot of cookbooks that have pretty pictures are filled with recipes that require difficult ingredients, but this one keeps the list reasonable. Or you'll be able to find substitutes. Like those raspberry jewel pluots. If you can't find exactly that variety, it's a good bet you'll be able to find another variety that will work just as well.

After wandering back and forth through this book several times, I think the most difficult ingredient would be the fresh chestnuts, but most recipes use ingredients that I could easily pick up at the local grocery store. Well, easily as long as the fruits are in season.

But hey, chocolate is always in season, so if you can't find the right apples or the perfect berries, you can just wander back to the chocolate chapter and swoon there for a while.

Recipes range from classic brownies and pound cake to more fancy creations like pistachio, quince, and kaymak macarons. If that kaymak sounds foreign, it is. It's a Turkish clotted cream, but the recipe notes that you can substitute mascarpone. See how easy that is?

This book isn't all desserts, by the way. There are breads as well.

And there are desserts that aren't baked, like the ice creams and other frozen treats. And there are drinks, candies, jams, and jellies as well.

This is a big book, with a lot to look at, a lot to ogle, and a lot to make. It would be a lovely gift for anyone you know who likes to bake, or a great addition to your own wish list. This one is definitely a keeper. Yup.

Big Gay Ice Cream

I heard a lot about The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck when it was cruising the streets of New York, but since I'm really really far away from New York, I didn't pay attention to the fact that they opened two storefronts in New York and one in Philadelphia.

What I didn't miss, though, was that they had a cookbook coming out. No surprise, it's called Big Gay Ice Cream.

I like ice cream. I made a lot of ice cream during warm weather. Although I'm comfortable with creating my own ice cream flavors, I also like to try recipes that other people have created. So of course I was eager to get my paws on the book.

The first thing you need to know about this book is no, you didn't get a used copy of the book that people wrote in. That's part of the book design.

Second is that this book isn't all about making different flavors of ice cream. In fact, at the beginning of the book they note that it's perfectly fine to buy vanilla ice cream and dress it up with toppings. The book starts with information about the history of the business, and tidbits about ingredients, tools, flavor combinations, and more. 

The second chapter is about toppings and sauces, the third is how to assemble sundaes, floats, and shakes. And then come the ice cream recipes. The very first ice cream recipe (after the sorbets in the beginning) shows how non-snobby they are about ice cream - it's a cheater recipe for making a fake-out soft-serve ice cream using store-bought vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.

Then come the ice cream recipes. There are the usual chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry, but also some more creative ones.

I originally thought I would be making ice cream from the book, the toppings caught my eye. I already made the Whisky Walnuts and the Magical Shell. When those are gone, the Bourbon Butterscotch is next on the list.

Meanwhile, I'll need to buy some bananas so I can let one get a little brown so I can make the Dirty Banana ice cream. It sounds pretty darned amazing. And then maybe the milk chocolate. Just because I can never have too many chocolate ice cream recips.

I like the book but I think it's worth noting that if you're looking for a book that's mostly ice cream recipes, this isn't it. If you're looking for a fun book that will inspire you have fun with ice cream, this one's just right for you.

I'm sure I'll be making that magical shell often. If you're not familiar, there's a commercial product with a similar name, and this acts the same way - it's a chocolate sauce that turns hard when it comes in contact with cold ice cream. the great thing is that this one doesn't use any weird ingredients.

There will be an adapted recipe from the book on Cookistry soon - probably the magical shell. You really need to make it!

I received this book from Blogging for Books at no cost to me.

Fika

The one word that comes to mind every time I browse through the cookbook Fika by Anna Brones and Johanna Kindvall is "charming." Unlike many current books that have gorgeous photos, this one has drawings.

While I usually love photos in books, I thought that the drawings in this book were sufficient, and it also allowed for a simple way to diagram some of the processes used for some of the recipes.

Oh, and if you're wondering what the heck Fika means - it's a traditional Swedish twice-daily coffee break. While the book talks a bit about actual coffee (what kind of cup do YOU use?) it's really more about the foods that you serve with coffee - cookies, pastries, breads, cakes, sweets ... and more.

Most of the recipes require ingredients that should be easy to find - or that are probably already in your pantry - like flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. One of the most challenging items might be the raw hazelnuts, since toasted and roasted seem more common. But even those shouldn't be hard to hunt down.

Well, okay, maybe elderflowers might be harder to find. I have a feeling that's either something that grows like crazy where you are, or it's nowhere. But that's just one recipe, so it's not a dealbreaker if you can't find the flowers.

Recipe titles in the book include the Swedish names as well as American translations. I was particularly smitten with Kinuskikaka, a caramel cake that with almonds. I want to make it, just so I can attempt to say it. On the other hand, the cake recipe looks really good, so that's also a reason it's on the to-do list.

By the way, a lot of the recipes include nuts. Which is perfectly fine with me. And so far I found one recipe that uses nuts instead of flour, making the cake gluten-free.

Besides the drawings making this book quirky, the order of the recipes is also a little ... odd. It makes sense to the authors, I'm sure, but from a cooking point of view, I found it a little ... odd. There's a description of why the recipes are in the sections - some are iconic, some are more modern, some are good for traveling, and others are good for a celebration. But that didn't stop me from wishing that the cookies were in one chapter, cakes were in another, and so on.

Again, it's not a dealbreaker, just an oddity. If I really wanted to see just cookies, they're listed in the index. But from a browsing perspective, the flow didn't make as much sense to me as other books I've browsed.

As usual, I'm working my way through some recipes so I can share one with you on Cookistry later. I'm pretty sure you'll love it.

Cookie Love

I have several cookbooks that are all about cookies, but that didn't stop me from wanting Cookie Love by Mindy Segal

There are so many cookies in the known universe. from the classics, to ethnic cookies we might not be familiar with, to new and innovative creations. So many cookies waiting to be made.

So when I see a new cookie book, I'm always curious if there will be something new, or an interesting twist on a classic cookie that I haven't seen before.

When I browsed through Cookie Love, the first cookies that caught my eye were the Brownie Krinkles. They look a lot like a cookie that I've know for many years - but the recipe isn't the same. These are a more grown-up and modern version- more fudgy and less sweet.

Ginger Sorghum Cookies are interesting. I've never worked with sorghum before, but Segal described it as being "lighter than molasses, with a more rounded sweetness." I like the sound of that, so I'll be looking for sorghum when I'm shopping.

S Cookies are on my shortlist to try next. Segal says her grandmother used to make a similar cookie, but this dough is different. At the same time, she says it echoes the simplicity of the cookies she grew up with.

There's a huge range of cookies including twice-baked cookies like biscotti, bar cookies, drop cookies, and spritz cookies. There are even some sauces. And there's even a recipe for dog cookies for your four-footed friends.

Photo style is of the messy variety, with crumbs, spills, splotches and smears. I was a little surprised at the photos of the Cocoa Nib Hot Fudge Rugelach and the Cinnamon Brickle Rugelach, since those photos show cookies on their cookie sheets with the filling oozing out of the cookies - but that's what they're supposed to do.

Good to know, because I wouldn't expect quite that much oozing, and if that happened in my oven, I'd probably think I did something wrong. But now I know it's perfectly fine.

I'm looking forward to making more cookies from this book - and as usual, you'll probably see a recipe later on Cookistry.

The Perfect Scoop

I have a lot of cookbooks. Obviously. 

But there are some cookbooks that I turn to over and over again. Sometimes it's to check a cooking time, or to check an ingredient ratio.

And then there are some books that I turn to because they have recipes that I love, and I make them over and over.

When it's ice cream season, The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz is one of those books that I use regularly. I certainly haven't made every recipe in this book, but I've made quite a few of them.

You can tell which ones are my favorites. The book opens automatically to the Chocolate Ice Cream that includes both cocoa powder and melted chocolate. It's rich and it's creamy and it's just about perfect.

Recipes also include "perfect pairings" which might add-ins that would work for the ice cream flavor, or they might be serving suggestions like using the ice cream to make ice cream sandwiches, or serving the ice cream with coffee poured over the top.

While my favorite recipe in the book might be the chocolate, there are plenty of others to choose from. There are less-usual ice cream flavors, like Green Pea Ice Cream or Orange-Szechwan Pepper Ice Cream. And there are also classics, like peach, strawberry, mocha sherbet, espresso granita, and pineapple sorbet.

Besides ice cream and other frozen treats, there are sauces and garnishes and even cookies (for making ice cream cookies or serving ice cream on top) and also ice cream cones. If you're an ice cream fan or if you've just gotten an ice cream maker, this book is definitely one you should have on your shelf.

The book came out in 2007 (and I've had it almost that long), but it's still being sold - so that tells you something!

For more David Lebovitz, check out his blog.