Adele loves pecan pie. I’ve been looking for a good recipe and have thus far failed. I came across a new book by The Culinary Institute of America called Baking & Pastry: Mastering the Art and Craft. It’s another text book similar to the Gisslen book I refer to often. Overall, though, I prefer Gisslen’s book. Baking &...
There are lots of sites out there with yogurt recipes. Here’s the one I ended up using: At least 1 litre milk (I use whole) 1–2 tbsp sugar per litre of milk 1/4 cup powdered milk per litre of milk 2–3 tbsp starter per litre of milk (optional) 1 tbsp vanilla per litre of milk Heat milk in a double boiler or in a bowl...
It has been a while since I’ve posted. I’ve had a couple people ask for my most recent recipes. Here they are. All recipes are adapted from Gisslen’s book Professional Baking . No photos, I’m afraid! 100% Whole Wheat Bread This is the most moist and delicious whole wheat bread I’ve ever tasted. It makes enough for two...
Rating: 4.5/5 Brian Sanderson, Warbreaker (New York: Tor, 2009), 592 p. This book reminded me of why I love (and, yes, in some ways hate) single-volume novels. They’re great in that they completely sidestep the “soap opera” problem so prevalent with massive series such as Wheel of Time and Game of Thrones. The author...
I made soft pretzels and pita bread today. The pretzels don’t quite taste like pretzels I’ve had in the past, but they were still delicious. The pita bread turned out really well for a first try. The pockets formed beautifully. I did half directly on the baking stone and half on a dry baking sheet. They both worked out...
Rating: 2/5 David Skinner, The Story of Ain’t: America, Its Language, and the Most Controversial Dictionary Ever Published (New York: Harper, 2012). It’s books like this that make me question my sanity. I read the jacket and promotional copy, I read the reviews, and I have to start to wonder if it’s just me. This book...
Original recipe: http://gracessweetlife.com/2012/10/chocolate-pumpkin-cake-and-cupcakes-with-vanilla-bean-swiss-meringue-buttercream/ I had a bunch of pumpkin left over from the pumpkin cheesecake I made , and the person in the office that loves pumpkin ended up not loving cheesecake, so I had to make something else....
Original recipe: http://www.womansday.com/recipefinder/swirled-pumpkin-cheesecake-recipe-122759 I’m running a little behind on my blog postings. I baked this cake back on my birthday along with a neapolitan mousse cake and an angel food cake . There are a half-dozen people in our group who also have birthdays in May,...
Rating: 4/5 David Wong, This Book is Full of Spiders: Seriously, Dude, Don’t Touch It (New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2012). This book is a sequel to the excellent John Dies at the End by the same author. Go read that review first . Essentially the same comments apply. These books are a cross between Lovecraftian “weird...
Rating: 3/5 Ian Hamilton, The Disciple of Las Vegas (Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2011). This is the second book in Hamilton’s Ava Lee series of novels. As you may recall, I wasn’t a big fan of the first book . I liked this book a little better. Ava Lee is a forensic accountant who works with “Uncle” in retrieving...