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A World of Baking
Compiles recipes for a wide variety of cakes, cookies, pies, pastries, and breads for every occasion
- GenresCookbooks
Paperback
First published December 28, 1968
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 10, 2013
I picked up my copy [a 1974 paperback edition] at a garage sale or second-hand-store about ten years ago, at least... I'd leafed through it before... Maybe gotten a fruit pie inspiration from it, once, awhile back... But yesterday morning I pulled it off the shelf in earnest.
I had offered to bring dessert to supper at a neighbor couple's house. My husband and I were just getting to know them. I had figured on throwing together one of my winter-standard apple pies, or maybe poaching some pears to serve with a nice cheese. Then I learned that there would be eight of us. I love cooking for a crowd anyway, but the challenge of cooking for complete strangers always brings out the adventurer in me: a chance to try something completely new and be surprised at what happens.
I opened the fridge to inspect: a half dozen fresh lemons, plenty of large brown eggs and... drum roll... a quart of buttermilk. Looking up that key ingredient in Casella's index landed two good candidates for a day of adventurous baking: "Buttermilk Pound Cake" and "Golden Buttermilk Custard Pie." Why spend the morning to make ONE delicious dessert, when you can make TWO win just a few extra steps?
[Before I go on, I should confess, I also kept my 1982 copy of The Silver Palate open to the page describing THEIR cookbook's approach to "Glazed Lemon Cake," which inspired me to multiply the lemon zest about ten fold and boost the butter-quotient of my glaze.]
Back to this review: what I love so much about Casella's volume is the historical and technique-laden introduction which precedes each section. Knowing how "colonial cooks" once created great bakery with far fewer measurements and directions [and sometimes, none at all!] gives a baker confidence; advice on when to pre-whisk or how long to beat, always enhances the final outcome. Suffice to say, the cake I took to dinner last night was eaten down to the last crumb, diners pressing fingertips onto their plates to snap up the last bits of walnut [another hint from the colonial history intro - I wouldn't have thought to "line the buttered baking pan with finely ground nutmeats" otherwise]. That said, I have another confession to make:
Reading Casella's notes about the Golden Buttermilk Custard PIE had reminded me that, sometime in the not too distant past, I had saved a Real Simple online recipe with a similar approach. Well... the online version was a little bit richer and featured a jam glaze that added a little extra pizazz -- so -- I actually used that -- BUT -- I wouldn't have done it at all if it weren't for Casella's fine book.
A treasure that any baker will enjoy.
I had offered to bring dessert to supper at a neighbor couple's house. My husband and I were just getting to know them. I had figured on throwing together one of my winter-standard apple pies, or maybe poaching some pears to serve with a nice cheese. Then I learned that there would be eight of us. I love cooking for a crowd anyway, but the challenge of cooking for complete strangers always brings out the adventurer in me: a chance to try something completely new and be surprised at what happens.
I opened the fridge to inspect: a half dozen fresh lemons, plenty of large brown eggs and... drum roll... a quart of buttermilk. Looking up that key ingredient in Casella's index landed two good candidates for a day of adventurous baking: "Buttermilk Pound Cake" and "Golden Buttermilk Custard Pie." Why spend the morning to make ONE delicious dessert, when you can make TWO win just a few extra steps?
[Before I go on, I should confess, I also kept my 1982 copy of The Silver Palate open to the page describing THEIR cookbook's approach to "Glazed Lemon Cake," which inspired me to multiply the lemon zest about ten fold and boost the butter-quotient of my glaze.]
Back to this review: what I love so much about Casella's volume is the historical and technique-laden introduction which precedes each section. Knowing how "colonial cooks" once created great bakery with far fewer measurements and directions [and sometimes, none at all!] gives a baker confidence; advice on when to pre-whisk or how long to beat, always enhances the final outcome. Suffice to say, the cake I took to dinner last night was eaten down to the last crumb, diners pressing fingertips onto their plates to snap up the last bits of walnut [another hint from the colonial history intro - I wouldn't have thought to "line the buttered baking pan with finely ground nutmeats" otherwise]. That said, I have another confession to make:
Reading Casella's notes about the Golden Buttermilk Custard PIE had reminded me that, sometime in the not too distant past, I had saved a Real Simple online recipe with a similar approach. Well... the online version was a little bit richer and featured a jam glaze that added a little extra pizazz -- so -- I actually used that -- BUT -- I wouldn't have done it at all if it weren't for Casella's fine book.
A treasure that any baker will enjoy.
September 12, 2010
I picked this in hardcover at sale last month for $2. If you are ever lucky enough to come across a copy don't hesitate to get it. Every recipe I have tried so far has gotten rave reviews! Go to http://www.crumbsoflove.wordpress.com to see more...
June 1, 2011
This is a classic, one of my favorites that I love on my shelf and baking from. Amazing, so many times amazing.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews