Cookbook Review: The Fearless Baker, not just for beginners

Emily Luchetti has the reputation for being one of the best pastry chefs in the country and has received the James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef.

The San Francisco Chef has published another cookbook, The Fearless Baker.  This book is aimed at beginning bakers who might even be afraid of the whole prospect of being in the kitchen, but don't be put off by that if you are more

Everything Christmas brings joy through recipes, Bible, more

It's not often I get the chance to post about anything other than desserts or food/kitchen-related things, but I found a great Christian book to help my family celebrate the season of Advent and Christmas, and since it does include lots of great recipes, that's enough excuse for me.

As its name would indicate, Everything Christmas includes a plethora of the season's best.  The book is divided

Cookbook Review: Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook

Customers wait in line for hours in the early morning New York cold to eat the sweet and savory foods at the Clinton St. Baking Company, and now thanks to their new cookbook, you can re-create their dishes in the warmth and comfort of your own home.

As the author says, "The point is, when you find a favorite joint, where the food hits the spot and you're completely at home -- your senses come

Cookbook review: The I Hate To Cook Book

Tomorrow is the last day of my giveaway of a great American classic cookbook, "The I Hate To Cook Book."  Be sure to enter the giveaway before it's too late.

Fifty years ago, Peg Bracken wrote this famous cookbook which at the time sold more than 3 million copies.  Some of its recipes are so rooted in our culture that you probably wouldn't even realize they had originated in this cookbook until

Chef Eguaras shares 101 things he learned in culinary school

Chef Louis Eguaras has written a little book full of great culinary insights.  "101 Things I Learned in Culinary School" may be small in size, but it concisely packs a lot of knowledge.  The novice, as well as the more experienced home cook will find items of interest, and there are plenty of insights aimed at those wishing to work in a professional kitchen, too.

The book becomes available in

Alsace, Burgundy, Cotes du Rhone, Languedoc -- Featured in Corked; Enter this GIVEAWAY

Wine country in Alsace, France (Flickr/valdaqua)I haven't posted about France or French desserts in a while, but I know that many of my regular readers love it when I do, and so do the search engine visitors, so this post is for all of you. I want to make sure you don't miss out on my giveaway, because it's a book about traveling in France and discovering its wine country (dessert wines! or

Rose's Heavenly Cakes a slice of perfection

This is a great book.For every baker from the newbie to the professional, and every single one of us in between, Rose's Heavenly Cakes is a must-have.Rose Levy Beranbaum, the award-winning author of the Cake Bible and eight other books, has poured a lifetime's experience of baking, experimenting and testing into this lavishly illustrated edition."My goal in writing this second cake book is to

Add to Christmas gift list: Chocolate, A Love Story

Chocolate, A Love Story: 65 Chocolate dessert recipes from Max Brenner's Private Collection is the latest toy to consummate your love affair.There's even a 66th bonus recipe, and don't expect this cookbook to follow trends with visual "food porn" or other cookbook conventions.Brenner has taken the lead. He shuns food styling and photography for original work by his friend, Israeli artist Yonatan

MIX SHAKE STIR Review and Giveaway

Alcohol is a great ingredient for desserts and for cooking.With "MIX, SHAKE, STIR, Cocktails for the Home Bar," you'll be able to expertly add alcohol to your repertoire or update it for today's latest trendy cocktails.Don't miss out on the giveaway, either! Little Brown of Hachette Book Group is generously donating three books for this giveaway.Believe me, whether you don't drink much or you

The Flavor Bible Wins 2009 James Beard Award

The Flavor Bible has just won the 2009 James Beard Foundation Award in the reference and scholarship category.It happens to sit in an honored spot on my bookshelf at eye level for easy reference as I had the pleasure to review The Flavor Bible for Joy Of Desserts, before it came out last September. I turn to the Flavor Bible often.If you haven't yet read the review, or bought this book, I want

You'll Love It; Don't Lose The Chance For Spaghetti

You'll kick yourself if you miss entering the giveaway for I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti by Giulia Melucci. Tonight at midnight, Pacific Time (California time) is your last chance to enter the giveaway.This may be Melucci's first book, but having spent her entire career in the publishing field and having insightful conversations and relationships with famous authors, she knows how to make us

Meet Author Giulia Melucci : She's Feeding Us!

She loved, she lost, she made spaghetti for us!Giulia Melucci's loss in love is our gain in the discovery of a new writer and great home cook who is willing to candidly share her life and recipes with her readers. She has invited us into her New York apartment and believe me, once you meet her and eat her food, you'll want a second helping, so be sure to enter the giveaway to get your very own

Giveaway: I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti

I have another great giveaway for you!!Hachette Book Group is again generously giving 5 copies of their latest food-related release to my readers (due out April 8th.). It's part autobiography, part cookbook. The deadline for the giveaway is April 30, 2009 so you have a full month to enter, and to tell everybody about this great new book and giveaway. Here's what the publisher is saying about

Picture Yourself Cooking With Your Kids!

Get ready to make some culinary memories with your children or grandchildren. "Picture Yourself Cooking with Your Kids" is just the cookbook to help you and your children create deliciously healthy meals.Beth Sheresh of Kitchen Mage has taken her writing beyond her blog to her own cookbook published through Course Technology Cengage Learning.I know many of us bloggers dream of getting our books

I Like You: Hospitality Under The Influence REVIEW

The New York Times Bestseller "I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence" by Amy Sedaris is coming out in paperback tomorrow.Although it is classified as a cookbook, it is a cookbook like you have never seen or read before, under the influence of Sedaris' unique sense of humor! It is not for the prude or anyone lacking a healthy sense of humor. It includes how-tos, crafts, female hygiene,

The Flavor Bible Giveaway From Hachette

GIVEAWAY!! GIVEAWAY!!Five lucky winners!Hachette USA is generously and graciously giving away 5 copies of The Flavor Bible to Joy of Desserts readers. Tell your friends! Click the link for my review of The Flavor Bible.Just leave a comment and you are entered! Only one comment per blog. If you do not have a blog, be sure to leave an e-mail.If you post about this giveaway with a link back here,

The Flavor Bible Ignites Culinary Passion, Creativity

Don't let the cover of this book fool you. It is not just about a few spices and flavorings. This meticulously crafted and photographed encyclopedic tome is for the serious cook, the culinary scholar, the passionate gourmet, the food historian.It is for those looking to take their cooking and eating to a level beyond ordinary.This luxurious, hardcover book deserves an honored place on the

Food and Feasting in Art From The Getty Museum

There's a scrumptious new book out for those of us who like to feast with our eyes.The J. Paul Getty Museum's "Food and Feasting in Art" by Silvia Malguzzi is a beautiful, glossy book. If, like me, you have a passion for art, you will love it, and you might actually hunger for more.Even with 384 pages, this is a mere introductory taste at the topic of food through the centuries as presented to

The Flavor Bible Coming Soon From Hachette

UPDATE:Click on the links for:my review of The Flavor BibleGIVEAWAY -- 5 copies -- The Flavor BibleLast week, my birthday brought me luck because all on that day, I found three wonderful offers in my e-mail from publishers and food manufacturers who discovered and liked my blog. There's exciting news coming to this blog soon when we finalize the details. So be on the lookout for special

Pound Cake Dessert And A Slice Of History Too

STRAWBERRY SEASON IS HERE!!! And I'm excited to tell you about a dessert I served my family this week-end because it not only received rave reviews, but it can be made with lots of variations.I made it from scratch, but if you want to take shortcuts, it could easily be made using store-bought items. I combined a pound cake with ice cream, strawberries and a couple of rolled wafers from Europe.