Tartine

>>> BlackFriday Tartine

Updates August '08: Just wanted to reiterate how successful these recipes are. Since my first review I've baked several more cakes a couple of tarts and the brioche (of 3 versions I've tried by far my favorite better than the version in Baking with Julia). This book has a large section of bavarian style cakes and I credit the authors for this becoming my very favorite type of cake. I've tried the passion fruit-lime cake and also the strawberry bavarian and they came out so delicious light ethereal even. The lemon curd recipe is also delicious. This is my go-to baking book now especially for cakes. The recipes really highlight quality fresh ingredients and they're never overly sweet or fussy. In addition to the weddings cakes (mentioned below) I've brought Tartine cakes to friends family and the office and--assuming they are being honest--everyone says they are among the best they've had. I believe them because I agree and I give full credit to the authors for that.



One note however is that the basic cake recipes produce more batter than needed to fill the pan. For me this usually means a 6-inch cake for the freezer which is a treat.



Usually I try not to review any book until I've cooked at least 3 recipes from it (which is often 3 more recipes than some of the highly-ranked cookbook reviewers around here try). Technically I've only prepared 2 from this book: croissants and tres leches cake. However that cake involved the recipe for a coconut chiffon cake caramel and vanilla pastry cream in addition to the syrup and cream for assembling the final cake. That coupled with the intricate nature of the croissant recipe gives me enough evidence to say that this is an excellent baking book a great addition to any baker's collection.



I've tried croissants before struggled with the technique and failed to approximate the taste of a good buttery proper croissant. I followed the detailed instructions here exactly and I got exactly what I want. My French husband approved and my mom and sister and I ate them up far too quickly. The dough wasn't easy but it made a true croissant. I especially like Tartine's extra touch of baking them a little darker than most other recipes.



As for the tres leches cake I'll say nothing as to its authenticity since I wouldn't really know. As far as the recipe though it's utterly manageable: instructions and measurements are accurate and clear. The results: absolutely delicious maybe the best non-chocolate cake I've made. The coconut chiffon is moist and tender and the coconut syrup caramel and vanilla pastry cream make it so moist flavorful and satisfying. Another touch I liked was the small touch of lemon juice in the caramel. I haven't made it before but I don't recall this as a standard addition in recipes I've seen. But it was definitely worth eating with a spoon. Probably a dozen or more people sampled this cake over the weekend and they all loved it.



I look forward to trying the devil's food cake and the brioche and I'm confident that they'll turn out as well as what I've made so far.



Added later:

I also tried the devil's food cake recipe (Which includes recipes for the cake caramel ganache). It was a bit involved but the directions were again very clear and spot on: I knew what to look for and even my first try came out great. I ended up making about 4 batches of the recipe and using it for my brother's grooms cake. Had raves from dozens of people.



Also ended up using the tres leches chiffon cake for part of the brides cake which also got tons of great feedback.



I look forward to working through this book even further.

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All-Clad Stainless 7-Quart Stockpot with Pasta Insert

>>> BlackFriday All-Clad Stainless 7-Quart Stockpot with Pasta Insert

Product Features

• 7-quart stockpot with pasta/colander insert


• Three-ply: stainless-steel layers sandwich pure aluminum core for even heating


• Comfortable lid and stay-cool pot and colander handles riveted for strength


• Dishwasher safe but hand washing recommended


• Lifetime warranty against defects

My family gave me this set for Mothers Day. I really love it. The heating is very even in this pan. I never need to use heat over med to cook. I can cook 1 1/2 pounds of pasta. The insert holes are too small for pasta to pass through. When lifting pasta out you have to do so slowly to allow the water to drain into the pan. I then leave the insert at an angle to serve from the pot this keeps the pasta warm. I was able to cook 6-8 ears of corn-on-the-cob by standing the ears on end. I can cook large quantities of vegetables and drain to serve without effort. The stockpot is great. It is deep enough to make jams without the jam splashing out of the pan onto the stove like my other stockpot. The set is too big to fit in the dishwasher with the dishes from the meal but it does fit. I am able to clean it easily after cooking even cooked jam without much effort at all. This set is a very practical addition to my kitchen.

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The Mozza Cookbook: Recipes from Los Angeles's Favorite Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria

>>> BlackFriday The Mozza Cookbook: Recipes from Los Angeles's Favorite Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria

I'm extremely impressed with the book. First I live in LA and am a huge fan of both Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza so I already know I like most of the recipes. Second I appreciate the fact that these recipes are truly different (sometimes in subtle ways) than the 'standard' versions of the dishes presented. Example: the meatballs. Mozza has wonderful meatballs and you could spend a lot of time trying to figure out what is special about them. It turns out that the answer is quite simple: they contain no beef but they do contain ground pancetta so the meats are veal pork and pancetta. This may not sound like a big difference but I strongly recommend trying the recipe and promise that you will have a hard time going back to regular meatballs. Third I like the intellectual honesty of the book. Example: the Torta Della Nonna contains three cheeses Philadelphia Cream Cheese Coach Farms Goat Cheese and mascarpone. This is a very non-traditional combination but most important it is exactly the kind of thing done in a restaurant kitchen (ie combining commodity cheese like Philadelphia with high end Goat Cheese) that most of the time no one would admit to in a book. How many times have I bought a restaurant cookbook where it is glaringly obvious the recipes bear no resemblance to what is actually done in the restaurant? Not so with this one. The exceptions where they exist are well specified. Fourth these are simple recipes that pretty much anyone with a moderate level of cooking experience could make (possibly with some artistic license for example not making the pasta by hand as it's recommended) but ones that have enough twists and changes in them that an experienced chef is sure to learn some exciting new flavor combinations. Fifth the details behind each recipe are there for people who want them. Example: one of my favorite Osteria Mozza dishes is the orecchiette with rapini and fennel sausage. Most books would just call for 'fennel sausage' in the ingredients when in fact the specific fennel sausage is really key to the dish (and it's an excellent one). In this book the actual fennel sausage recipe is there -- of course it's up to you whether or not you want to go to the trouble of making it. Bottom line - I have a huge cookbook collection. While I enjoy thumbing through most of them this is one of the few that I will actually make a lot of stuff from on a regular basis. Highly recommended especially for those who can't drive a few miles to eat at the restaurants in person.

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