The Dessert Bible: The Best of American Home Cooking - Softcover

Kimball, Christopher

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0316339199 ISBN 13: 9780316339193

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, 2015

Synopsis

A classic kitchen reference available in softcover for the first time.
Cook's Illustrated founder and editor Chris Kimball presents the best and easiest way to make more than 300 of America's favorite desserts. This essential cookbook is now available in an affordable softcover edition. Kimball reviews equipment from mixers to rolling pins and discusses which are the best ingredients--types of flour, sugar, baking chocolate, and more. He explains basic techniques like beating and folding in egg whites, working with pie dough, and folding flour into batters. The recipes include layer cakes, pies, tarts, cookies, brownies, puddings, mousses, ice cream, sorbets, fruit desserts, sauces, and frostings. In addition, Kimball offers a section on favorite restaurant desserts from around the country that can be made at home.

About this title

Review

The best part of The Dessert Bible is not the recipes--although they are wonderful--it's that Kimball, the founder and editor of Cook's Illustrated, shares his discovery process. You feel as though you are standing right next to him in his kitchen while he puzzles out the best lemon bar recipe. How do you make a bar that's zippy but not too sweet? How far should a Fallen Chocolate Cake fall? Can you substitute nondairy creamer in Crème Anglaise? (A resounding no!) Step by step, Kimball walks you through his experimentations, sharing both the triumphs and the failures. Cornstarch may beautifully thicken your lemon curd but it'll taste metallic. Each recipe is fronted by several paragraphs or pages of Kimball's baking process. He tells you which ingredients he tried and what happened. After each recipe are variations and a section called "What Can Go Wrong?" that points out common mistakes and misconceptions. The Dessert Bible covers cookies; brownies and bars; cakes, frostings, and glazes; brioche and fritters; pies, tarts, and fruit desserts; soufflés, puddings, and custards; frozen desserts; and restaurant desserts to make at home. In addition, several chapters offer tips and techniques on baking, baking sheets and pans, utensils, and kitchen appliances. "If The Dessert Bible provides you with a solid knowledge of dessert making," says Kimball, "you will gain the confidence to think for yourself in the kitchen, balancing a healthy mistrust of recipes (even mine) with enough common sense to rely on your own experience." --Dana Van Nest

About the Author

Christopher Kimball serves as the publisher and editor of the magazines Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country. He also hosts the public television cooking shows America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Country from America's Test Kitchen. Kimball is a regular contributor to The CBS Early Show and has been featured in many publications, including The New Yorker, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and People.

About this edition

• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0316339199
• ISBN 13: 9780316339193
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 416