Holiday Baking (Williams Sonoma Kitchen Library)

With an international collection of kitchen-tested recipes from noted food authority Jeanne Thiel Kelley - each one shown in a full-color photograph - this beautiful, practical book offers a wealth of information and inspiration, even for cooks who have never baked before. All the basics are covered - from equipment to making cakes and breads, from working with chocolate and egg whites to decorating. And an illustrated glossary provides a quick, convenient reference for essential terms.

This addition to the Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library series is organized by type of baked good, in such chapters as "Cakes & Pastries" and "Cookies." While this arrangement may frustrate the search for a holiday-specific treat, recipes for unusual dishes compensate. Included are a Twelfth Night Jam Tart, Coconut-Almond Macaroons for Passover, Cherries and Cream Sweetheart Scones, Eggnog Tart and Golden Panettone with pine nuts and yellow raisins. Along with the de rigueur Holiday Cutout Cookies are fitting finales for a Fourth of July picnic (Summer Berry Pie), a Thanksgiving feast (Pecan-Cranberry Pie) and Halloween goodies (Devil's Food Cupcakes). The opening chapter advises on kitchen equipment and basics, although novices might wish for even more direction. Purists may wonder if fruitcake without the "old-fashioned" candied fruit is progress or whether a basic pie crust ought to call for lemon juice, but there's plenty of inspiration here nonetheless.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.