The Art and Soul of Baking Reviewed by Apartment Therapy The Kitchn

The Art and Soul of Baking
by Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet is reviewed
by Apartment Therapy The Kitchn:

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/video/interweb-cookery-how-to-become-a-pastry-genius-in-one-short-video-063575

The Art & Soul of Baking by pastry genius Cindy Mushet is October's Cookbook Club selection over at Gourmet.com. In conjunction with the book, they also offer up a short video on how to make individual bittersweet chocolate souffles. The clip is chock full of baking tips and very, very precise instructions.

In less than 10 minutes you will learn:
* when to whisk in the flour in a béchamel sauce; indeed, you will learn exactly how to make the entire béchamel sauce
* precisely what a soft peak looks like as compared with a stiff peak (hint: it has nothing to do with the peak)
* what it means to rain (rein?) in the sugar
* why you should completely coat the inside of the souffle dish with butter
* how to fold in (the perfectly peaked) egg whites

I'm a former pastry chef (long ago and far away) and still I learned a lot from this video.
If that's not enough for you, you can continue with another short clip with several great tips like how to soften brown sugar, test your baking powder and soda and keep your scones from burning on the bottom.

Secrets of the Red Lantern Pick of the Week by Publishers Weekly

Secrets of the Red Lantern: Stories and Vietnamese Recipes from the Heart
by Pauline Nguyen
was the September 8 Web Pick of the Week
on publishersweekly.com:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6593450.html?q=red+lantern

Secrets of the Red Lantern: Stories and Vietnamese Recipes from the Heart
Pauline Nguyen, with recipes by Luke Nguyen and Mark Jensen.
Andrews McMeel, $40 (344p) ISBN 9780740777431

In this moving culinary account of her family’s immigration from their native Vietnam, restaurateur Nguyen of Sydney, Australia, begins: “In my family, food is our language…[when] we cannot speak the words “I am sorry”—we give this bittersweet soup instead.” Luckily, Nguyen is also skilled in written language; her moving, honest and painful story follows her family’s dramatic exodus from their war-ravaged homeland to the safety of Australia. There, Nguyen’s parents opened the restaurant that would give Pauline and her brother Luke the foundation for their current enterprise, The Red Lantern, one of Sydney’s most popular dining destinations. Worth the price alone is Nguyen’s masterful storytelling, including a warts-and-all look at her family and the immigrant experience. The book’s arc is entirely film-ready; indeed, color images of people, places and dishes are striking. And then there’s the recipes: more than 275 traditional Vietnamese dishes, all relatively simple to prepare (though some might require some tenacious shopping). Nguyen’s wide net catches classic comfort food like Pho Bo Tai Nam, the traditional beef noodle soup, and slow-cooked pork shoulder; fish dishes like Crispy-Skin Snapper with Ginger and Lime Fish Sauce; easy appetizers like Tom Nuong (Soy and Honey Grilled Shrimp); and exotic fare like Durian Ice Cream. Whether you buy it for the story, recipes or both, this is an essential volume for those interested in Vietnamese cooking and culture. (Sept.)

The Art & Soul of Baking Author Cindy Mushet Videos on Gourmet.com

The Art and Soul of Baking
author Cindy Mushet is on gourmet.com:

The stakes are simply higher when it comes to baking. A less-than-stellar soup or sauce can be saved at the last minute with an extra pinch of salt or some fresh herbs, but bad baked goods tend to be total disasters—a tough piecrust, a heavy cake, an unrisen yeast dough—and leave you with little to do but dump them into the trash and start again. So when a baking book in which the recipes perform as flawlessly as they do in The Art and Soul of Baking (Andrews McMeel Publishing; 454 pages; $40) comes out, we’re particularly impressed.

Lots of love and effort went into this book from the upscale kitchen store Sur La Table, which is no surprise considering its author is Chez Panisse alum and longtime California baking instructor Cindy Mushet. Her recipes, which strike just the right balance between novelty and simplicity, are each broken down into information-packed sections that are a boon to the home baker: An equipment sidebar tells you everything you’ll need up front; a “getting ahead” section enumerates which steps can be done in advance and mentions what freezes well. Ingredients are listed in traditional cup and tablespoon fashion, as well as in weight measures (for the serious baker); follow-up paragraphs offer recipe variations.

If there’s any weakness here, it’s perhaps too much emphasis on equipment: You don’t truly need a stand mixer for every recipe that calls for it, and when Mushet instructs you, in the blueberry clafoutis recipe, for example, to get out a baking sheet for the sole purpose of holding raw blueberries while you pick through them, she crosses the line into micromanagement. But even this criticism feels like hairsplitting, given such consistently wonderful recipes. A smart one for pumpkin walnut bread can be whipped up quickly using only pantry ingredients. A silky butterscotch pie is a taste of nostalgia that’s not too sweet, and a pizza crust comes together almost effortlessly. It’s the time of year when baking feels right again, and this is just the book to provide inspiration throughout the months ahead.

Selected recipes:

* Bittersweet Chocolate Soufflés with Vanilla Custard Sauce
* Butterscotch Pie
* Graham Cracker Crumb Pie Crust
* Chocolate Chip Cookies
* Pumpkin Walnut Bread

http://www.gourmet.com/search/query?keyword=the+art+and+soul+of+baking&

The Art & Soul of Baking Stared Review in Library Journal

The Art and Soul of Baking
by Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet
receives a starred review in the September 15 issue of Library Journal:


http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6593415.html?industryid=47112

 Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet (text) & Maren Caruso (photogs.). The Art & Soul of Baking. Andrews McMeel. Oct. 2008. c.464p. photogs. index. ISBN 978-0-7407-7334-1. $40. COOKERY

Mushet, a talented pastry chef, cooking teacher, and author of the excellent Desserts: Mediterranean Flavors, California Style, presents the latest book from the Sur La Table team, following Things Cooks Love. Like Malgieri's book, it covers both sweet and savory baking, but it includes far more information. Two lengthy introductory chapters cover techniques, equipment, and ingredients, and dozens of sidebars on "Tips for Success" and "What the Pros Know" offer further helpful insider advice. Recipes range from basics such as Quick Puff Pastry and Classic Sugar Cookies to unusual and appealing treats like Malted Milk Chocolate Tart; most of them include make-ahead information, and many also have variations. There are striking color photographs throughout, as well as step-by-step technique photos. Mushet's style is engaging and never intimidating. Essential.

The Art and Soul of Baking Reviewed by AP

The Art and Soul of Baking by Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet gets a glowing review in an Associated Press article by food editor J.M. Hirsh

+++

Crank up the oven, it's baking season
By J.M. HIRSCH
AP Food Editor

Cooler weather often is incentive enough to get people baking. But for those who need an extra push, the latest batch of baking cookbooks offers plenty of inspiration to get you in the mood. Here are the highlights:

_ "The Art & Soul of Baking" by Cindy Mushet and Sur la Table

If you buy just one new baking book this season, make it this one. Gorgeously illustrated and exhaustively comprehensive, "The Art & Soul of Baking" covers everything from essential equipment (after all, Sur la Table is a kitchen supplies retailer) and pantry staples to chapters on savory breads, quick breads, tarts, pies, cookies and cakes, to name just a few.

The recipes are exceedingly detailed and include do-ahead tips, notes on equipment needed, advice on storing the finished treats and suggestions for variations. Reading this is a pleasant and enticing baking education.

Mushet's recipes for Rustic Olive and Thyme Bread and Nine-grain Whole-wheat Harvest Bread were easy to follow and produced delicious, attractive loaves.

Tom Flynn Author of Bikeman Appearances

Tom Flynn, author of Bikeman: An Epic Poem, is scheduled to appear on The Early Show (CBS) tomorrow at 7:00 am (CST)

In addition, he is scheduled to appear on AirAmerica Radio with Ron Kuby tomorrow at 3:30 pm (CST)

Tom Flynn’s interview tomorrow on “Here & Now” will be featured on nearly 50 NPR affiliates throughout the U.S. A complete listing can be found at:

http://www.wbur.org/syndication/?program=Here-and-Now

Shelter Stories: Love. Guaranteed. On CW 11 Morning News, WPIX, in New York

MUTTS creator Patrick McDonnell, author of Shelter Stories: Love. Guaranteed. will be featured on the CW 11 Morning News, WPIX, in New York.

The segment is schedule to air this Friday, September 12th, at 5:55 am and again at 8:20 am.

Tom Flynn Author of Bikeman: An Epic Poem To Appear on NPR and CBS News' Early Show

Tom Flynn, author of Bikeman: An Epic Poem, will be featured on “Here & Now” on NPR’s Boston affiliate, WBUR, September 11.


His will also scheduled to appear on CBS News' The Early Show on September 11.

The Art and Soul of Baking Reviewed in Booklit

The Art and Soul of Baking by Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet is reviewed in the September 1 issue of Booklist:

Despite the title’s appeal to emotional and aesthetic urges, this baking guide determinedly concentrates on the scientific knowledge that underpins everything that an accomplished baker produces. That focus radiates throughout the text of this totally accessible and eminently useful introduction to breads, pastries, pies, cookies, cakes, custards, and souffles. Mushet is determined to explain in detail the whys and wherefores of baking, recommending that even tyros learn to measure flour and similar ingredients by weight rather than volume. She provides comprehensive glossaries of baking equipment and components that intelligently address just about any question a novice might raise. In addition to listing ingredients, quantities, and techniques, each recipe inventories equipment necessary to execute the recipe successfully, making it unnecessary to search the full recipe to find out what pans and appliances to use. Mushet also provides informative sidebars that share professional bakers’ secrets. Very valuable for cookery reference collections.—Mark Knoblauch

The Art and Soul of Baking Gets Starred Review 0n Publishers Weekly Website

The Art and Soul of Baking by Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet has received a starred review on publishersweekly.com:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6589717.html

LIFESTYLE

The Art and Soul of Baking
Cindy Mushet. Andrews McMeel, $40 (464p)
ISBN 9780740773341

Veteran pastry chef Mushet puts her decades of experience to work in this dense, informative baking guide from Seattle-based gourmet cookware retailer Sur La Table...opening with a comprehensive overview of crucial equipment and a 30 page guide to pantry stocking (butter, flour and sugar get three pages each, chocolate gets five). Covering all aspects of the baking spectrum, Mushet gives yeast-based breads, quick breads, cookies and bars, layered pastries and other specialties their turn, doing admirable work with standards like pizza dough and dinner rolls, as well as trendier riffs like pesto rolls and rustic olive and thyme bread that give cooks room to stretch in each category. Mushet’s invaluable lessons in ensuring oven accuracy, incorporating butter into dough for layered pastries (with step-by-step photos) and the causes of falling soufflés will get novices up to speed, and experts ready to tackle Mushet’s compelling cheesecake batter-in-a-food-processor technique will find her inventive hors d’oeuvre Stilton Cheesecake with Port-Braised Pears a big hit at the next cocktail party. Those already comfortable with baking will get the most out of the book’s 250 recipes, but there are plenty of dishes well within the reach of those new to Crème Brulee and lemon bar construction, making this a great volume to learn and grow with. (Sept.)

Gourmet Singles Out AMP Cookbook

Andrews McMeel Publishing is proud to announce that The Art and Soul of Baking by Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet has been chosen the October selection for the Gourmet Cookbook Club. Watch for that issue of Gourmet to hit newsstands and a feature to appear on gourmet.com in mid-September.

Gourmet started the Cookbook Club in an attempt to help its readers “cut through the clutter” of the 24,000 cookbooks published each year, according to Editor in-chief Ruth Reichl. The magazine's editors choose a book each month that offers “imaginative insight and delicious results.”

Reichl said she and her staff established the club in response to the overwhelming number of cookbooks published in the United States. “Tons of cookbooks come pouring in here all the time,” she told Publishers Weekly. “Every time we find one we really love we say, 'We ought to share this with other people.’” Reichl considered adding cookbook reviews to Gourmet but decided a book club would be more inclusive of readers and Gourmet's online community.

Books chosen for the new club, which launched in June, are marked with a Gourmet plate shaped seal to indicate they are official selections. In addition, at the book club's home page, gourmet.com/cookbookclub, visitors can find more recipes from the books and videos of the authors demonstrating recipes from their books.