"The Secrets of Baking" by Sherry Yard

[duckduck]

I had borrowed this book from Extramsg who ordered it by mistake and was going to give it back but now I'm considering keeping it and paying him for it. I've been meaning to try her baumkuchen (sp?). Sounds like you guys are having pretty good luck with it over all.

[yslee]

Thanks for the clarification, rjwong.

Now I'm really curious: has anyone tried the chocolate souffle with the potato flour? For those who don't have the book in front of you, Yard adds 2tb of potato flour to a souffle containing 4 oz chocolate, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 3 yolks and 8 whites. She also uses a tiny amount of cream of tartar to stabilize.

Edited April 26, 2005 by yslee (log)

[chefzadi]

For those of you not familiar with the book, Yard's concept is that desserts can be broken down into assorted components. By knowing the master recipes and variations, you can then combine them to create your own stunning desserts.

The concept is correct.

I met her at Sur La Table when she was teaching some recipes from her book. I tend to recommend books that actually try to teach cooking and I think her book does that.

[bloviatrix]

I didn't like the blackberry-lime curd at all.

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I was disappointed with the blackberry-lime curd as well. I ended up turning it into ice cream since I didn't want to toss it. Somehow, that it made it slightly more palatable, but still had an odd bitterness.

[ludja]

I had borrowed this book from Extramsg who ordered it by mistake and was going to give it back but now I'm considering keeping it and paying him for it. I've been meaning to try her baumkuchen (sp?). Sounds like you guys are having pretty good luck with it over all.

←

Has anyone given the Baumkuchen a try yet?

The photo is so beautiful and her description of the cake sounds very nice.

I'm also interested in anyone's additional comments with another year gone by. I have the book out of the library and am looking ti over trying to decide whether to buy it or not.

Edited February 24, 2006 by ludja (log)

[Patrick S]

I had borrowed this book from Extramsg who ordered it by mistake and was going to give it back but now I'm considering keeping it and paying him for it. I've been meaning to try her baumkuchen (sp?). Sounds like you guys are having pretty good luck with it over all.

←

Has anyone given the Baumkuchen a try yet?

The photo is so beautiful and her description of the cake sounds very nice.

I'm also interested in anyone's additional comments with another year gone by. I have the book out of the library and am looking ti over trying to decide whether to buy it or not.

←

I seem to recall that TurtleMeng tried the Baumkuchen and had a rough time with it, but I can't remember exactly what she said.

Since I last commented on this book, I've tried the caramel custard tart, caramel souffles, chocolate souffles, lemon pound cake, and beignets. None were a flop, and some (like the custard tart) were considered outstanding by at least one of the "tasters." The lemon pound cake seemed to have an odd texture to me, but it was also well liked by those who tried it.

[ludja]

Thanks for the response, Patrick.

I remember you recommending her caramel sauce made with creme fraiche a while back, but I just finally got a copy to look over.

[ariggsby]

Has anyone given the Baumkuchen a try yet?

The photo is so beautiful and her description of the cake sounds very nice.

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I've tried it a couple of times, and it's the only thing in the book that hasn't really worked for me.

(1) The baking process goes slowly enough that the batter starts to separate (maybe a mixing problem),

(2) The layers don't turn out very distinct.

My inclination to fix both was to turn the oven up to max heat, but that burned the sides of the cake.

Andrew

Edited February 27, 2006 by ariggsby (log)

[NWKate]

I have this book and it has been sitting on my shelf- think it's time to start baking!

Kate