| |||||
Books: CookBooks: Desserts
The Time Traveler's Wifeby Audrey Niffenegger List Price: $14.00 Available from Amazon $8.40 On 7-22-2006 
See Item's Page From Publishers Weekly This highly original first novel won the largest advance San Francisco-based MacAdam/Cage had ever paid, and it was money well spent. Niffenegger has written a soaring love story illuminated by dozens of finely observed details and scenes, and one that skates nimbly around a huge conundrum at the heart of the book: Henry De Tamble, a rather dashing librarian at the famous Newberry Library in Chicago, finds himself unavoidably whisked around in time. He disappears from a scene in, say, 1998 to find himself suddenly, usually without his clothes, which mysteriously disappear in transit, at an entirely different place 10 years earlier-or later. During one of these migrations, he drops in on beautiful teenage Clare Abshire, an heiress in a large house on the nearby Michigan peninsula, and a lifelong passion is born. The problem is that while Henry's age darts back and forth according to his location in time, Clare's moves forward in the normal manner, so the pair are often out of sync. But such is the author's tenderness with the characters, and the determinedly ungimmicky way in which she writes of their predicament (only once do they make use of Henry's foreknowledge of events to make money, and then it seems to Clare like cheating) that the book is much more love story than fantasy. It also has a splendidly drawn cast, from Henry's violinist father, ruined by the loss of his wife in an accident from which Henry time-traveled as a child, to Clare's odd family and a multitude of Chicago bohemian friends. The couple's daughter, Alba, inherits her father's strange abilities, but this is again handled with a light touch; there's no Disney cuteness here. Henry's foreordained end is agonizing, but Niffenegger has another card up her sleeve, and plays it with poignant grace. It is a fair tribute to her skill and sensibility to say that the book leaves a reader with an impression of life's riches and strangeness rather than of easy thrills. Copyright 2003 Reed business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. From AudioFile Although the title suggests that this is science fiction, Niffenegger's charming, emotionally charged novel is much more a love story. Told alternately from the viewpoints of time traveler Henry and his wife, Clare, it's highly enjoyable on audio. Readers Christopher Burns and Maggi-Meg Reed blend their respective chapters seamlessly. Each reader characterizes all roles within a chapter, and the depictions mesh beautifully. Both narrators characterize Korean friend Kimmy in a charmingly amusing voice and lend a light mood to the couple's daughter, Alba. Burns portrays the emotional chaos of Henry's life so genuinely as to cast the listener directly into his pain and joy. The abridged recording leaves one longing for more. J.J.B. 2004 Audie Award Finalist © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition. |
Beach Roadby James Patterson and Peter de Jonge List Price: $27.95 Available from Amazon $16.77 On 7-22-2006 
See Item's Page From Publishers Weekly Bestseller Patterson shows signs of having gone to the well too often in this slapdash collaboration with de Jonge, his coauthor on The Beach House (2002). Tom Dunleavy, a former professional basketball player and local East Hampton legend, is getting by as an underworked and unmotivated attorney. His sports glory days and his one true love are long in the past, but he gets second chances at personal and professional redemption when three locals are gunned down, apparently in the aftermath of racial tensions arising from a heated pickup game of hoops. The police seize on Dante Halleyville, the country's best high school star, as their suspect, and Dunleavy must dust off his old courtroom skills and enlist his lost love, Kate Costello, as his partner. Patterson readers know to expect a surprise ending, but he leaves too few possibilities for many to be genuinely fooled. Fans can only hope that Patterson soon returns to the level he achieved with his Alex Cross series. (May) Copyright © Reed business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist The gripping Beach Road returns to the world of the Hamptons, where Patterson set The Beach House (2002). Tom Dunleavy is a small-time lawyer who lands a big case when three young men he plays basketball with are found shot to death execution-style at a billionaire's basketball court. The evidence points to a rising high-school basketball star, Dante Halleyville, who scuffled with one of the other young men earlier on the day of the murder and who apparently was seen disposing of the gun used to commit the murders. Tom reluctantly takes the case, convincing his ex-girlfriend, Kate Costello, a high-powered lawyer in Manhattan, to help him prove Dante innocent. The novel races toward a conclusion so shocking that even longtime Patterson devotees won't see it coming. Kristine Huntley Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved |
Ben and Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream and Dessert Bookby Ben Cohen, Jerry Greenfield, and Nancy Stevens Available from Amazon $9.95 On 7-22-2006 
See Item's Page Book Description With little skill, surprisingly few ingredients, and even the most unsophisticated of ice-cream makers, you can make the scrumptious ice creams that have made Ben & Jerry's an American legend. BEN & JERRY'S HOMEMADE ICE CREAM & DESSERT BOOK tells fans the story behind the company and the two men who built it-from their first meeting in 7th-grade gym class (they were already the two widest kids on the field) to their "graduation" from a $5.00 ice-cream-making correspondence course to their first ice-cream shop in a renovated gas station. But the best part comes next. Dastardly Mash, featuring nuts, raisins, and hunks of chocolate. The celebrated Heath Bar Crunch. New York Super Fudge Chunk. Oreo Mint. In addition to Ben & Jerry's 11 greatest hits, here are recipes for ice creams made with fresh fruit, with chocolate, with candies and cookies, and recipes for sorbets, sundaes, and baked goods. The 90-plus authentic recipes are spiced with Lyn Severance's bright, quirky, full-color illustrations. Over 383,000 copies in print.
Despite a philosophical disagreement over chunk size-Ben prefers them large and occasional while Jerry favors frequent, somewhat smaller ones-together Ben and Jerry are good friends who make great ice cream. Now they share all the recipes and techniques that have been made them nationwide heroes. Specially adapted to make at home, there are 90 recipes in all, including sorbets, summer slushes, giant sundaes and other ice-cream concoctions. All you have to do is remember Ben & Jerry's two rules of ice-cream making: RULE #1 You don't have to be a pro to make incredibly delicious ice cream. RULE #2 There's no such thing as an unredeemingly bad batch of homemade ice cream. NEW FLAVORS TO TRY: Orange Cream Dream Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Honey Apple Raisin Walnut Peanut Butter Fudge Swirl Chocolate Superfudge Brownie FLAVORS YOU KNOW AND LOVE: Heath Bar Crunch Dastardly Mash Fresh Georgia Peach Oreo Mint BEN & JERRY REVEAL: How to break Heath Bars into the perfect bite-size chunks. How to add chunks so they don't sink to the bottom. Why you must eat honey-flavored ice cream in one sitting. Bio Ben Cohen has been a Pinkerton Guard, a garbage man, and a short-order cook. He began seriously testing ice-cream flavors at the age of five. Jerry Greenfield has worked as a lab technician. He is glad he was not admitted to medical school. Nancy Stevens is a magazine and newspaper writer who has been published in the Saturday Review, the New York Times, the Village Voice, and Working Woman.
|
Semi-Homemade Dessertsby Sandra Lee and Mary Hart List Price: $19.95 Available from Amazon $12.97 On 7-22-2006
See Item's Page From Publishers Weekly In this newest by Lee, author of the bestselling Semi-Homemade Cooking, a typical ingredients list reads like an index of advertising sponsors-Duncan Hines, Nestle, Carnation. According to Lee, that's the idea. Why buy fresh ingredients when you can buy mixes and prepared foods that allow you to skip a few steps? The gimmick-buy name-brand food items and transform them into glorious dishes-is a good one, but the results are often less than satisfactory. (One additional downside with this approach-aside from the chemical and additives involved-is that many of these dishes emphasize attitude rather than flavor.) Recipes such as Pastel Petit Fours, which are relatively time-intensive, look much better than they taste. This is less true of the Frozen Oreo Cake, but the Easter Bunny Cake (which requires eight name-brand ingredients) is not only overly sweet, but somewhat unattractive. Of course, some of the recipes appeal to the palate by virtue of the ingredients alone. Who doesn't like whipped topping, especially if it's mixed with fruit-flavored gelatin? For the reader who tends to purchase items like the ones used herein, these recipes are sure to appeal. Perhaps unnecessarily, headshots of television stars accompany many of the recipes, something that suggests the recipes either come from or are favorites of well-known people-e.g., there's Sex and the City's Kristin Davis's Savvy-Simple Limewhip Angel Food Cake and Katie Couric's Early Morning Raspberry Crescent Ring. Copyright 2003 Reed business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. The New York Times "great ideas for simple and quick dishes." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. |
The 1200-Calorie-a-Day Menu Cookbook : Quick and Easy Recipes for Delicious Low-fat Breakfasts, Lunches, Dinners, and Dessertsby Nancy S. Hughes List Price: $10.95 Available from Amazon $8.43 On 7-22-2006 
See Item's Page From Booklist Hughes breaks the 1,200 calories a day into breakfast and lunch recipes that contain no more than 350 calories each, dinner recipes that contain no more than 400 calories, and dessert recipes that contain only 100 calories. The majority of the meals contain 20 percent or less of their total calorie content from fat; all contain less than 30 percent. The totals are listed with each recipe. Hughes, author of three other cookbooks, insists this is not a diet plan but rather a comprehensive collection of recipes that can be used to limit calorie and fat intake. Many of the recipes can be prepared in 15 minutes or less. George Cohen Book Description Imagine savoring three delicious, satisfying meals every day without worrying about counting calories or calculating fat grams. Now you can enjoy hundreds of combinations of tempting, flavorful breakfasts, lunches, dinners--even desserts--all for only 1200 calories a day. |
Luscious Berry Dessertsby Lori Longbotham, A California, and James Carrier List Price: $19.95 Available from Amazon $12.97 On 7-22-2006 
See Item's Page From Publishers Weekly Former Gourmet editor Longbotham never met a berry she didn't like. Strawberries are "summer's brightest jewel"; raspberries have "flesh like soft velvet"; blueberries are "a dazzling bright blue." Her introduction, which will feel familiar to readers of her Luscious Lemon Desserts, shares botanical facts and practical advice. While some of it is specific (how to keep blueberry batter from turning blue or green), much of it is general and aimed at novices (for instance, standard instructions on measuring flour by spooning it into the cup). Skip the prefaces to the recipes—nearly everything is "great," "fabulous" or Longbotham's "favorite"—and there remains the classic gamut of pies, cakes, puddings and topped desserts. (Unlike many writers, Longbotham distinguishes knowledgeably among cobblers, crisps, betties, buckles and grunts.) While most recipes involve baking from scratch (although they are not daunting), the instructions for Square Strawberry Puff Pastry Tart suggests readers use all-butter packaged puff pastry such as Dufour's—sound advice but outside sophisticated markets you may have to order online. Carrier's lovely photographs and a preponderance of pink and purple pages add to the summer weekend gift-book feel. (July) Copyright © Reed business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Book Description This delightful cookbook from the author of Luscious Lemon Desserts and Luscious Chocolate Desserts is for anyone who has ever snuck just the plumpest, ripest strawberry straight from the basket; believed raspberries should have their own special food group; and never met a blueberry they didn't like. Each recipe is bursting with ideas for buying and trying every wonderful variety, be it sticky-sweet heart-shaped strawberries, deep purple boysenberries, or juicy ripe blackberries. Whether it's creamy layers of brightly colored raspberry curd that transform a classic lemon cake into a visual masterpiece almost too gorgeous to eat (almost), a simple spoonful of cool and custardy blueberry pudding (with the added bonus of those healthy antioxidants), or a traditional and irresistible strawberry shortcake topped with a scoop of strawberry-orange sorbet, this is the ultimate ode to the berry. Tips, tricks, and other techniques of the trade, such as pureeing berries and cutting out biscuits, ensure that the pound cake, tart, sauce, or ice cream comes out perfectly every time. For desserts at the berry top of their game, look no further than Luscious Berry Desserts. |
Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Dessertsby Maida Heatter List Price: $24.95 Available from Amazon $15.72 On 7-22-2006
See Item's Page Product Review When it was first published in 1980, Maida Heatter's Book of Chocolate Desserts became a New York Times bestseller and then won a James Beard award. The book is Heatter's third, a mouthwatering compendium of superb but easily achieved chocolate cakes, cookies, pies, puddings, confections, sauces, and more. Like all of Heater's books, Chocolate Desserts balances good taste with warm, meticulous instruction that anticipates and addresses every question and concern a dessert-maker might have. Cooks at every skill level, from amateur to professional, will find Heater's recipes, and their results, a joy. Arranged by categories like cakes, pastries, and cold and hot desserts, the hundreds of recipes are a chocolate-lover's dream come true. There are classic Heatter offerings, like her Palm Beach Brownies, the ultimate in dark, chewy fudginess, and her Positively-the-Absolute-Best Chocolate Chip Cookies (they are). Other must-make treats include Amaretto-Amaretti Chocolate Cheesecake with Chocolate Cigarettes, Chocolate Merry-Go-Round Cake, Chocolate Pecan Angel Pie, and 4-Star French Chocolate Ice Cream. The book begins with a comprehensive introduction to ingredients, equipment, and techniques and is filled throughout with Heatter's invaluable advice. Drawings by Toni Evans illuminate the exemplary text. --Arthur Boehm
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Chocoholics unite! Maida's back and bringing the world's best chocolate recipes with her. Maida, of course, is Maida Heatter, sorceress supreme of all things chocolate. Now cocoa aficionados, food fiends, and master chefs everywhere can breathe a sigh of relief as Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts, the classic New York Times best-seller, returns after ten years out of print.
Maida is justifiably famous for her respected series of cookbooks, ranging from Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts to Maida Heatter's Brand-New Book of Great Cookies. But it was always her Book of Great Chocolate Desserts that inspired the highest praise, admiration, and following from home and restaurant dessert cooks around the world. Chocolate creators know they can turn to Maida for tantalizing confections, cookies, cakes, pies, puddings, and sauces that transcend the ordinary and make for memorable dining experiences. This jacketed hardcover includes all the original Maida recipes that have become favorites, along with changes and updates from the dessert doyenne herself. Those who have worn out, shared as a gift, or misplaced their original version-or who want to replace their later paperback edition-will welcome this book, as will anyone who enjoys cooking with and eating chocolate. |
The Ultimate Smoothie Book: 130 Delicious Recipes for Blender Drinks, Frozen Desserts, Shakes, and More!by Cherie Calbom List Price: $13.95 Available from Amazon $11.16 On 7-22-2006 
See Item's Page Book Description DESCRIPTION: When the original Ultimate Smoothie Book was first published, smoothies were sweeping the country and becoming the hottest item on the menu everywhere from Baskin-Robbins to Jamba Juice. And why not? They're creamy, fruity, delicious, quick and easy to make, and most important--they're good for you! Now, THE ULTIMATE SMOOTHIE BOOK has been updated by nutritionist Cherie Calbom, aka "The Juice Lady", to include lots of delicious new smoothie recipes, as well as vital new information on: Carbohydrate reduction, with special low-carb smoothie recipes. The recently discovered health risks of soy--and suggested substitutions wherever soy is called for. Coconut oil, the latest diet and health phenomenon. About The Author AUTHORBIO: CHERIE CALBOM lives in Edmonds, Washington. |
Additional Pages: 1 2 3
Other Shops:
Books
Resources
Most Watched Book Auctions
Desserts at Sduf
Book Review Directory
Reviewed Authors
Reviewed Titles
Review List
Site Map
