Rating: 
Summary: The basic dessert cookbook no kitchen should be without
Review: "Classic Home Desserts" has a lot of style and character. You'll find historical details on many of the recipes, quotes from interesting people, and useful tips and hints. I particularly love the "Equivalent Pan Sizes" chart. Richard Sax goes into a fair amount of detail about what, for example, a cobbler really is, and how it differs from crisps, brown Bettys, crumbles, pandowdies, and shortcakes.
This book is heavy on the fruit; you'll find a recipe for whatever is in season. There are cobblers, crisps, compotes, baked fruit, fools, jellies, fruitcakes, pies, tarts, etc. If it's the dead of winter and you just can't find good fruit, you'll still find plenty to work with. There are puddings, custards, souffles, dumplings, cookies, cakes, coffee cakes, cheesecakes, custard pies, pastries, and so on. And these recipes are good. I really mean *good.* Here I see the huge star we put next to the Mixed Fruit Cobbler. Turn the page and you'll see a gorgeous picture of Panna Cotta and Poached Pears in Merlot Syrup. Yet another large ball-point pen star graces the New Hampshire "Plate Cake."You'll find new and old recipes here. Recipes by people you've never heard of as well as big-name chefs (on p. 163 you'll find Jasper White's Maple Sugar Creme Caramel). My favorite cookies are M.F.K. Fisher's Ginger Hottendots. Trust me--no one can eat just five, and they travel well in the mail at holiday-time.
With this much variety you won't like everything you find. But this book is well worth what you pay for it for the sheer volume of recipes, the quality, and the ease of production. I predict you'll find, as we did, that this book becomes a staple in your kitchen.
Rating: 
Summary: Reviews
Review: "A highly usable collection" Publishers Weekly (starred review);
"More than 350 carefully wrought recipes...to tempt the baker" The New York Times;
"A wonderful collection of uncomplicated yet delicious desserts" USA Today;
"A gem...it's as if you updated the recipe section from The Joy of Cooking" Cook's Illustrated;
"Scrumptious recipes" Bon Appétit;
"Now this is comfort food. These cozy sweets...are the stuff of dreams and the beginnings of family ritual." People;
"Valuable to experienced and new bakers" Chicago Tribune;
"Classic Home Desserts isn't so much a cookbook as a library...deliciously useful, practical and entertaining" Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Rating:
Summary: The basic dessert cookbook no kitchen should be without
Review: "Classic Home Desserts" has a lot of style and character. You'll find historical details on many of the recipes, quotes from interesting people, and useful tips and hints. I particularly love the "Equivalent Pan Sizes" chart. Richard Sax goes into a fair amount of detail about what, for example, a cobbler really is, and how it differs from crisps, brown Bettys, crumbles, pandowdies, and shortcakes.
This book is heavy on the fruit; you'll find a recipe for whatever is in season. There are cobblers, crisps, compotes, baked fruit, fools, jellies, fruitcakes, pies, tarts, etc. If it's the dead of winter and you just can't find good fruit, you'll still find plenty to work with. There are puddings, custards, souffles, dumplings, cookies, cakes, coffee cakes, cheesecakes, custard pies, pastries, and so on. And these recipes are good. I really mean *good.* Here I see the huge star we put next to the Mixed Fruit Cobbler. Turn the page and you'll see a gorgeous picture of Panna Cotta and Poached Pears in Merlot Syrup. Yet another large ball-point pen star graces the New Hampshire "Plate Cake." You'll find new and old recipes here. Recipes by people you've never heard of as well as big-name chefs (on p. 163 you'll find Jasper White's Maple Sugar Creme Caramel). My favorite cookies are M.F.K. Fisher's Ginger Hottendots. Trust me--no one can eat just five, and they travel well in the mail at holiday-time.
With this much variety you won't like everything you find. But this book is well worth what you pay for it for the sheer volume of recipes, the quality, and the ease of production. I predict you'll find, as we did, that this book becomes a staple in your kitchen.
Rating:
Summary: A Keeper
Review: An exceptional book. I have yet to try a recipe that does not turn out beautifully. The selection of desserts featured is amazing, the recipes understandable and the results delicious. Although not "fancy" desserts you can find something for every occasion. I also enjoy the introductions to each dessert and the side bars that make this book enjoyable to read.
Rating:
Summary: In a word: Yummy
Review: Delight yourself, and those with whom you dine, by ordering this dessert cookbook. Each and every recipe I have made from it has been spectacular. Since I acquired this book it has been a given that I will make dessert for each food related gathering I attend!!
Rating: 
Summary: A Fascinating Volumn
Review: Great book, wonderful notes, beautiful photo, terrific backround and general instructions, sensible guidelines. The mixed summer fruit cobbler, and the Pastiche Bakery raspberry- cranberry tart are always a hit when a make them for company or as a gift. One quibble-for me, some of the cake recipes fall or collapse and I am not normally used to that happening
Rating:
Summary: Unbeatable
Review: I bought my copy of this cookbook as an engagement gift for a friend who subsequently broke things off with her cad of a fiance. She insisted that I take the gift back. I have been thanking her ever since! She's happily married to someone else now, and I am still baking from this book. I suggest that the detractors of this book try the Great St. Louis Ring Cake recipe--it's a party stopper. Carbs be damned!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I bought this book because of its awards and rave reviews. I also bought it to prepare for an annual informal pie contest held by friends. I had hoped to find a special, winning recipe. I baked five pie/tart recipes and ended up using none for the contest as the results ranged from poor to good but nothing was spectacular. I consider myself to be an experienced baker and I was expecting so much more than what I got. I made the following pies: lime chiffon, buttermilk, sweet potato pecan, caramel walnut tart, rice pie, and holiday nut tart with chocolate glaze. I also made the rich, all butter pie crust. The lime chiffon pie was a little too tart and had a somewhat gelatinous texture. It certainly cannot compare to a real key lime pie. Noone at my dinner enjoyed it. The sweet potato pecan pie had bland, overly-sweet potato filling, with a sugary topping that was not at all reminiscent of real pecan pie, as promised. Again, all tasters at that dinner party were underwhelmed. The rice pie, promised to be one of the best recipes in the book, was fine but not anything special - it was firm rice pudding in a shell. The only three I would make again were the nut tarts and the buttermilk pie and, surprisingly, the buttermilk pie was my overall favorite. It tasted almost like a light, lemony cheesecake. The holiday nut tart had a bitter edge to it - it might have helped to use a different combination of nuts, I'm not sure. The caramel walnut tart was well liked by all and I have no criticism of it, but can note nothing exceptional either. Lastly, the pie pastry recipe ended up feeling greasy and the food processor method made it tougher than the pastry recipe I usually use. Not wanting to take the same risk for the patee sucre for the tarts, I used another, known, recipe for them. I don't usually pay this much money for a cookbook, and I wish I had not bought this one. Maybe non-pie recipes fare better. The non-recipe aspects, such as the introduction and side notes are well written, interesting, and fun to read.
Rating:
Summary: A Bountiful Collection of Delicious Recipes!
Review: I love this book! The recipes run the gamut from cakes and cookies to puddings and cobblers. These aren't the fancy type of desserts that require a degree in architecture to pull off -- you just need to follow the careful instructions and you'll end up with delicious desserts which will garner you many compliments. Richard Sax is not as well known as Maida Heatter, but his recipes are carefully explained, like hers, so that you can count on the results.
Rating:
Summary: Great book, full of recipes!
Review: I love this book. It presents a whole bunch of different dessert recipes, all of them easy to follow and very homestyle. Considering the size of the book, and the quality of the recipes presesented, this is a great value.
|
