Friday, November 21, 2014

The Messy Baker; Charmian Christie

 The Messy Baker; Charmian Christie
Rodale Books - 2014
The title, The Messy Baker, got my attention especially since I love to bake, but make a huge mess in the process.

Comprised of some 75 recipes, almost every recipe has a beautiful gloss photo to show you what the finished product will look like.  I was surprised by the fact the recipes are not all desserts, as somehow the title and cover lead me to believe, but that's okay, I liked the variety of recipes.  Yes, there are muffins, cookies, tortes, scones, tarts etc, but you'll also find some recipes for things like pizza, waffles, cauliflower, fritters and more.  The recipes contained are not your standard run of the mill recipes that you tend to find again and again, but each recipe seems to be a new twist on a recipe that I wouldn't have thought of in this new way.

I liked that there were a few helpful lists about essential things to stock in your pantry. The author mention talks about how egg size matters (most recipes mean "large" eggs not medium or jumbo), and talks about how important it is not alter recipes when you find you are missing an ingredient (always set out every ingredient you'll need BEFORE you begin baking.)

The chapters have fun titles like: pastry; crumbly; dippable; sloppy; smudgy; gritty and drippy. The book is more about how the final product tastes, and judging with your mouth and not eyes, rather than obsessing about whether your final product is "picture perfect".

I tried and loved the Sea Salt Sticky Buns and, I'm looking forward to trying the Boozy Brown Sugar Whipped Cream to go with our Thanksgiving Pecan and Pumpkin pies.  Great book 
4/5 stars
(eGalley)

25 comments:

  1. Sounds like my style of cooking. Might need to get this book.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sea salt sticky buns? That gets my attention! Sounds like a cookbook I need to look for. Thanks for telling us about it, Diane.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are welcome Mary - The sticky buns were a nice Sunday treat.

      Delete
  3. I'm a messy baker too! My food tends to taste good, but look terrible! I hope the photos in this book reflect her mission - seeing perfectly decorated cakes would sort of go against what she is trying to achieve. Sea salt sticky buns caught my attention too. It sounds delicious :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jackie, not every finished product in the book looks picture perfect, but of course, not a royal disaster either -- or who would buy the book...LOL

      Delete
  4. Sea salt sticky buns sound amazing! I'd like to take a closer look at this cookbook.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JoAnn - see if your library has it? Several of ours own copies.

      Delete
  5. I absolutely have to get this. My cooking is all about being "crumbly; dippable; sloppy; smudgy; gritty and drippy." And sea salt sticky buns? YES!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jill, you made me laugh. I own a collection of aprons as I am so messy.

      Delete
  6. Those sticky buns sound good to me! I need this cookbook!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Replies
    1. Maybe she'll make something with catnip Brian for you and the gang:)

      Delete
  8. Wow! I consider myself a decent baker, but I didn't realize that egg size was so important; I also improvise if I am missing an ingredient. Maybe I need this book! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I tend to improvise too, but have had some "not so good" muffin experiences lately when I did that:(

      Delete
  9. I am a messy cook too, and whatever is on the cover looks simply yummy :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I just put a hold on this one. I love lots of pictures and a variety of recipes, even in a majority baking book!

    ReplyDelete
  11. This looks like the kind of recipe book I would enjoy. Thanks for the review Diane :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sounds delicious! But cauliflower definitely does seem like the one that is not like the others. Ha! Boozy Brown Sugar Whipped Cream also sounds amazing.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to visit and double thanks for any comments. If you ask a question in your comments, I will try to reply to it here, or by email if your settings allow me to do so. Thanks again for visiting.