Full Description
The sumptuous debut cookbook from celebrated baker, activist, and pastry "it girl" Natasha Pickowicz Natasha Pickowicz is a creative force in the world of baking.
Her pastries are uniquely delicious and surprising. She's picked up three James Beard Award nominations for her time as a professional pastry chef. Her buzzy bake sales for Planned Parenthood and other nonprofits have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. Now she shares her recipes and baking know-how in a debut cookbook brimming with the energy, passion, joy, knowledge, and spirit of generosity that define her work.
The recipes are fresh and uncomplicated, drawing on the author's Chinese and Californian heritage. She pairs nectarine and miso in a tarte tatin and makes a layer cake with olive oil, mascarpone, and fennel. Black cardamom gets tucked into pecan sticky buns, and galettes go savoury with kabocha squash. And she's a born teacher. Of course pastry requires a real focus on detail and technique, but the author is here at every step with invaluable tips: underbeat meringue; boil your plum stones to extract even more plum flavour; look for "first-press" yuzu juice; for the flakiest pie dough, first freeze your butter, then use a grater to get perfect shreds.
More Than Cake means baking to bring people together. It calls on you to prioritize pleasure. As the author writes, "Dessert is beyond simple calories and nutrition. . . . It spreads delight in a way that no other kind of dish can. This is something I think people really need-it's not optional." It's a philosophy to live by.
Contents
CONTENTS
Introduction
Essential Tools
Never-Ending Cookies
Citrusy Macaroons
Nubby Granola Shortbread
Fennel, Chocolate, and Hazelnut Spears Shoyu Peanut Cookies
Brown Butter and Buckwheat Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Pine Nut Sablés with Taleggio
Coffee-Hazelnut Linzers with Kumquat Filling
Black Sesame Fortune Cookies
Sour Glaze Maple Gingerbread
Sweet and Salty Snacks
Tangy Lemon Verbena Chips
Passion Fruit Jellies
Caramelized White Chocolate and Coconut Truffles
Malted Cocoa Fudge
Golden Sesame Candy
Pizza Crackers
Flaky Poppy Seed Cracker with Whipped Feta
Cheddar Oatcakes
Fennel Seed Squiggles
Single Layer Cakes
Carrot and Coconut Cake
Cocoa and Chicory Sheet Cake Dappled Date Cake
Crunchy Almond Cake
Jammy Coffee Cake
Olive Oil Cake with Crispy Capers and Orange Vinaigrette
Passion Fruit Roll-Up Cake
Sticky Fig Cake
Toasted Vanilla Bean Pound Cake
Modern Layer Cakes
Soaking Cakes
No-Soak Cakes
Soaks
Creamy and Rich Fillings
Tangy and Bright Fillings
Crunchy and Salty Fillings
Frostings
Cake Sets
Passion Fruit, Coconut, and Tequila Layer Cake
Black Sesame, Cream Cheese, and Pineapple Sheet Cake
Olive Oil, Mascarpone, and Fennel Layer Cake
Almond, Green Tea, and Blueberry Bombe
Espresso, Hazelnut, Chocolate, and Honey Cake
Fruit Expressions
Pineapple Tile Galette
Triple Apple Tart
Checkered Rhubarb Tart
Sour Cherry and Sunflower Pie
Stone Plum Nests
Nectarine Miso Tarte Tatin
Sunchoke and Apricot Pie
Still Life Tart
Baking with Vegetables
Kabocha Galette
Half Moon-Pie
Miso Soup Danish
Mushroom, Cheddar, and Apple Tart
Apricot and Olive Focaccia
Lemony Squash Pizzettes
Bathed Pie
Greens and Apple Stromboli
Creamy, Elegant Desserts
Panna Cotta and Grated Melon
Caramel Chocolate Chip Bombe
Cheesecake and Plum Syrup
Star Anise and Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée
Rose Water and Mezcal Flan
Chamomile Puff Crown
Chocolate and Earl Grey Mousse
Adzuki Bean and Brown Butter Pie
Yeasted Treats
Twisty Fruit and Nut Buns
Tutti-Frutti Tart
Pecan and Black Cardamom Sticky Buns
Leafy Dinner Rolls
Buttered Cucumber Sliders
Overnight Blackberry Doughnuts
Date-Swirled Brown Brioche
First-Light Bakes
Terrazzo Bread
Spiced Rutabaga Loaf
Millet, Parsnip, and Chocolate Chunk Muffins
Corn Husk Muffins
Peach Cocktail Skillet
Big Green Salad Scones
Scallion Pancake Biscuits
Sweet Onion and Sesame Gougères
Mocha Latte Puffs
Resources
Acknowledgments
Index
