Fearless Baking: Over 100 Recipes That Anyone Can Make [Hardcover]

Any less-than-intrepid bakers out there? No need to worry: Elinor Klivans comes to the rescue with Fearless Baking. By anticipating everything that can go wrong, Klivans lives up to the title of her cookbook and takes the fear out of baking. Organized by technique, from easiest to most difficult, Klivans guarantees success recipe by recipe. She anticipates questions and problems in a section at the beginning of every recipe called "baking answers," and includes a comprehensive glossary of baking terms, equipment, and techniques. You need nothing more fancy than a hand mixer to make even the most complicated recipe in the book, and yet the great quantity of original, delectable sweet and savory goods included here make it a worthwhile purchase for even the most accomplished baker.

Your baking course begins with a section called Just Stir and Bake, and includes some all-time favorites such as Perfectly Easy Chocolate-Chip Butterscotch Blondies (your friends will love you). The chapters move on through "No-Roll Crusts with Simple Fillings" (try the Glazed Fresh Raspberry Pie and everyone will think you're a pro) to chapters on mixing, frosting (how about a Cranberry Eggnog Cake with Bourbon Butter frosting?), rolling, whipping, "Baking with Chocolate," and even "Melting Sugar for Caramel and Praline" (one taste of Pumpkin Pecan Praline Cheesecake and you'll be convinced you're ready to open your own bakery!).

Klivans sets you up for success throughout Fearless Baking. Her instructions are detailed, she assumes nothing, and her explanations are clear and useful. This is truly a baking book that no kitchen should be without. --Leora Y. Bloom

Klivans, the no-nonsense author of, among others, 125 Cookies to Bake, Nibble and Savor, expertly provides recipes that will be easy for the most novice baker to follow but will also appeal to more experienced readers. Klivans has attempted to foresee and forestall any mistakes that could be made in following these recipes. In a recipe for Peanut Butter and Milk Chocolate Brownies, for example, she patiently explains how using chocolate chips rather than chopped milk chocolate will alter the results, and also mentions that they're cut smaller than might be expected because of their unusual richness. Background information on basic utensils and ingredients is very complete, and the recipes are extremely clear. In fact, if this book has one flaw, it's that Klivans occasionally provides so much information in the name of clarity that some recipes become quite lengthy. Each chapter is based around a technique: "Putting the Frosting with the Cake" includes Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake and Cranberry Eggnog Cake with Bourbon Butter Frosting. Savory dishes are included as well: Deep Dish Wild Mushroom Pie and Roasted Tomato, Basil and Parmesan Pie appear alongside Sticky Walnut Pie. Klivans understands that beginners may want to make more sophisticated treats than the traditional chocolate chip cookies (although Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies do appear), so she offers Tiramis— Ice Cream Loaf and Almond Crunch and Chocolate Confetti Chiffon Cake. 8 pages of color photos not seen by PW. (Sept.)Forecast: With Klivans's already significant following, and this book's adaptability to a wide range of skill levels, strong sales are likely.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Food writer Klivans here includes all sorts of baked goods, most sweet but a few savory, organized by technique and generally moving from simple to more complicated. The recipes are painstakingly detailed, and each one includes "Baking Answers," which deal with any questions beginners may have. Although some of the recipes are quick and easy, others call for long ingredients lists and a fair amount of time, and some are quite demanding, such as Coconut, Fig, and Pecan Cake, which includes both a cooked custard filling and a cooked frosting. Readers who want a collection of quick and easy desserts may prefer Lora Brody's Basic Baking (LJ 10/15/00) or Lauren Chatmen's Instant Gratification (LJ 5/15/00). More ambitious bakers, however, will welcome Klivans's book. For most baking collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Dana Strickland Alexandria, Virginia Separation anxiety when it comes to egg whites? Do seven-layer bars sound like they have six layers too many for you? Eyes glaze over at the thought of creating lemon sauce? Get chills at the thought of making an icebox pie? Ever whip yourself into a frenzy imagining making a whipped topping? Does caramelizing sugar sound like something that happens naturally in your canister or cabinet? Never fear, Elinor and Fearless Baking are here!

Joseph Siewers Washington, D.C. If you dislike compliments on your baking, Fearless Baking is not for you. If you find delicious and easy recipes objectionable, this book is not for you. If you are opposed to step-by-step directions, helpful hints, and useful do-ahead instructions, this book is not for you. If you do not like cookbooks with lots of chocolate recipes, this book is not for you. Personally, I like all of these things (especially the chocolate recipes). Fearless Baking is the book for me.

Karen Good Camden, Maine My family asked me to not do two things: don't sing in the car and don't bake. I am still not allowed to sing in the car.

John Quattlebaum Washington, D.C. The recipes in Fearless Baking have five-star results but were written for people with one-star experience.

Rosie Levitan Potomac, Maryland I am usually a confident baker, but piecrusts have always intimidated me. Fearless Baking is a must for everyone who bakes. Elinor Klivans' advice and detailed directions address both the simplest and the most difficult baking tasks. Her warm and personal writing style and commonsense recipes eliminate the mystery and fear of baking. I now face piecrusts with confidence and anticipation.

Louise Shames Wilton, Connecticut I am not sure which I enjoy more, the new techniques I've learned from Fearless Baking or the compliments I've received from making the recipes.

Dawn Ryan Charlotte, North Carolina Grab your mixing bowls, everyone! Elinor's recipe-writing style is just what we baker-wannabes needed! Baking from her book is like having her right alongside me in the kitchen.

Allyson Shames Iowa City, Iowa You'll never have to walk down the dessert aisle at the grocery store again. Never, never, never. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

With recipes organized by technique and step-by-step instruction, Fearless Baking is the antidote to years of crumbly cookies, tasteless tarts, and burnt biscuits. If you're a first-time baker, you'll be amazed at the ease and speed with which you can turn out the same kinds of quality homemade treats you've envied in others' homes. If you're an experienced baker, you'll find focused instructions on each aspect of baking, and original fail-safe recipes that can broaden your repertoire.

Introductory chapters detail the basic ingredients used throughout the book, along with the appropriate pans and utensils. Each recipe begins with a helpful "Baking Answers" section to anticipate questions or problems and explain the baking ideas or techniques that the recipe introduces or emphasizes. In addition, the directions not only include tips for visual measurement but also often provide descriptive instructions for recognizing when a batter is properly mixed or an item is done.

Each chapter builds on skills and techniques that have been previously explained. Beginning with the simplest recipe (for Perfectly Easy Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Blondies) in "Just Stir and Bake," you progress to Glazed Fresh Raspberry Pie in "No-Roll Crusts with Simple Fillings," Butter Shortbread Cut-outs in "Mixing a Smooth Dough," and Deep South Pound Cake in "Mixing a Smooth Batter." Now go on to Cranberry Eggnog Cake with Bourbon Butter Frosting in "Putting the Frosting with the Cake," Apple and Hazelnut Macaroon Tart in "Rolled Crusts for Pies and Tarts," Orange Meringue Ice Cream Cake in "Whipping Eggs for Cakes and Meringues," and Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Fudge Frosting in "Baking with Chocolate." Finally, wow family and friends with Aunt Elaine's Mocha Whipped Cream Shadow Cake from "Whipping Cream for Cakes, Pies, and Pastries," and the Pumpkin Pecan Praline Cheesecake from "Melting Sugar for Caramel and Praline."

This surefire guide to turning out delicious home-made treats should be on every baker's bookshelf. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Elinor Klivans is an award-winning pastry chef trained in France and the United States. She is the author of several cookbooks, including Big Fat Cookies and Bake and Freeze Desserts, a Julia Child Cookbook Award nominee, and a coauthor of Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Baking. Based in Maine, Klivans is also a frequent guest on radio and television and has written for numerous national magazines.