Williams Sonoma Essentials Of Baking

Nothing evokes the comforts of home better than freshly baked treats straight from the oven. But too many home cooks believe they don't have the time to bake except for the occasional special dessert. If you are one of them, this comprehensive baking collection, with nearly 400 recipes for everything from homespun favorites and bake-shop sweets to popular restaurant-style desserts, is guaranteed to change your mind. In this inspired book, you will find recipes that both fit into your busy schedule and suit nearly every occasion, from quick dessert for weeknight suppers to fancy cakes for holiday tables. Whether you are dreaming of buttery shortbread for an afternoon snack, a luscious berry pie for a midsummer get-together, a buche de Noel for a Christmas Day buffet, or a batch of rolls for Sunday supper, you will discover how to make it in these pages. The recipes are organized into eight comprehensive chapters: Cookies and Bars; Muffins and Quick Breads; Coffee Cakes, Scones, and Biscuits; Cakes and Tortes; Pies and Tarts; Yeasted Breads; Fruit Desserts; and Custards and Egg Dishes. Each chapter provides an array of flavor options to match the seasons and to accommodate a variety of tastes. Every recipe includes a photograph of the finished dish, so you can see how it will look, as well as photographs illustrating key baking task, ingredients, and/or equipment. Classics enjoyed by adults and kids alike are here, such as lemon bars, chocolate-studded cookies, blueberry muffins with brown-sugar topping, buttermilk biscuits, birthday cake with fudge frosting, pumpkin pie, and country-style cinnamon rolls. Detailed directions for baking chocolate cupcakes, bagels, and madeleines make these typical bakery specialties easy to prepare at home. A large selection of recipes for special occasions, such as almond-flecked chocolate cake with caramel sauce, pear torte with fresh ginger, and cherry cheesecake with a biscotti crust, provides plenty of ideas for holiday and dinner-party tables. Rounding out the book are dozens of recipes for savory baked items, from Roquefort-laced popovers and goat cheese muffins to olive bread and mushroom quiche. An extensive reference section at the end of the book includes basic recipes, such as pie and tart doughs, dessert sauces and glazes, and cake frostings and fillings. Also included is a tips-and-techniques primer, with photographed step-by-step instructions on everything from rolling out pie dough, making decorative crusts, and frosting a cake to kneading bread dough in a stand mixer. Cooking and ingredient charts and a comprehensive glossary complete the section. With The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book on your kitchen shelf, you will find yourself baking more often, with results that are always both delicious and rewarding.

Long before anyone on this side of the Atlantic was devoted to eating seasonally and locally, the French were doing precisely that, just as they had been for centuries. Although the high-end haute cuisine of Paris exported itself far and wide many decades ago, the varied regional cooking styles of France continue to reveal themselves to the world and dazzle those fortunate enough to experience them firsthand. Williams-Sonoma's Essentials of French Cooking takes you on a meandering food lover's tour of France, from the windswept coastline of Brittany, where the lamb tastes of the salty fields on which it grazes, southward through Gascony, with its bracing Armagnac and rib-sticking cassoulet, to the delicious fish stews of Marseilles and the Mediterranean, and back up through Burgundy, where the wine flows from some of the world's greatest vineyards and the local Dijon mustard makes a perfect sauce for the local rabbit. In these pages you'll also explore the fascinating intersections of culture and gastronomy in Alsace, where potatoes, cabbage, and beer lend a Germanic heft to the traditional menu; sunny Provence, where dishes made with tomatoes, garlic, olives, and basil link its cooking to that of neighboring Italy; and the Basque country, where Spanish flavors and Moorish spices like saffron and cumin have seeped over the Pyrenees. In addition to presenting a wide range of traditional, regional main dishes to build meals around, this collection of more than 140 carefully selected recipes covers a full range of courses and techniques, from silky baked farm-fresh eggs to brilliantly simple preparations for every season's vegetables through the most luxurious chocolate creams and satisfying rustic fruit tarts. And while terroir plays an undeniable role in this cuisine, true French cooking is comfort food for family and friends, which translates everywhere. A comprehensive glossary and a section on basic stocks and sauces help you fill your pantry with the authentic elements and bring one of the world's most admired cuisines home to your table.

Like its cousin, Essentials of Grilling, Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Baking is the ultimate sourcebook for the modern home baker.Whether creating easy muffins and quickbreads, artisan-style yeast loaves, or special occasion cakes and pastries, the reader will find what they need within the pages of the book.Over 130 recipes for contemporary baked goods will be supplemented with thorough discussions of basic baking equipment, ingredients, fundamental baking techniques, and instructions for preparing dessert sauces, fillings, frostings, glazes and other adornments.

Reveals the what, why, and how behind key kitchen techniques (e.g., sautÉing, frying, grilling, roasting, braising, etc.) to get the most from your stove top, oven and grill through 170 easy-to-prepare recipes plus step-by-step instructions.

Essentials of Mediterranean Cooking begins with an overview of the rich history of the region and the many elements that have come together to create one of the world‚Äôs first‚Äîand best‚Äîfusion cuisines. The featured countries are showcased with a discussion of their iconic foods and a list of their specialties, from the bouillabaisse of Provence to the tagines of North Africa. A section on the Mediterranean diet explains the benefits of this traditional way of eating, with its emphasis on vegetables, grains, and seafood. Five chapters, with some 130 recipes drawn from the more than one dozen countries that ring the Mediterranean, are organized by courses. The exquisitely photographed dishes range from simple, earthy Spanish gazpacho to such showstopping main courses as Moroccan chicken bisteeya. The final chapter holds a wealth of seductive finales, including a pistachio-laced gelato from Italy and a lemon-and-lavender-scented granitv© from France. Detailed instructions and step-by-step photographs explain such basic techniques as working with filo dough and making romesco sauce. An informative glossary with culinary terms and ingredients completes this indispensable introduction to the cuisines of the Mediterranean.

Provides recipes for a variety of muffins, including fruit muffins, vegetable muffins, coffee cakes, and loaf breads.

Mexico's rich and diverse culinary traditions include countless complex and vibrant dishes. In these pages, you will find recipes that capture the best of the cuisine, from mole poblano, a long-simmered blend of chiles, seeds, and spices, to bright-flavored ceviche dressed with fresh citrus juice. A chapter on desserts also tempts, whether you crave chocolate cake with chile-infused whipped cream or coffee and KahlÚa flan. Williams-Sonoma Collection Mexican offers more than 40 recipes, including well-loved classics and many other timeless dishes. For a casual dinner, fill warm corn tortillas with tender morsels of carnitas or chunks of fresh fish lightly fried to a crisp golden brown. Or, plan a summer supper of watercress salad tossed with orange, jicama, and avocado; creamy corn and poblano chile soup; and delicate sea bass topped with salsa verde. Versatile and delicious, Mexican food is always irresistible. Full-color photographs of each dish help you decide which one to prepare, and each recipe is accompanied by a photographic side note that highlights a key ingredient or technique, making Mexican more than just a superb collection of recipes. Including all the basics and an extensive glossary, this essential volume will help you create and enjoy many delicious Mexican meals.

Expanding on the success of the Williams-Sonoma Essentials series, Essentials of Italian is the series' first foray into the realm of international cuisine. The book reveals the secrets that regional Italian cooks have known for ages for preparing simple, flavorful meals. The book opens with a thorough discussion of the culinary traditions for which Italy is famous, with information on ingredients and dishes that define each region. Beautifully photographed recipes rely on only the best ingredients. Features: Over 130 delicious classic Italian recipes; full-color photography Suggestions for alternative ingredients, recipe variations, and accompaniments Comprehensive glossary of ingredients and culinary terminology