Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

After a bit of confusion over a gift certificate I received for my birthday a couple of months back I found myself with a rather nice Amazon credit. It took some thought, but since I have been having great fun watching episodes of The Great British Bake Off on Youtube, one of the things that I finally settled on was The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake: The Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets. I've spent the last month reading every word, comparing the book to a number of other "How to Bake" books in my collection and, of course, baking. Here's what I've found. The book is nicely laid out, uses an easy-to-read font and features lots of pictures, one for nearly every recipe in the book. Divided into eight chapters (Cakes, Biscuits & Teatime Treats, Bread, Pies & Savoury Pastry, Tarts & Sweet Pastry, Patisserie, Puddings & Desserts, and Celebration Cakes), each section highlights two recipes for detailed instructions that include step-by-step photos - a basic How To, and one that is more advanced. The book uses metric measurements in the UK style (spices and small amounts are given in the same teaspoons and tablespoons that we use), so you will need a digital scale. If you've not yet acquired one, good scales can be had these days for a very moderate cost. ($20 or so.) Liquid measures are in ml, which you will find on one side of your Pyrex glass measuring cup (been there for years - a couple of decades) as well as most other liquid measuring cups available in the US these days. I spent the weekend having a Bake Off of my own, specifically testing recipes and taking notes in preparation for several reviews. Let me tell you about the recipes that I tried from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake: The Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets TEST RECIPE 1 - GOLDEN APRICOT AND MARZIPAN LOAF In choosing recipes to test, I tried to use things that I already had in the pantry. Since I had a block of marzipan that was approaching the time it needed to be used, Golden Apricot and Marzipan Loaf was an easy choice. This is a very easy to put together cake that you bake in a loaf pan, chock full of golden raisins (sultanas), bits of dried apricot and little cubes of marzipan. Gorgeous when sliced and utterly delicious with a cup of plain tea, the cake requires but one bowl and no mixer. It keeps well for about five days or could be frozen. The cake is labeled as both Easy for Children to make and Suitable for Celebrations. Grandma absolutely agrees! This is one of the few recipes in the book that calls for golden caster sugar, which isn't readily available in the US. I used Florida Crystals Natural Cane Sugar instead. The complete list of recipes included in the Cakes chapter can be seen in the Look Inside feature at the top of the page. Note that UK cakes tend to be smaller and less sweet than cakes on this side of the pond. Caster sugar is called Superfine or Bartender's here and it is NOT the same as granulated sugar, but much finer to absorb more readily. Icing sugar is the same as confectioner's sugar. Plain flour is all purpose flour. Self raising (self rising) flour is the same. Sultanas (called for in the Golden Apricot & Marzipan cake, among others) are golden raisins. TEST RECIPE 2 - SPICY CHICKEN PASTIES Our British cousins have a long tradition of pie-making using savoury ingredients that has been more or less overlooked here in the US. The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake: The Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets features an entire chapter of savoury pies, virtually all of which look scrumptious, so I wanted to try one of these. Britain, of course, ruled India for a couple of centuries and the flavors of the British Raj are extremely popular in the UK, to the point that curry is said to be the national dish. Spicy Chicken Pasties reflect that heritage with a bright yellow crust and a mildly spiced chicken filling highlighted with a dab of mango chutney. The pastry for these Spicy Chicken Pasties is identical to the pie pastry I've been making for 50 years or so, save for the addition of a half-teaspoon of turmeric, which gives the finished dough a bright yellow color that is just stunning when cooked. The filling required so little in the way of expensive ingredients that I was surprised - about 1/3 of a pound of boneless chicken breast and 3 tablespoons of yogurt plus a dab of garlic, fresh ginger and a couple of spices - perfect for using up that last piece of chicken breast or providing a meat dish for six for pennies a serving. The recipe said that it would make 6 turnovers. I got 8. (The saucer I used for a pattern was probably slightly small.) This was not a labor intensive recipe at all. I made the dough for the crust and put the chicken to marinate the night before I made the pasties, then cooked the filling (it goes under the broiler for a couple of minutes) the following morning. I cannot tell you how good Spicy Chicken Pasties are! Let's just say I was in no rush to call anyone up and ask them around to share. These would be fantastic as part of a picnic lunch or, cut smaller, would make stunning finger food for a party. (Do note if you decide to go that route that the chicken filling is not entirely cooked through when you fill the pasties, so they need to be assembled at close to the last minute, though they do also reheat well.) Would I make these again? Oh yes - probably this afternoon! These are to-die-for good, 10 out of 10. Other recipes in the Pies & Savoury Pastry chapter include - Shortcrust Pastry - identical to that I've made most of my life Beef & Red Wine Pie Filling Stilton, Potato and Caramelised Onion Pie Paul's Pork Pies with Quail Eggs - neat little "hand pies" baked in muffin tins, Step-by-step Photos Spicy Chicken Pasties - TEST RECIPE Somerset Pork and Apple Pie Stilton, Spinach and New Potato Quiche Salmon and Pak Choi (boy choy) Quiche Smoked Haddock and Watercress Quiche Warm Crab Tart Rich Beef Casserole with Dumplings Three Cheese and Spinach Pie* - an unusual take on Spanikopita that uses feta, Parmesan and ricotta cheeses Mushroom and Gorgonzola Twist* Recipes marked with an asterisk use purchased filo dough instead of shortcrust pastry. TEST RECIPE 3 - MARY'S CHOCOLATE ROULADE Mary's Chocolate Roulade is the Technical Challenge recipe from the Puddings & Desserts chapter of the book. Chocolate cake rolled around a whipped cream filling, it looks spectacular - glamorous, delicious and difficult. Nothing could be further from the truth! I chose to make this because Chocolate Roulade is a recipe that I already knew how to make. Some years ago I happened to be sitting around watching Julia Child reruns. Julia whipped up one of these Chocolate Roulades in about ten minutes flat and made it look so easy I said to myself "I can do that!", went into the kitchen and did. If you never in your entire life learn to bake anything else, add Chocolate Roulade to your repertoire. Mary's recipe is nearly identical to mine. Chocolate Roulade requires almost nothing in the way of ingredients - some chocolate, a bit of sugar and some eggs. (Some recipes, including Mary's, include a couple of tablespoons of cocoa powder.) With no flour, this is an ideal recipe to serve your gluten-free friends and with no butter it is reasonably "safe" for dieters & others watching their weight. (You could, though it would be almost criminal, substitute a low-fat "whipped topping" for the whipped cream filling. The one thing you have to watch with Chocolate Roulade is that it is very thin and thus it is quite easy to overbake, so do keep a close eye on it. And start checking early. The recipe in the book says baking time is 20-25 minutes. In my oven it is about 16. That said, if you do overbake it a tad all is not lost. If the roll cracks too much (a little bit of cracking is normal) to look lovely on the plate, grab some pretty glasses, chunk up the roulade (you'll have lovely little "sandwiches" of cake and cream), pile the chunks into the glasses and drizzle a teeny bit of fudge sauce over. Nobody will ever know you didn't plan it that way! Other recipes in the Puddings And Desserts chapter include - How to make perfect Meringues Pavlova with Mango and Passionfruit Warm Chocolate Mousse Cake Double Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Rum and Raising Baked Cheesecake Rhubarb and Ginger Baked Cheesecake Mary's Chocolate Roulade - TEST RECIPE, Step-by-step photos Chocolate Mousse Lemon Ice Cream Meringue Pie Hot Lemon Curd Soufflé Fresh Raspberry Sauce Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding Peach and Ginger Cobbler Chocolate Fudge Hot-Pot Pudding Queen of Sheba - flour-less chocolate cake, Julia Child's favorite Recipes from the other chapters in the book - BISCUITS & TEATIME TREATS Mary's Brandy Snaps - step-by-step photos included Almond Tuiles - step-by-step photos included Walnut Crumbles Royal Icing for Piping Iced Lemon Biscuits Melting Moments - different than the US version, sandwiched together with filling Chocolate Chunk Cookies Christmas Shortbread and Marzipan Biscuits Stem Ginger Shortbread (Stem ginger is ginger in syrup) Double Chocolate Buns Drop Scones - cooked on a griddle Chocolate Crackles Two-chocolate Zebras - striped cookies in dark and white chocolate Piña Colada Macaroons (French style) Mojito Macaroons Cranberry Cooler Macaroons Banana and Almond Slice Little Stem Ginger Gingerbreads Carrot and Pistachio Traybake Coffee and Walnut Traybake Sticky Maple-Apple Traybake Coconut Macaroons - little pyramids of finely flaked coconut, dipped in chocolate Oat and Raisin Biscuits Mint Chocolate Macaroons Florentines A bit of "translation" here - a traybake is what we would call a sheet cake here in the US. Biscuits are cookies. Slices are what we would call bar cookies. Stem ginger is generally unavailable in the US. I would substitute either candied ginger or Pickled Watermelon Rind. BREAD White Loaf - How to with step by step photos Cheese and Onion Tear and Share Loaf A Good Rustic Loaf - Wholegrain or spelt flour Glazes and Toppings - can be used for a variety of breads to make your's unique Old Fashioned London Loaf Paul's Focaccia - Step by step photos Picnic Loaf - two fillings, one sweet, one savory so you get some of each in every slice Sweet Coconut Rolls Black Olive and Thyme Bread Monkey Bread Pizza Rum Babas Hazelnut, Apricot and Honey Wholemeal* Loaf Sticky Buns * Wholemeal flour is whole wheat flour Strong flour is bread flour. TARTS AND SWEET PASTRY Mary's Tart Au Citron Blueberry Bakewell Tarts Quick Apple Tarts Chocolate, Fennel and Ginger Tarts Strawberry & Pistachio Tart Elderflower and Honeycomb Tarts Mud Pie Rhubarb Meringue Pie Sticky Walnut Tart Apple Beehives Simply Good Apple Pie Warm Cherry Crumble Pie Tarte Tatin PATISSERIE Puff Pastry - How To with step by step photos Millefeuilles with Raspberries - crisp puff pastry layered with whipped cream & raspberries Palm Leaves and Almond Straws Home-made Buttery Croissants Ham and Cheese Croissants Almond Croissants Chocolate Croissants Danish Pastries - includes photos and directions for a variety of shapes Raisin, Banana and Chocolate Pastries Choux Pastry Éclairs Profiteroles - ("cream puffs") Almond Filling Chantilly Cream Pastry Cream Limoncello and White Chocolate Croquembouche Paul's Iced Fingers Chocolate Orange Mousse Cake CELEBRATION CAKES Large Iced Fruitcake - How To with Step by Step photos, also covering the cake in marzipan & rolled icing Simnel Cake Yule Log Twelfth Night King Cake Panettone Mincemeat Lattice Tart Christmas Pudding A Celebration Sherry Trifle Rich Vanilla Cup Cakes Chocolate Velvet Cup Cakes Very Lemony Cup Cakes Easy Vanilla or Lemon Icing Chocolate Fudge Frosting Making A Party Cake - directions & quantities for a tiered cake Maple and Marshmallow Fluff Chocolate and Raspberry Opera Cake Grandma's $0.02 - Every single recipe that I've tried has been both scrumptious and successful. Recipes for the more complicated items are spot-on. One of the, perhaps THE, very best How To Bake books that I've ever seen, a book I'll use regularly for years to come. You won't go wrong with this one. Very Highly Recommended