Cook books have been almost an obsession with me; like shoes for some women, I want every one I see. You might say the shelf has been full for sometime so I've tried to slow down and carefully select any new cook books. My latest addition is a must for any cook. Dorie Greenspan's Baking from My Home to Yours, a literal Bible for baking.
If you are not familiar with Dorie, she is also the author of Baking with Julia — you know, as in Julia Child — the book that went with Julia's PBS Television Series. Dorie has won numerous James Beard and IACA awards for her many cookbooks. Baking from My Home to Yours was published in 2006, "I was thrilled to be able to write this book because it gave me the chance to share the recipes I'd made and the things I'd learned over 30 years of baking at home and in the kitchens of some of the best chefs in America and France," says Dorie.
Well, I am fully taken in by this comprehensive book; it has already made me a better baker. I've been making the same Toll House cookies for nearly 30 years -- don't do the math; it will make your brain hurt. Anyway, my variance in the cookies was to add nuts or make them without nuts. Not all that clever or inventive, especially for a so-called food blogger. Dorie lists four variations to her magnificent cookies, which she calls My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies. My favorite variation is the addition of espresso powder. It elevates the everyday chocolate chip cookie to something special. The same has been true with every recipe I try from the book.
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