Junior's Cheesecake Cookbook: 50 To-Die-For Recipes for New York-Style Cheesecake Review

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(More customer reviews)When it comes to the United States, New York seems THE place to live and eat!! From yet another delicious food emporium, comes a new classic to place on your bookshelf. I can't believe it was possible to come up with cheesecake recipes that could beat any of the usual tasty standards, but to my fellow cheeseheads, this is it!! I have already made several for my family and friends, and they have all raved over the taste and texture.
The book is a heavy ode to that lovely brick of cheese that can make the pickiest tastebud take notice. The physical layout of the book itself reminds you of the old soda parlors with it glossy cover of bright white and dairy-red color, then it draws you into it's pages with sharp, clear photography. One of the pleasant surprises contained are the sidebars of hints and suggestions for making these cakes the finest in texture and flavor. They begin with the essentials of cheesecake baking with every detail covered to ensure your success from the right type of cream cheese needed to the pans to bake them in, to water baths to ensure their creaminess. Then they begin with the fabulous recipes. The writing is straight and simple for the home baker, yet professional enough for an accomplished baker. And by the way, realize that these are not for the dieting, health-conscious, low-fat eater; more for those who wisely have a pair of elastic waist pants.
Junior's is a family restaurant in Brooklyn, New York that opened in the 1950's, though it acutally got started several decades earlier, under another form of restaurant, by Grandpa Henry Rosen around 1929. It was in the 50's, that the official Junior's was christened. This wonderful story of family, dedication, and hard work is just part of the threads of history that are woven into the story of Junior's in the first section. The book breaks down into:
THE STORY OF JUNIOR'S CHEESECAKE
JUNIOR'S CHEESECAKE 101 (how to make the 4 different types of angelic crusts, fillings, how to bake it, garnishes/topping, problem solving, preparing the pans, etc.)
JUNIOR'S FAVORITES:
Original New York Style Cheesecake (the absolute BEST, creamiest cake)
Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake
Fresh Strawberry Cheesecake with Macaroon Crunch
Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
Cappuccino Cheesecake (caffeine addicts unite!)
Peanut Butter & Jelly Cheesecake
Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
Peanut Butter Swirl Cheesecake
CHEESECAKES WITH FRUIT:
White Chocolate & Raspberry Swirl (sweet but w/ a raspberry sharpness)
Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake
Junior's Cheesecake Tart (a very beautiful presentation)
Key Lime Mousse Cheesecake
Apple Caramel Cheesecake
Cherry Crumb Cheesecake
Peaches & Cream Cheesecake (chunks of peaches hidden within)
CELEBRATION CHEEECAKES:
Cherry Heart Cheesecake
Creme de Menthe Cheesecake (very clean and refreshing flavor)
Easter Egg
Banana Fudge Cheesecake
Stars and Stripes
Tiramisu Cheesecake (an excellent compromise for regular Tiramisu)
White Chocolate & Cranberry Holiday Cake
Pumpkin Mousse Cheesecake
Christmas Tree
Black Forest Cheesecake
WE LOVE CHEESECAKE (brace yourselves):
Triple Chocolate Cheesecake
Brownie Swirl (brownie crust; what a great idea!)
Chocolate Marble Cheesecake
Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake (a heavenly cloud of airy chocolate!)
Chocolate Crunch Cheesecake
Chocolate, Caramel, & Walnut Cheesecake
Candy Bar Explosion
Heath bar Cheesecake
Rocky Road Cheesecake (ice cream's cousin)
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake
LITTLE FELLA'S (this is a wonderful chapter on how to create mini-cheesecakes to help with appetite temptations, party size needs, etc):
Little Fella's (plain version)
Little Fella's Chocolate Swirls
Little Fella's Raspberry Swirls
Little Fella's Strawberry Swirls
Cappuccino Little Fella's
Peaches & Cream Little Fella's
Key Lime Little Fella's
Carrot Cake Little Fella's
SKYSCRAPER CHEESECAKES (these are cakes WITHIN cakes!):
Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake
Boston Cream Pie Cheesecake
Carrot Cake Cheesecake
German Chocolate Cheesecake
Lemon Coconut Cheesecake (get this: cheesecake, spongecake, lemon-filling, and flaked coconut; mercy!)
Devil's Food Cheesecake
Am I tripping over myself to describe this cookbook? You bet! And I really feel that you will too once you make just one of these yummy, creamy, heavenly decadent temptations.

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Baked: New Frontiers in Baking Review

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(More customer reviews)I first saw Baked: New Frontiers in Baking while on vacation. My willpower not to buy any more baking books lasted for exactly one week until I swooped into my local bookstore, drooled, purchased, raced home, and whipped up a killer batch of the Baked Brownie. The balance of chocolate (11 ounces), butter (two sticks), a dash of espresso powder, a mix of granulated and brown sugar, and a hefty dose of eggs (five) give this brownie the ideal texture: the perfect marriage of fudgy and cakey without being runny or dense.
The next recipe I tried was the pumpkin chocolate chip loaf (the recipe makes two loaves). A seemingly straightforward blend of canned pumpkin puree, spices (allspice, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg), and chocolate, the complex flavors of spice and pumpkin were complementary without overwhelming. Although the recipe calls for one cup of vegetable oil, you also dilute it with 2/3-cup tap water, so the bread is pleasantly moist without being greasy or oily (I've had that happen all too many times in many quick breads).
Next on my list was the Brewer's Blondie, a hopped-up blend of of malt powder, malt balls, semisweet chocolate, and walnuts. Bars are one of Baked's strengths, including a decadent grown-up Rice Krispy bar, the elegant Honeycomb Bar (sweet tart dough topped with dried fruit, honey, and a shot of booze), S'more nut bars, and the Baked bar. There are also more complicated layer cakes (chocolate malt, chocolate/caramel/sea salt, Whiteout, Red Velvet), cookies, and breakfast treats such as scones, granola (yay, finally a low-oil granola full of fruit!), and quick breads. Pies and tarts? Feast on Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie, Tuscaloosa Tollhouse Pie, Peanut Butter Pie with Cookie Crust and Easy Fudge Sauce, and Classic Diner-Style Chocolate Pie.
Baked has been featured on Martha Stewart, Oprah (their Baked Brownie had a centerfold spread in O), and on several high-profile shows, but does Baked live up to its claims of being revolutionary? That's a more difficult cookie to crumble. Sure, there are gourmet additions such as matcha, chipotle, and fleur de sel, but most of the Baked repertoire is firmly descended from comfort cooking, such as the Root Beer Cake, a modern update on the Southern staple Coca-Cola (or Dr. Pepper) cake, or the red velvet spiced up with Red Hots. Ditto on the divine Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie. It's still amazing, whether or not it's smashing any new culinary boundaries.
Even if you never cook a single recipe from Baked, the clever graphics (garden gnomes, plastic deer perched on a mound of fluffy coconut snow), useful sidebars (including variations), and notes make this a great investment. This is my favorite cookbook of 2008, and I hope that it will become yours as well.

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As featured on The Martha Stewart Show and The Today Show and in People Magazine!

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