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by Adrienne Petterson © 2007     About Me

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Baking Boot Camp - Five Days of Basic Training at The Culinary Institute of America
with Darra Goldstein
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
ISBN 0-7645-7279-1
Published February 2007 - Hardcover - 277 pages - $29.95

Not being much of a baker myself, I was keen to see what was on offer in this book.  Darra Goldstein takes us through the 5-day-long boot camp (you can do baking or pastry, or both) at the CIA in upstate New York.  You might think that baking's not that technical, but you'd be wrong.  Dead wrong.  Very boot camp it was (read: precise), as lessons started at 7.00 am sharp, after breakfast.  Kitted out with a few utensils and much enthusiasm, the course began with Darra having to make Cranberry Bread and Chocolate Chunk Cookies - other groups had Pound Cake or Zucchini Bread (and cookies) to make.  Weighing rather than measuring is the preferred method, and according to the Culinary Institute of America, "the Magic of baking lies in the chemical reactions that take place among ingredients, which will bubble, curdle, or turn silken or billowy depending on how you handle them."  Who knew!  The methods are interesting and you learn about using leaveners, about liquefiers and stabiliziers, and emulsions.  Not only did the students learn about baking and pastry-making, they got to eat out locally as well.  Chapters include: The Creaming Method; The Rubbed Dough Method; Enriched Doughs; Lean Doughs; Custards; The Foaming Method; Puff Pastry; Mousse and Bavarian Cream; Quick and Elegant Desserts, and What We Baked.  You'll learn to make lattice pie tops; braided loaves; mousse; breads; cheddar jalapeño biscuits; Angel Food Cake; baguettes; Chocolate Brownie Cheesecake; Crème Caramel, and many other mouthwatering delights.  The more techniques you learn about baking, the better your food will turn out.  Partially illustrated.  No nutritional guides.
Conclusion - A wonderful introduction into baking.  If you're brave enough, you can sign up for this course.

book cover


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