Home Page

Autobiography / Biography   Travel / Places   Cooking / Food   Fashion / Health / Beauty   Other / General / Self-Help   Crafts / Home Improvement   Humor
Wildlife Greeting Cards   Pet Photography

Junior's Dessert Cookbook - 75 Recipes for Cheesecakes, Pies, Cookies, Cakes and More
by Alan Rosen and Beth Allen
The Taunton Press
ISBN 978-60085-392-0
Published October 2011 - Hardcover - 188 pages - $24.95

Personally, I'd never heard of Junior's, so it was interesting reading about the Rosen family and their restaurant business which started back in the late 1920s.  In 1973 Junior's was the "Champion Cheesecake of all Cheesecakes in NYC," and things have never been the same since.  I do love cheesecakes, and just looking at the beautiful photos, my mouth started watering uncontrollably.  Cheesecake has got to be the cake of the gods!  The very first recipe in this book is for "Junior's Original New York Cheesecake", complete with the sponge-cake crust.  The next recipe is for Tiramisu Charlotte, also with a sponge-cake crust, but with a hint of espresso.  Each recipe has step-by-step details to make the perfect cake, and along the way there are also tips (The Junior's Way) which are useful to know.  You can also try your hand at making malts and sundaes and shakes (their triple-rich chocolate malted milk sounds divine), and if you fancy a dessert for supper, how about their Junior's Banana Split?  A meal in itself.  You'd have to be a master builder or master chef to be able to make their layer cake (that's why we leave it to the experts and go out for cakes!), but their Grandma's Lemon Loaf sounds easy enough.  I can almost taste the heavenly taste of fresh lemon.  Other recipes that appealed to me include Junior's Rugelach and their Toasted Coconut Custard Tartlets.  There is also a section with sugar-free cakes, so you don't have to be left out if you're on a diet or can't eat sugar.  The problem and solution section at the back of the book is particularly helpful, especially for those new to baking.
Beautifully illustrated.  No nutritional guides.  (You don't want to know!)
Conclusion - A stunning selection of store-like desserts to try at home.  You'll look like a pro if you present any of these.