First up is pastry chef and author Regan Daley with her new comprehensive baker’s companion – In The Sweet Kitchen
In the Sweet Kitchen truly is the definitive guide to the baker’s pantry. While many cookbooks include chapters on tools and ingredients, Regan Daley’s award-winning tome begins with almost 400 pages of introductory information. From her descriptions of ingredients to explanations of food science, it’s clear Daley’s done her research, and she offers a wealth of information as reference for both the professional and the novice. She covers every ingredient in a baker’s pantry, from flours and sugars to eggs, fruits, nuts, spices, and flavorings, in a way that is both interesting and informative. She discusses how to choose them, use them, and why they do the things they do. She’s tested tools and shopped around, and even recommends price points for your purchases. She explains myriad techniques, such as how to cook sugar and icing and assemble layer cakes. The writing is clear and intelligent and the instructions are easy to follow.
If she’d stopped at 400 pages, this would already be a must-have for anyone at all interested in the sweet side of the kitchen–but there’s more. Daley’s collection of recipes follows, and they cover the gamut from simple and straightforward to seductive and exciting. Some are actually quite complicated, but her explanations and descriptions of each step ensure success. Many recipes feature a flavor twist that will take your breath away, such as the Sweet Potato Layer Cake with Rum-Plumped Raisins and a Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting, Lemon Anise Churros, and Caramelized Banana Tart with a Lime Linzer Crust and a Warm Caramel Sauce. Other recipes bring back childhood memories, such as her All-in-the-Pan Chewy Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Butter Icing (mixed right in the baking pan) and Wild Blueberry Pie. This exhaustive volume was the 2001 IACP Cookbook of the Year, an award that it richly deserves. Make a place on your kitchen bookshelf for In the Sweet Kitchen–it’s one cookbook that you shouldn’t live without. –Leora Y. Bloom – Amazon.com
In the second half I’ll be talking to Jamie and Carter Green, husband and wife members of “The Mudbugs” a local Cajun and Zydeco band that is taking the Midwest by storm. You may have seen them at the Wichita Riverfest this year and if your lucky you got one of the just released CD’s – get you one now at: www.mudbugsband.com
Band members are:
Carter Green – Fiddle, Vocals
Greg Ewing – Accordion, Vocals
Erin Craddock – Triangle, Vocals
Brian Cochran – Guitar
Adam Ewing (AKA Ea$y Money) – 5 string Electric Upright Bass
Jaime Green – Drums
Juliah Ewing – Washboard
The Good Life Guy Wine of the Week:
2008 Wallace Brook Pinot Grigio from Oregons Willamette Valley
White-gold in color, the wine abounds in citrus, mineral and floral aromas. The fruit is nicely lean and tart, with some citrus flavors. It’s steely personality and good acidity make it an elegantly austere winer in a European style. Perfect with a little spice and cajun food 😉