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Gale Gand's Just a Bite: 125 Luscious Little Desserts [Hardcover]

Gale Gand , Julia Moskin , Tim Turner
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)


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Book Description

October 23, 2001
Sweets. As kids, we could never get enough, and anything sugary, gooey, and good was gratefully devoured. As adults, we give a polite “no thank you” when a dessert tray passes by, or take but a sliver of cake if offered, showing restraint that would make any ten-year-old incredulous. Well, that’s not fair. Why should kids get all the fun? Now, adults can have the best of both worlds.

Gale Gand’s Just a Bite is equal parts kitchen-table, kid-giggling joy and uptown, grown-up chic. Award-winning pastry chef Gale Gand has collected the recipes from her Food Network show Sweet Dreams and renowned restaurant Tru into a book that is as charming and accessible as the author herself. These recipes aren’t just for the expert baker or pastry connoisseur but also for the everyday cook looking to lighten up the end of a meal, or even replace the ubiquitous brownie with, say, Banana Brûlée Spoonfuls. With easy-to-follow instructions, a handful of ingredients, and a craving for fun, you’ll be whipping up Devil’s Peaks with Double-Chocolate Drizzle and popping them in your mouth before, as a kid, you could have licked the frosting beater clean.

Gale has also assembled a mini-menu of sorts for her delectables. Called the Tasting Trio, three of the treats are served together for maximum, sweet tooth bliss. Combinations like Bomb Poppers, Marshmallow Moons, and Butterfly Cupcakes; or Orange-Vanilla “Fried Eggs” on Cinnamon Toast, Meringue Cigarettes, and Mini Granita Watermelons. Or try your own assortments, putting together yummys like Stained-Glass Cookies and Fig Nortons with Peanut Butter Cookie—Grape Jelly Ice Cream Sandwiches and Mini Root Beer Floats. The possibilities are endless and the flavors . . . wow, with flavors like this, who needs to be a kid again?


Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Once upon a time there were petit fours--delicious morsels to be enjoyed as, or after, dessert. Today, there are minidesserts like Marshmallow Moons and Banana Brûlée Spoonfuls, at least according to Gale Gand's Just a Bite. Gale Gand and Julia Moskin's 125 accessible recipes provide a captivating variety of cookie, cake, and candy nibbles. Gand, whose recipes come from her Food Network show, Sweet Dreams, and Chicago restaurant Tru, knows her stuff well enough to have serious fun; readers will be delighted by her bites, which can be served at or away from the table.

The recipes range from reborn childhood classics, such as Caramel-Orange Rice Crisps, and animal crackers made with five-spice powder to traditional grown-up favorites such as Orange Tuiles and the extraordinary, custardy cake Cannelés. Present also are inventive extravaganzas, including Chocolate-Almond Fondue with Cake Cubes and Bite-Size Cheesecakes on Lemon-Pepper-Cornmeal Crusts. Candy lovers will be particularly excited by Gand's Chocolate-Caramel Cigarillos and Peppermint Stick-White Chocolate Bark, which take candy in a sophisticated yet approachable direction. (You can leave the candy thermometer in the drawer.) With a succinctly useful section on basics, and color photos, the book is both innovative and tempting. --Arthur Boehm

From Library Journal

Gand, the pastry chef of Chicago's acclaimed Tru restaurant, is also the host of Sweet Dreams, a popular Food Network series. Her last book was Butter Sugar Flour Eggs; here she presents recipes for the "bite-size" (or two- or three-bite size) desserts she serves on her "Tasting Trio" plates though each one could also be served on its own. Gand loves miniature sweets "a combination of dessert and toy" but flavor is all-important. Her recipes are organized by categories of "bites" Cookie Bites, Creamy Bites, Frozen Bites, etc. with color photographs of such delectable creations as Banana Brul?e Spoonfuls, Tiny Lemon Angel Cakes, and Taffy Lady Apples. For all baking collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Clarkson Potter; 1 edition (October 23, 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0609608258
  • ISBN-13: 978-0609608258
  • Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 1.2 x 9.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #228,302 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

My only problem with this book is that it leaves you wanting more! Avid Reader  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement
This cookbook is a great resource for people planning parties. "liono"  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement
First and foremost, I highly recommend this book. S. Mark  |  1 reviewer made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
42 of 42 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Miniature desserts, huge results December 30, 2001
By Laume
Format:Hardcover
Sometimes the prices of cookbooks are enough to make a person question if its worth it. You think will I use it enough? Gale Gand has put together a wonderful cookbook featuring little desserts that pack a big punch. They are wonderfully organized into catergories such as: cheese bites, fruit bites, chocolate bites, candy bites and so forth. It makes it incredibly easy to find a recipe, just based on what you're craving! Not only is this cookbook good for the home baker and professional alike, you can whip up something to serve after a dinner for four or ten.

It's true, there are not pictures for each recipe, and while this usually bothers me, Gale Gand puts everything into simple to understand language that pictures aren't necessary, or missed. In addition, you can turn on the television at any time to her show "sweet dreams" on the food network and see her make any of her desserts from any of her three cookbooks. This book is wonderful, I look forward to making every last thing in it.

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37 of 38 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Great Presenation November 20, 2002
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
I felt the presentation of this book was great and there are a lot of unique recipies. I did try to make the blueberry shortbread and had a problem with it. The consistancy was just not there. After reading someone's else's review here on Amazon, I see I was not the only one who had a problem and perhaps there was something left out of the recipie?
I also tried the cake on the front cover which everyone did love, but I have to say that it made way more cake batter than the pan size and even though I didn't use it all it overflowed all over the oven. I would say that this cookbook may be for someone with a little more experience than a beginner who is not used to anticipating or judging when things don't look quite right! The choc. cake and topping was a big hit though regardless of the big mess in my stove!!
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Great ideas for parties! October 29, 2001
By "liono"
Format:Hardcover
This cookbook is a great resource for people planning parties. Most of the recipes are miniature desserts that are very easy to make and fun to eat. The best part is that they are very impressive looking. I especially love the Pansy Petal Lollipops and the Chocolate Mint Tiddlywinks. You can make 3 or 4 different desserts for a party. Gale Gand writes clear intructions and also gives suggestions for desserts that taste great together. The results are delicious! Check out her other cookbooks for more great desserts.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Great author, questionable editing? May 23, 2002
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have to say the ideas in this book are so ADORABLE and fun, several made me laugh out loud and hope I have girl children one day. I made one recipe (Lemon Cream Daisies) w/no problems & to great acclaim. But today I tried Lemon Angel Food Cakes w/Lemon Confit, & found a possible typo - ? - or just a mistake: The cake batter recipe is supposed to make 24 mini-muffins. For me it made 24 mini, plus 24 regular muffins! (I can only guess they're supposed to be all regular size?) At least they do taste good. Anyway, add this to the caution from another person who noted wrong amount of butter in the blueberry shortbread recipe... Questionable editing, I guess, but I still think the author is a sugar genius.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars perfection marred - please please re-edit and re-issue! September 15, 2002
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
i love the pictures. love the trio suggestions. her instructions are detailed and clear. i love that the baking supplies necessary are noted in the margin of the recipe so one doesn't need to go searching in the middle of a recipe. most of my desserts came out superb.
however, i also found a mistake - the twinkle twinkies don't quite puff up enough to fill a 9x13 pan. they were flat so i used a 9x9 pan instead. anyway, it was a great idea and tasted fine but the ingredient list needs to be rechecked.
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29 of 34 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars fun to read, but found an error February 24, 2002
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
This book is fun to read and really makes you want to bake. However, when I made a recipe this weekend, I did find an error. The blueberry shortbread recipe calls for one stick of butter but needs two. I made the recipe using one stick and the dough didn't come together at all. Something was obviously wrong. So I checked a similar recipe that Gale Gand contributed to Baking with Julia and it called for twice the amount of butter. I added another stick and the cookies turned out great.

All in all, though, this cookbook is worth getting just for all the great ideas. But if you make the blueberry shortbread, double the butter.

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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars perfection marred - please please re-edit and re-issue! September 15, 2002
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
i love the pictures. love the trio suggestions. her instructions are detailed and clear. i love that the baking supplies necessary are noted in the margin of the recipe so one doesn't need to go searching in the middle of a recipe. most of my desserts came out superb.
however, i also found a mistake - the twinkle twinkies don't quite puff up enough to fill a 9x13 pan. they were flat so i used a 9x9 pan instead. anyway, it was a great idea and tasted fine but the ingredient list needs to be rechecked.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Little is More in the Case of These Desserts April 17, 2002
Format:Hardcover
Here is a wealth of info on reducing serving portions for dessert, but with the added suggestion on each recipe of three combos served as a tasting menu.

How about Bread Puddings with Orange Marmalade, Mint-Chocolate Chip Meringues and Roasted Strawberries with Cherry Balsalmic Sauce? Or Cherry Charlottes, Cinnamon Peanut Brittle and Tiny Lemon Angel Cakes with Lemon Confit.

My favorte trios: Raisin-Anise Biscotti, Canneles, and Taffy Lady Apples; Red, White and Blueberry Salad, Myrna's Toasted Cocunut-Chocolate Bars and Petit Popovers with Peach Butter.

Gale knows her subject matter, intense with excitement and skill about it and also is passionate about passing this love of dessert making and creativity on to the rest of us.

Finally, got to try "Chocolate Raspberry Pot Pies" "Parfaits of Tangerine Sorbet and Sour-Cream Ice Cream" and "Blackberry Brown-Butter Financiers."

Go crazy, this is just a motherload of great dessert offerings you'll not find in anyother place.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Resource
The hardest part of making anything from this book is choosing what to make. The pictures make you want to bite the page, the instructions are easy to follow, and the nideas are a... Read more
Published 3 months ago by T. C. Fahres
5.0 out of 5 stars More, More, More!
My only problem with this book is that it leaves you wanting more! Gale Gand is the best! What else can I say? Read more
Published 6 months ago by Avid Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars You really can't have "Just a Bite" of any of these recipes!
I love all the recipes in this book. All the ones work really well for me. I especially love the Canelle recipe. Read more
Published 8 months ago by SonoT_T
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Party/Shower Resource!
Regardless of your occasion, theme, party size, budget and diet restrictions you're almost certain to find some great menu ideas in Just a Bite! Read more
Published on April 26, 2011 by Burgundy Damsel
2.0 out of 5 stars returned
After looking through this book, I found these weren't the types of recipes I woul make. It was a nice book, just not what I was looking for.
Published on August 8, 2008 by Auntie Em
4.0 out of 5 stars Gale Gand's Just a Bite
Good ideas in this book. I only wish all the recipes were listed in the index and that the trios were referenced with a page number.
Published on January 18, 2005 by B. Ricci
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic recipes, puzzling errors
First and foremost, I highly recommend this book. I just ordered a copy of it for my mother. The recipes may take a lot of time, but they aren't tricky. Read more
Published on December 16, 2003 by S. Mark
5.0 out of 5 stars GALE GAND'S JUST A BITE
I bought this book recently when I saw her at a cooking demostration. I have made quite a few items already and they have all turned out great and the people I have given them to... Read more
Published on April 27, 2003
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