Customer Reviews

The Pastry Queen Christmas: Big-hearted Holiday Entertaining, Texas Style

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Pastry Queen Christmas unabashedly offers plenty of delicious, fattening holiday fare, both traditional and unusual, and every single recipe we tried was fabulous. My only reservation, in fact, was with respect to the green bean bundles--green beans marinated in butter and spices, then wrapped in bacon and baked. The seasonings were perfect, but it seemed like the recipe would have been even better with maybe half the butter. But then I've been trying to eat more healthily lately, so perhaps I've just lost my taste for the more fatty dishes! And at any rate, now that I know it's too buttery for me, it would be easy to adjust the recipe.

The Mexican camp bread had us eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner, in just about every way we could think of. The cranberry-walnut scones had a ton of flavor, and perfectly balanced the tartness of the cranberries with a bit of sweetness. An apple pear chutney was the perfect foil to fattier, richer Thanksgiving fare, and a pear salad with pomegranate and chevre was positively to-die-for!

Whether you're looking for homey fare such as savory rice balls in tomato sauce or fancy holiday specials like red velvet cupcakes with mascarpone cream cheese icing, you'll find recipes in here certain to impress friends and family alike. More importantly, they taste wonderful!

The book is a large hardcover that lies flat easily, and it includes plenty of lovely photographs. The recipes are laid out very clearly, and often include personal notes from the author. This book would make a lovely source of recipes for your own holiday feast, or the perfect holiday gift for your favorite cook.

I'd read about The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes from the Texas Hill Country's Rather Sweet Bakery & Cafe in MORE Magazine, and had to have the cookbook. It arrived shortly before my daughter's wedding, and once I went through it, the reception menu was scrapped and substituted with Rather's recipes. That cookbook has become a favorite; I reviewed it here on Amazon, describing it as the first thing I'd grab, after my children, in the event of a house fire.

When I found out that it would be followed on with a volume devoted to the Christmas holidays, I pre-ordered it here on Amazon, although standing in line in front of a bricks-and-mortar bookstore would have been worth it. I received notification a few days ago that it had shipped, so it was constantly on my mind. I could not wait for it to show up. Monday was Columbus Day -- a legal holiday with no mail, darn it -- which delayed my receiving this cookbook by another day.

But arrived it has, and oh boy, is it ever worth the wait.

Rather shares her signature recipes and food styling in easy-to-understand ways for us mere mortals. With careful direction, we too can prepare delicious and stunning dishes. Among the first I'll be trying: Texas Spice Rubbed Roast Pork, Sour Cream and Chicken Enchiladas, Apple-Spice Layer Cake with Caramel Swirl Icing, Red Velvet Cupcakes with Mascarpone Cream Cheese Icing, and Caramel Pie with Meringue Topping.

There's no reason to put off trying holiday recipes now. I can already tell these will be a big hit at potluck dinners, family birthday fetes and tailgate parties.

Thank you, Rebecca Rather and Alison Oresman, and I'll be on the lookout for your next volume.

Well, cheers to the diversity of tastes. I see that there are very mixed reviews. As for my review, I love this book just as I loved the first. While the dessert recipes were spectacular in the earlier book, I actually regretted not seeing more savory dishes. There are definitely more this time around which is actually appealing to me. There's a great mix of holiday recipes, both sweet and savory...not to mention the recipe for that beautiful cake on the cover.

At the holidays in particular, I only want to present an interesting twist on the holiday standards. It's important to me that the dishes on the table, while a little different, still feel and taste like home. I think that this book accomplishes that beautifully.

Yet again, Rather has put her unique spin on the familiar. It doesn't hurt that it is also great to read and visually appealing. It's a nice coffetable book (if you can pry it out of the kitchen).

I have over 600 cookbooks. This was a definate MUST. Great twists, overall excellent new ideas. I don't have time (its christmas) to really go over it, but a cookbook I WILL use over and over.

An attractive book, but as I have experienced with other Rebecca Rather books, the instructions are incomplete. The Caramel Meringue Pie looked beautiful and intriguing and was the impetus for my purchase of the book. I am an experienced pie baker, unafraid to tackle any recipe. So I dug in with much anticipation. A dozen eggs and 6 cups of sugar later, I am throwing away a runny mess. The instructions simply said to heat the milk and egg yolk mixture (without letting it boil) and pour it into the carmelized sugar. The obvious question is, to what temperature should the milk mixture be heated? It doesn't say. So when the sugar was carmelized and the milk was hot (without boiling!!), I poured them together as instructed. At this point, the instruction didn't say whether to keep the mixture on the heat while adding butter and marshmellows or to turn it off. I kept turning it on and off to get the marshmellows to melt. Of course, what should have been stated is that for the custard to set, the egg yolks have to reach at least 160 degrees (something I later learned by researching Rose Levy's information). If the eggs don't reach that temperature, the filling won't set. I can now vouch for that!

Also, the timing in many of Ms. Rather's recipes are off. In this same recipe, it said it would take about 20-25 minutes to carmelize the sugar. If you heat it that long, you will have black sugar. It takes about half that time. Also, the recipe says bake the crust 10 minutes. This has to be a typo. No pie crust could possibly bake (particularly one lined with parchment and filled with pie weights) in 10 minutes. I baked it 30, then removed the weights and baked another 12 until it was golden.

Also, the recipe says use half the pie crust dough (so why not give a recipe for half the amount so you aren't stuck with pie crust you may not use). Anyway, if you use a true 10" deep dish, you'll need about 2/3 of the dough.

Finally, it simply says cool the filling and pour into the crust. Do you cool it completely until it's nearly set (which I would still be waiting for) or does it just have to cool down reasonably? Perhaps if my filling were going to set, it may have been obvious. A clearer desscription in the recipe would have been very helpful.

Another reviewer had said this recipe is too sweet. I agree. Even if it had set, a person would not be able to finish a piece of it. The meringue is too much (3 cups of sugar and piled too high), the filling is very sweet and the crust is even sweet. I am wondering if this really is Aunt Mary's recipe. Perhaps Aunt Mary kept secrets of her own.

I did make the bacon-wrapped green beans. They were very good. My family really enjoyed them.

I also made the apple-pear chutney. Again, some details would be helpful. For example, I would use bosc pears. They are a bit firmer and probably wouldn't get as mushy as the chutney did with the pears I used. Also, it was pretty sweet, so the next time I will cut down on the sugars. The recipe said if you put the chutney in apples, bake them for 30-45 minutes. I did put it in apples, but you don't want to leave them that long in the oven. About 25 minutes tops.

I intend to try more of the recipes. If you do as well, be prepared to try them a couple of times until you can figure out the missing information.

I am an avid collector of cookbooks and this one is definitely one of my favorites! The recipes offered are labor intensive but well worth the effort. I made the green olive beef tenderloin for Christmas Eve, and it was a big hit. I also own Rebecca Rather's first Pastry Queen book and this book is a nice follow-up to her first book.

This cookbook is Awesome! I have tried many of the recipes and a must have for every get-together is the Focaccia Bruschetta. Everyone wants the recipe. The cowboy cookies are my favorite, I make them all the time. Her other book is great as well, I did all my holiday baking from that one book and it was all Fabulous! I strongly recommend this Christmas cookbook.

Fredericksburg, Texas area resident Rebecca Rather, owner of the "Sweet Bakery and Cafe" since 1999 has created a very good holiday book full of Texas color and recipes. After an acknowledgment that thanks her customers as well as many others who helped in some way with her writing career, and an introduction that gives personal background, it is time for the recipes.

Chapter One "Holiday Open House" starts with "Old-Fashioned Eggnog." Be warned, this isn't the kind of eggnog one buys in the grocery stores these days. Recipes for "Cranberry-Walnut Scones, Mustard Baked Ham, Green Chile and Cheddar Baking Powder Biscuits, Red Velvet Cupcakes with Mascarpone Cream Cheese Icing" are just a few of the delectable recipes in this chapter. Pictures are many and include not only the finished product but also often a picture at some point in the recipe before it is a finished product. "Tips" are many as well with various suggestions concerning adding other ingredients to the recipes mentioned. Along the way there is the occasional story about the recipe detailing the background of the dish.

A subsection of Chapter One begins on page 43 and is titled "Outdoor Tree Trimming" along with brief instructions on how to make "fresh fruit ornaments, dried fruit ornaments,"etc. there are the recipes. The recipes start with "In-The-Bag Chili Frito Pie," and move to "Rather Minty Brownies, My Mistake Cookies" and other treats. This is a very short section at six pages.

"Ranch Barn Brunch" is the title for Chapter Two beginning on page 51 and the Chapter works off the theme of the author's love of horses. Friends of the author provided the barn for the party pictures and she again explains about her love of horses and how the party was designed. The recipes begin with "Larry Doll's Famous Cranberry Margaritas" and include among other mouthwatering recipes "Seasonal Fruit Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing, Brown Sugar Bacon, Mexican Ranch Chilaquiles, Mexican Camp Bread" among many others. Like in Chapter One, there are numerous color photos of the meals as well as numerous tips along with personal stories about the history of the recipes and the people in the author's life.

Chapter 2 concludes with a section on "Making Gingerbread Houses." Templates for the houses are included in the appendix. As part of the making gingerbread houses, which is a kid involved activity, she makes a few other suggestions of what to make now that the kids are in the kitchen. "Sour Cream and Chicken Enchiladas" is one with "Torched S'mores" being another of the several possibilities.


"Christmas Eve" is Chapter Three (page 99) which kicks off with "LBJ Ranch Crown Roast of Lamb with Rice Stuffing and Jalapeño-Mint Sauce. If that doesn't strike your fancy, maybe "Blue Corn Blinis with Crab and Avocado Crema" will work for you. The recipe makes 28 servings which means since they are appetizers, you might need to double upon it. There is always "Green Olive Beef Tenderloin" as well as "Martha's Best -Ever Rolls. Save room for the "Christmas Coconut Cake." As in every chapter, there are far more recipes than I have mentioned here, along with color photographs, history and tips.

"Cookie Decorating" is a little section at the end of this chapter and is all about the kids and having fun. Pretty much self explanatory and this section begins on page 133.

"Christmas Day" marks Chapter Four in a chapter working around the theme of the day and beautiful Christmas dinners. It begins on page 143 and buffet is the order of the day in the author's house. One of the first dishes to be consumed is her "Green Bean Bundles." The "Texas Spice-Rubbed Roast Pork" sounds mighty good and looks good too. As does the "Cajun Roast Turkey" (no picture though) and numerous other dishes. Included are the usual photographs, tips, and personal history.

At the end of the Chapter is another small section titled "Wrapping Up the Holidays with Edible Gifts." Aptly titled and self explanatory, it covers little tasty treats such as "Denise's Vanilla Caramels, Lola's Sunday Fudge," among other items.

"New Year's Eve" is the title for Chapter Five and the final Chapter in this book which begins on page 183. Beyond the gorgeous photograph of a spinning windmill against a Texas sunset there are recipes such as "Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheese Quesadillas with Cranberry-Pecan Salsa, Mother's Lobster Bisque, Ken Hall's Standing Rib Roast" and many others with a distinctive Texas flavor. Of course, there are more photographs, tips and history here following the format used throughout the book. This chapter closes the book and is followed by the aforementioned templates for a gingerbread house and an index.

At 225 pages, this is a beautifully photographed book full of recipes, Texas history and culture and ways to do the season right. Written in a down home style, this is not a pretentious book and does not at any time talk down to readers. It provides easy clear instructions, something many cookbooks lack, along with pictures, to help you through the recipe process.

It does lack basic info on dietary issues. While it states how many servings a dish has, it doesn't make any mention of sodium counts, fats, sugars, etc. in regards to health, Granted, it is a book for the holiday season and many folks ignore such issues during that time, but for others such information is critically important year around.

That being said a lot of that sort of info can be determined by considering the recipe itself before making the item. Therefore, the lack of info is a minor quibble overall and one that can be ignored simply because this is such a beautifully done book full of mouth watering recipes. A book well worth your time and investment in and one sure to assist you for many holidays to come.



Kevin R. Tipple (copyright) 2008

There is a recipe for eggnog cheesecake in this book that is incredible. The preparation seems involved but if you follow the steps it will come out great. My guests cleaned their plates before I served the last piece....It was to die for.

I like this "rather" unique Christmas resource because: it has excellent recipes which are organized by the varying holiday events (Eve, Day, open house, brunch, tree trimming, NY) and it has wide variety of recipes for appetizer, salad, soup, desserts, etc. and not least, it features great color photos with fun-to-read text and it has some great shots of a Great Pyrenees named Beau (I'm a former owner of 2 and love this Gentle Giant breed)

Rather won me over in her first cookbook as being a passionate baker who ventured out into other foods in her biz and offered some in this first offering. She and her community have a great time at the Christmas Holidays and so she shares some of her favorites as well as some that others offered her, as well as some other's she invited to contribute, such as LBJ's former chef.

The excitement and passion she has (even as a busy chef) for these Holidays exhibits themselves in this fine array of recipes, illustrated by these examples: Warm Pear Ginger Upside Down Cake with Amaretto Whipped Cream; Creamy Chicken Lasagna; Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheese Quesadillas with Cranberry-Pecan Salsa; Glazed Chocolate Pave; Chocolate Cookie Crusted Eggnog Cheesecake; Texas Spice Rubbed Roast Pork.

These are not overfully difficult recipes with either ingredients or techniques, but will certainly test the uninitiated baker or cook. They definitely are delicious and creative and will bring smiles as gifts and servings at this festive time of the year.

Maybe she will do her third on Easter?