Pastry Queen Parties: Entertaining Friends and Family, Texas Style [Hardcover]

Rebecca Rather (Author), Alison Oresman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 13, 2009

No one captures big-hearted, big-hatted Texas hospitality like Rebecca Rather. In Pastry Queen Parties, her eagerly awaited third book, Rebecca celebrates her home state's love of good company and great food. Traversing the Lone Star state's rich culinary landscape, Rebecca offers up a bevy of revel-ready menus for:

• A West Texas ranch-style supper
• Tex-Mex hacienda dining in San Antonio
• A Gulf Coast summer beach bonanza
• A small town homecoming picnic
• A big city cocktail party
• A sweet and sunny Hill Country garden party

More than 100 recipes for starters, sides, main dishes, desserts, and drinks showcase Rebecca's bold and bounteous style of cooking. There's mouth-watering inspiration on every page: dig into a West Texas—sized plate of Beer-Braised Short Ribs, Green Tomato Macaroni and Cheese, and Butter Beans and Mixed Greens; or savor soul food San Antonio style with heaping helpings of Rosa' s Red Posole and Fiesta Chiles Rellenos. But save room for one of Rebecca's justly famous desserts: maybe a piece of that sky-high Giant Chocolate Cake with Cowboy Coffee Frosting, or a couple of Chubby's White Pralines, or–hey, those S'mores Cupcakes look pretty great . . . .

Plentiful stories and useful cooking and entertaining tips from Rebecca and other great Texas hosts and hostesses, a roster of "party express" recipes to pull together quickly, and more than 100 gorgeous scenic and food photos from across the state, make Pastry Queen Parties an irresistible invitation to do it up big, Lone Star style.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A former caterer, Rather (The Pastry Queen) knows how to entertain, explain and keep things fun and manageable. This entertaining title for home cooks by the Texas native is full of creative and fun dishes that span the state. The six chapters are broken down by region and event and include Gulf Coast Beach Bash; San Antonio Tex-Mex Fiesta; and West Texas Dinner Party. Recipes for appetizers, mains, side dishes, desserts and cocktails showcase seasonal produce and include designated Party Express selections that can be prepared in an hour or less. Southern classics such as spoon bread, seafood gumbo, chicken-fried steak and sweet tea are balanced with Mexican and Mexican-inspired dishes such as posole, fajitas and chiles rellenos. Kitschy selections like hostess-with-mostest cupcakes, Corona sorbet and layered salad in a jar add to the mix. Color photos and essays on Texas traditions, residents and life give readers a feel for not only the big, bold flavors but the unique spirit of the Lone Star state. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Publisher

* Pastry Queen Rebecca Rather's 100+ hit recipes for Texas-style parties and gatherings.
* Rather's previous two books have sold more than 80,000 copies, and PASTRY QUEEN CHRISTMAS won the 2008 IACP cookbook award in the American category.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (October 13, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580089909
• ISBN-13: 978-1580089906
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 0.9 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #259,100 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #61 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Baking > Pastry
  • #67 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Meals > Appetizers

More About the Author

REBECCA RATHER has worked as a caterer and baker for 15 years, first for a couple of upscale Houston catering companies and then as the executive pastry chef for a group of high-end Houston restaurants. Then, while overseeing research and development for the Austin-based Schlotzky's Corporation, she studied with renowned artisan baker Daniel Leader. Rather opened her own bakery, Rather Sweet Bakery, first in Austin in 1999. In 2000, she moved the bakery to a larger yet more intimate setting about an hour west of Austin. Rather and her recipes have been featured in Texas Monthly, Ladies' Home Journal, Food & Wine, Saveur, Southern Living, and Chocolatier. She and her daughter, Frances, live in Fredericksburg, Texas.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Let's Party Texas Style, October 20, 2009

By 

rodboomboom (Dearborn, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Pastry Queen Parties: Entertaining Friends and Family, Texas Style (Hardcover)

Rather has demonstrated with her other cookbooks that she brings the Southern charm and style to her pastries and other culinary offerings. Here she turns to one of her passions, partying Texas style. A Texas native, she related her desire to do such a book after a lifetime of enjoying Texas partying and her catering biz, etc.

So, this wonderful work is organized around the different Texas regions and their partying specialties: e.g. Hill Country, Gulf Coast, Big City, etc. What I find exceptional about this colorful and exciting offering is the writeup on each of these and the absolutely great color photos is one of my favorite things about it.

There are so many enticing recipes in this collection, and what is great about them is that one can either mix and match, or go with a theme party as this cookbook is organized around. Those that intrigue me to try include: Roasted Beet Salad with Spicy Pecans and Fresh Chevre; Watermelon Salads with Tequilla-Lime Dressing; Layered Salad in a Jar; Butterscotch Brownies with Brown Sugar Butter Icing; Fiesta Chile Rellenos; Key-Lime Cocunut Cream Cake; Mary's Crayfish Pies; Stuffed Bandera Quail with Pepper Glaze; Sohnne's Mama's Double Decker Blackberry Cobbler.

A great Texas addition to one's collection.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reliable as always, November 7, 2009

By 

Phillip A. Wright (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Pastry Queen Parties: Entertaining Friends and Family, Texas Style (Hardcover)

I have all 3 of the Pastry Queen cookbooks, and have discovered you can rely upon them to be your fall-back recipe for every dish they cover. My whole family loves it when I get a new cookbook of hers, as they know lots of good food will soon follow.

Off the top of my head, I know we've had enchiladas, beans and rice from this one, plus the home-made Hostess cupcakes, while looking difficult, were out of this world delicious and easy.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Recipes, a lot of alcohol, October 30, 2009

By 

Fred Johns - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Pastry Queen Parties: Entertaining Friends and Family, Texas Style (Hardcover)

I have all the Pastry Queen recipe books and LOVE them all. This book is as wonderful as the others as far as the quality of recipes go. In particular I have loved the Hostess with the Mostest Cupcakes, Cocoa Cloud Whipping Cream, and Beans a la Charra. I am a little disappointed, however, in the number of recipes in the book (probably about 25% of them) that contain alcohol as an ingredient. For those of us who don't drink alcohol, it makes many of the recipes unworkable. If it weren't for this fact, I would give it a 5 star.