36 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The cookbook that makes you go "Awww", November 11, 2009
This review is from: Petite Sweets: Bite-Size Desserts to Satisfy Every Sweet Tooth (Hardcover)
Who knew baking could be so cute? But every time one of my co-workers sees this cookbook on my desk, they say, "Awww." Then, they flip through the pictures and say, "Yum!" And then they fling it away and say that it's making them hungry, LOL.
So, basically, this is book full of recipes of adorable, miniature desserts. The idea behind mini-desserts is that you can eat a smaller portion because it's healthier, because you don't want any more than just a little somethin', or because you want to sample lots of mini-desserts. These are all good thoughts in my book! And on top of that, the presentations of these charming sweets, thanks to lots of wonderful photos, is inspiring enough to make me want to whip up a few of everything in the book.
Petite Sweets contains chapters on Basics; Little Cakes; Petite Pies and Tarts; Fruit and Berry Desserts; Mousses and Chilled Desserts; Creams, Custards, and Frozen Desserts; and Pastries and Sweets. I think you'll agree that that pretty much covers the sugary territory. Most of the recipes are fairly simple--in some cases a little more basic than I might have chosen, but the author, Beatrice Ojakangas, offers useful advice on how to adapt other favorite recipes for miniature versions. And some of her shortcuts are just plain clever, such as using a whole vanilla wafer as the base of a miniature cheesecake.
A lot of the recipes call for specialized mini baking dishes, but there are helpful substitutions like to use mini muffin tins with foil cupcake liners for those of us who don't yet own 24 miniature baking ramekins. And who are you kidding? You know you'll be prowling Williams-Sonoma waiting for a variety of mini pans and dishes to go on sale. How can you resist, when the results are so darn cute and scrumptious? Soon you too will be turning Coconut Rum Butter Cakes out of the mini Bundt cake pans. And you'll be filling up that old shot glass collection with Chocolate Espresso Mousse. And you'll be collecting vintage parfait glasses to hold your Vanilla Banana Cream Pies.
Have I not tempted you yet? Can you resist the Miniature Bread Puddings, the Whoopie Pies, the Angel Cakes with Lemon Sauce, the Mini Chocolate Soufflés, the Strawberry Bruschetta, the Fresh Ginger Carrot Cakelets, the Greek-Style Honey-Nut Pastries, the Blueberry Cobblerettes, the Crispy Cream Puffs, the Mango Mousse, the Chocolate Truffle Tarts...? As you can see, the list goes on and on. Resistance is futile. Get to baking!
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63 of 77 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not the Book I Was Hoping For, February 8, 2010
This review is from: Petite Sweets: Bite-Size Desserts to Satisfy Every Sweet Tooth (Hardcover)
A chef who begins an introduction to a pastry book with an exhortation to "waste not, want not", a reference to sin, and an evocation of the hardships of her childhood has, perhaps, missed the point about the ways in which we relate to desserts.
The desserts are tiny and adorable, and the recipes are simple, but the book conveys a wintry sparsity at odds with its subject matter. Furthermore, the author has sacrificed quality and flavor to simplicity: anyone who has ever had real dulce de leche can tell you that it cannot be imitated by melting Brach's milk caramels with heavy cream.
If what you are looking for is a resource to help you create the perfect bite, this is not the book for you.
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23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
way too simple, June 27, 2010
This review is from: Petite Sweets: Bite-Size Desserts to Satisfy Every Sweet Tooth (Hardcover)
The front page photo lures you into the book with promises of spectacular or at the very least a raise eyebrow of curiousity.
That is where it stops. Most of this book can be had from the check out isle of the grocery store in a betty crocker holiday special recipe book. The presentation suggestions are boring, the end product is simple and lack luster; not everything has a photo. Most things are presented to the view in the exact same way using the same or similar plating.
really not good.....worth a dime store or yard sale purchase at best. Not full price or even sale price. Seriously thinking of going thru the trouble of sending it back. It is already clear this will just sit on the shelf til if finds it way back on the amazon.com site as a used sale item from me.
Yep, it's going back.
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