Sweet Chic: Stylish Treats to Dress Up for Any Occasion [Hardcover]

Rachel Thebault (Author), Isaac Mizrahi (Foreword)

Book Description

Release date: October 26, 2010

DESSERT DRESSED TO THE NINES
 
Today’s baker faces a great challenge: With little time and a limited repertoire, she often needs to whip up a delicious dessert that’s dressed to impress. Rachel Schifter Thebault, founder and head confectioner of Tribeca Treats in New York City, knows all about making a sweet statement. Combining a confectioner’s expertise with fashion sense, she shares a scrumptious cache of popular dessert recipes that can be accessorized to fit any occasion.

What’s more, transforming a basic dessert into a masterpiece brimming with personality and flair can be easy, quick, and fun. In the same way you’d plan an outfit, Sweet Chic pieces together a Devil’s Food Cake—the little black dress of delights—with such irresistible accessories as Caramel Buttercream (think knee-high boots) for ultimate decadence, turns Vanilla Cookies (the crisp oxford shirt) into Strawberry “Shortcakes” ideal for casual or dressy occasions, and blends brownies (the cashmere sweater of confectionery) with a swirl of mint for a showstopping number.

Gorgeous and appetizing color photos throughout reveal how a change of icing here and a substitute topping there can take a simple dessert from Sunday brunch to a date-night treat. Mix and match more than seventy recipes for cookies, cakes, and confections, including Peanut Butter and Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies, Brownie Sundae Parfait, Mini S’mores Cupcakes, Wasabi-Black Sesame Truffles, and so much more.
 
Whether you’re a novice baker hoping to master the basics or an experienced one looking to add a little versatility to your existing creations, Sweet Chic is a clever and practical guide for memorable desserts, a one-sweet-fits-all way to make a tantalizing impression.

Foreword by Isaac Mizrahi

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Rachel Thebault . . . has reimagined the humble Oreo as an indulgence that is spectacular as an afternoon snack or as the end to an elegant meal.”—Food & Wine
 
“Thebault is on a mission to do for desserts what Coco Chanel did for the little black dress: re-create, reinvent, and pull it all together with exquisite details.”—Leite’s Culinaria

“I’m telling you, Sweet Chic is so inspiring. It will make you want to break free of tradition and bake things you’re excited about. You don’t have to stress yourself out to make something fabulous—you have all the tools you need right here. Hooray!”—Isaac Mizrahi, from the Foreword

About the Author

Rachel Schifter Thebault, founder of Tribeca Treats, spent seven years as an investment banker before transforming her hobby of making truffles for friends into a full-time career in confections. A graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education, she opened Tribeca Treats in 2007. The bakery has won honors from American Express OPEN and entrepreneur organizations, and is a pillar of the Tribeca community. A sought-after speaker and panelist, she has also taught cooking and baking to children and adults. She currently lives in Tribeca with her husband and their two daughters.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (October 26, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345516559
• ISBN-13: 978-0345516558
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 0.8 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #615,135 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rachel Schifter Thebault, founder of Tribeca Treats, spent seven years as an investment banker before transforming her side hobby of making truffles for friends into a full-time career in confections. A graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education, she opened Tribeca Treats in 2007. The bakery has won honors from American Express OPEN and entrepreneur organizations, and is a pillar of the Tribeca community. A sought-after speaker and panelist, she has also taught cooking and baking to children. She currently lives in Tribeca (and travels the globe) with her husband and their two daughters.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Quirky and Fun August 16, 2011

By Jennifer Rothmeyer

Format:Hardcover

As soon as I received my copy of Sweet Chic, I squealed a little. I must admit that I am a cookbook collector, a fanatic, a freak. You may enjoy your glossy mags, but I enjoy my cookbooks. While light on pictures (not all recipes have an accompanying picture), the inside of the cookbook is just as fabulous as the outside. The layout is truly a visual delight with its quirky and fun text elements.

The cookbook opens with a text foreword from Isaac Mizrahi and introduction by Ms. Thebault. It then segues into some basics: ingredients to have on hand and quality, equipment, techniques, and storage information. For example, an excerpt of the dairy section in ingredients: "DAIRY Using a lower-fat version for any dairy ingredient will significantly alter the texture and consistency of your baked goods. Therefore, stuck with butter, whole milk, heavy cream, or other ingredients as directed." It then jumps right into your everyday and weekend wear: cookies. Scooped cookies, considered the white t-shirt, include basics such as chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal raisin, and two more. Thumbprint cookies, considered the chunky cardigan, include peanut butter and chocolate thumbprints as well as two others. Vanilla cookies are likened to the crisp Oxford shirt and include three variants. This theme goes on with more cookies, brownies, graham crackers, cakes, cupcakes, pies, icings, ganaches, buttercream, chocolates, barks, truffles, and caramels.

I found it interesting how Ms. Thebault compares the different recipes and their variants to fashion and outfits. She "dressed up" her desserts with the variants just like you'd add a scarf to an outfit. (Well, I wouldn't, but then I'm notoriously fashion ignorant.) The ingredients are also not exotic, which was nice, because I had most of them on hand for when I whipped up a couple of the recipes to test them out.

I selected three recipes to try (Chocolate Chip Cookies, Vanilla Cookies, Fudgy Brownies). Each turned out very tasty and the brownies were quite visually appealing. This is a cookbook for a beginniner, so don't expect advanced recipes; however, it is a decent introduction to baking or even just a reference to whip up something simple for that party you forgot you were attending.
Thank you Ms. Thebault.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received Sweet Chic by Rachel Schifter Thebault free from Ballantine Books through the FSB Media review program. I was not required to write a positive review and did not receive any other compensation. The opinions I have expressed are my own and no one else's. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fashion meets Baking November 19, 2011

By Jacob's Beloved

Format:Hardcover

There are few pastimes that can compete with my love of books, but baking is one of them. The premise of this cookbook seemed rather unique, as it attempted to combine baking with fashion. There is even a delightful foreword by Isaac Mizrahi to further the theme. The author, Rachel Schifter Thebault, runs her own bakery, Tribeca Treats, out of New York City, and this is her debut cookbook.
The book opens with an explanation of Rachel's philosophy of baking. In the same way that a woman uses a little black dress as the foundation of her wardrobe, using accessories to dress it up or down, so too can a baker take a basic recipe for the base of a dessert and use simple alterations to create a complete "wardrobe" of desserts for any occasion. Chocolate chip cookie dough becomes white chocolate coconut cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, snickerdoodles, or anything else a cook can dream up with a change in mix-ins. I used the oatmeal raisin cookie recipe and substituted in chocolate chips, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and they came out perfect!
The book is divided into three sections: Cookies, Cakes, and Confections. Each chapter in the three sections feature a basic recipe to build on, with names such as "The Crisp Oxford Shirt," "The A-Line Skirt," and "The Leather Jacket." Following the basic recipe of each chapter are several more example recipes of how to alter the base recipe to fit your needs. Vanilla Cake becomes Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes, and Basic Tempered Chocolate becomes Cranberry Almond Bark.
The detail that Rachel goes into is also quite impressive. The beginning of the book teaches the basics of baked goods by reviewing all of the major ingredients used in baking - things like eggs, cocoa powder, and extracts - as well as essential equipment used, like a cake turntable. She then goes into the basic techniques of baking, simplifying them for even the most amateur of novices, and provides a pictorial guide for icing a cake and dipping things in chocolate. Each recipe is provided with very specific details on how to perform each step, as well as ideas at the end on how to dress it up further.
I loved this cookbook, and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in baking, from the amateur to the experienced baker.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A perfect collection of recipes to tempt your sweet tooth August 1, 2011

By Ellen P. Lafleche-christian

Format:Hardcover

Sweet Chic is a cookbook that is perfect for the busy mom. Each chapter begins with a base recipe and then offers several variations that use that base recipe. As an example, you will learn to create Brownies and from that base brownie recipe, you'll learn to create Brownie Sundae Parfait, Peanut Butter Brownies and Mint Swirl Brownies. You always begin with the dough or batter of the base recipe and then expand on that to create something new.

There's a great variety of recipes included in Sweet Chic. I was thrilled to find sweets that appealed to both children and adults. You never know what type of occasion you'll need to bring a dessert for and I don't like to bring the same type of dessert to adult events and children's events. Kids go wild for cookies and cupcakes but for an adult, I'd rather bring something a bit more specialized. You won't go wrong with S'mores Cookies for the kids and Wasabi -Black Seasame Truffles for the adults.

The recipes are very well written and offer desserts that range from beginner to more advanced. The well written directions should make these doable for even the beginning baker. The first chapter in the book is a great introduction to baking titled "The Basics". The author introduces you to major ingredients, essential equipment, and basic techniques. There's are several fantastic step by step pictorial guides on icing a cake and dipping in chocolate.

I made the vanilla cake recipe (cupcakes) and iced it with vanilla icing I dyed pink and green just for fun. Who doesn't like cupcakes? They turned out fantastic. This is definitely a keeper for anyone who wants to bake more while building on a few traditional recipes. Highly recommend.