Elizabeth Falkner's Demolition Desserts: Recipes from Citizen Cake (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Ryan Falkner (Illustrator), Frankie Frankeny (Photographer)
Key Phrases: filo shards, vanilla gel, blueberry paper, Citizen Cake, Crème Anglaise, Secret Agent (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

San Francisco chef Falkner, a former art school student, thinks of dessert as an art form. For those who don't want to wait over an hour at her famed Hayes Valley restaurant/bakery Citizen Cake for her unique dessert landscapes and stunning parfaits, Falkner has penned home-kitchen versions of her edible masterpieces. Before diving into balsamic-apple reduction, eggless lemon curd and Concord grape tapioca, Falkner primes readers on ingredients and equipment. Though most recipes include minimalist versions, this book is most geared toward seasoned bakers who won't quail at suggested time lines starting a month in advance or five-page instructions for Tiramisushi—cocoa roulade sponge cake with marsala mascarpone filling and mocha-rum dipping sauce, to be consumed via biscotti chopsticks. Amateurs may prefer to spend time at the back of the book with the somewhat more manageable recipes for cupcakes and drinks. Color photographs and anime-style drawings help capture the magic of Falkner's desserts, extravagant and emblematic of her commitment to balance and restraint. (Oct.)
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Review

"the book is inventive and transcendent of the norm, breaking down the classics and reconstructing them" -- Atlanta Journal Constitution

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press; illustrated edition edition (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580087817
• ISBN-13: 978-1580087810
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #94,116 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars She's No Betty Crocker, November 22, 2007

By	Miranda "superbookchick" (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This book is not for the traditional home baker looking for something to bring to next week's pot luck. It's not really for the home baker, period, though Falkner has made an effort to provide thorough explanations (she succeeds) and minimalist versions of each dessert. That is not to say that only a professional will enjoy Demolition Desserts, it's merely that most home cooks aren't going to find a book of composed/plated desserts terribly useful.
If you are looking to expand your baking/cooking skills or to find inspiration, however, you'll be very, very excited. One of Falkner's main approaches to creating a new dessert is taking an old dessert and re-imagining and rearranging it: A Banana Split with pineapple sashimi and brandied cherries, a Lemon Meringue pie where each element gets to shine separately, "Tiramisushi" with biscotti chopsticks. Her ideas and the wacky, approachable layout of this book will really get the ball rolling if your looking for a new approach to the same-old, same-old. She even gets into some food science - there's are pages exploring sugar and different gums and thickners. The marshmallow recipe even has a variation using xanthum gum.
If you want to ease into this, the first chapter explores Chocolate Chip Cookies and the publisher's website offers the Chocolate Chip Espresso Cookies recipe for downloading.
Demolition Desserts is gutsy and inspiring, not for the faint of heart!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Done, November 23, 2007

By	T. Lee (San Francisco) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I stayed up reading this book in bed when I bought it. The book has so much personality but very clear information on the subtlety of dessert making. A cursory flip through the book, the reader might see too many fancy dessert projects too ambitious for the home cook. Upon a closer look, the author breaks down a fancy presentation into each component, and everything is "modular" so one can opt to make only one component, say the cheesecake custard that goes into the fancy assembly of "Waking up in a city that never sleeps" and enjoy the custard very satisfyingly happy by itself.

I have already tested several recipes from the book having recently purchased it. I was very impressed with the writing that delivered the information on handling ingredients which goes beyond simply providing the formula. There are simple iconic desserts in the book as well, including the author's version of the classic chocolate chip cookie, which is simply divine.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just beautiful, but practical!, January 17, 2008

By	H. Grove "owling6683" (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

True to Ms. Falkner's reputation as a renowned pastry chef, these recipes are neither simple nor quick. However, neither are they unnecessarily complex, and there are some minor shortcuts you can take if you're in a hurry.

For example, one of my favorite recipes from this book is a stunning s'mores brownie recipe. Delightfully, the book includes recipes for homemade marshmallows and graham crackers so that you can go all-out. However, if you're in a hurry and in need of an impressive dessert, believe me, you'll still impress people if you make this recipe using purchased marshmallows and graham crackers. Likewise, you can make your own eggless lemon curd with which to fill buttermilk cupcakes (don't forget the meringue topping!), but if you find yourself short on time, the cupcakes will still wow people if you pick out a high-quality store-bought lemon curd.

Don't take too many shortcuts, though, because it's worth it to go all-out on these recipes when you have the chance. The date cupcakes filled with toffee and topped with a coconut cream cheese frosting will make you think you've died and gone to heaven---probably right before they send you into sugar shock, naturally.

Sure, these are fancy recipes that take real work and occasionally use specialty ingredients. However, there are plenty of instructions included to make sure you can reproduce them beautifully. I haven't found a single mistake in the recipes we've used, and I just love the cartoons (by Ms. Falkner's brother) included in the book---the touch of whimsy is delightful.

If you're the kind of cook who loves to do more than just gaze longingly at fancy food photography, then this is the fun, delicious cookbook you've been longing for.