A Baker's Field Guide to Holiday Candy & Confections: Sweet Treats All Year Long (Spiral-bound)

~ Dede Wilson (Author) "Candy might not be the first thing you think about making when you head for the kitchen..." (more)
Key Phrases: square candy wrappers, small fluted paper cups, chocolate dipping tools, United States, Candy Tidbits, Valentine's Day (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The third in the Baker's Field Guide series is authored by PBS-TV host and Bon Appetit contributing editor Wilson. Determined to represent the world of sweets, she nonetheless devotes the majority of the more than 70 recipes to those of U.S. origin; after all, we do consume 25 pounds of candy per person each year. Yet there is a goodly handful of non-American confections, including monlach from Israel, Brazilian pumpkin candy, and a coconut-cashew burfi from India, among others. Organized by major and minor holidays (with a scattered ringer like National Licorice Day), each recipe is well positioned for the novice or experienced baker. Instructions usually feature field notes (hints and anecdotes), habitat (country of origin), life span (the retention time), type, and specific characteristics--for example, kids can tackle or easy to mail. Color photographs of each sweet in addition to special notes round out Wilson's offerings. Tastes that don't require special occasions. Barbara Jacobs
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

Wilson’s whole series is great fun, easy to use, and the recipes are beautifully photographed. -- Gourmet Retailer

[A] treasure trove of sweets from around the world . . . As user-friendly as it is informative. -- Knight Ridder Newspapers

[A] well-illustrated, carefully-written compilation of candy recipes that aims straight for sweet-tooth heaven. -- Baltimore Sun

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Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 176 pages
• Publisher: Harvard Common Press (September 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558323090
• ISBN-13: 978-1558323094
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #158,062 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #29 in	Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Meals > Sweets > Confectionery
  #71 in	Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Special Occasions > Holidays

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From marshmallow peeps for Easter to Christmas Ribbon Candy and hand-formed Chocolate Leaves for Thanksgiving, January 6, 2007

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

From marshmallow peeps for Easter to Christmas Ribbon Candy and hand-formed Chocolate Leaves for Thanksgiving, HOLIDAY CANDY & CONFECTIONS: SWEET TREATS ALL YEAR LONG is a guide which may have missed our December issue, but which holds importance and value far beyond a single season. Each recipe offers a full-page facing page photo of the completed item, and each recipe teaches basic tricks of the candy-making trade, from tempering and using dry ice on molds to choosing a special type of chocolate to produce a polished finish, or using a leaf-shaped cookie cutter on jelly to make leaves. If you've made candy before you're used to one-dimension cookbooks which either offer recipes alone or go into great detail on advanced techniques: this one offers a bit of both and is far above most in ease of use and polished results.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As fun to look at as it is to use, June 1, 2007

By	A Reviewer (Eugene, OR) - See all my reviews

I love this book! It has delectable candies in it that I've never seen elsewhere, such as Golden Heart Passion Pops, red heart-shaped lollipops with gold flecks. They're keyed to seasons and holidays, so you have ways to orient yourself and choose which ones to make. My five-year-old son pores over this book for hours, commenting on the candies and planning which ones to make. It's really gotten him involved in cooking, and it's fun for both of us. The recipes vary from quick & easy to quite long, but even the long ones are spelled out very clearly, with helpful suggestions about keeping the candy, who will like it, and so forth. I'm actually buying my second copy of this book because we spilled water all over the first. This book is a treat in itself. (I want to add that I have no connection to the author or publisher!)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Go to the local bookstore to preview first, July 8, 2008

By	EleanB - See all my reviews

There are a lot of 'easy' recipes (melt/mix and you're done), and a few completely unrealistic recipes (who can REALLY make ribbon candy at home?)

I got the book on sale, and I love collecting cookbooks, so I don't consider it money wasted, per se. But, I've only used a couple of the recipes/ideas from this book; most are a little too simple for my tastes.