Shauna Sever

This is a book that celebrates chocolate's alter-ego. As I have grown older I have come to appreciate the taste of vanilla. Good vanilla. In fact, I keep vanilla beans in my freezer so I always have them on hand. I make my own vanilla extract because it's cheaper and far, far better than the stuff you buy in the store. The only thing this book used that I didn't have on hand was vanilla paste and you can bet your last bean that I'm going to buy some the next time I place my big flour order. I am very intrigued...

For bakers that don't have a ready supply of beans on hand there is a conversion chart so you can still indulge in the delicious recipes using pure vanilla extract which is readily available in stores. Please, PLEASE use PURE extract. The artificial stuff will just ruin a good recipe and when your treat is all about the vanilla you want the flavor to be true. It is worth the money to buy as good as you can afford so that your baked goods sing with real vanilla flavor.

The book is broken down into sensible chapters with recipes therein using all of the vanilla products. Ms. Sever first explains vanilla, its origins and the reasonings behind using each vanilla enhancement. The recipes are well thought out and easy to follow. I can see myself turning to this book over and over again for baked goods to complement chocolate offerings on dessert buffets. It's a great book to add to a baker's cookbook library.… (más)

The Good Stuff

Great idea having the puffy cover for the cookbook - really adds to the overall enjoyment of the book
Original idea
Fantastic for bringing unique housewarming treats (Wife says also fab for wowing authors, publishing and twitter pals -- not to mention sugar happy co-workers)
Lots of unique and unusual recipes for different occasions
Quite a few different tastes and textures
The introduction is extremely helpful (MUST READ BEFORE STARTING ANY OF THE RECIPES), interesting and highly entertaining - it really gets you in the mood to experiment and have fun
Wife and I had a great time on a rainy February afternoon trying out the different treats - 10 yr old even helped
Fun change of pace from cookies, fudge and chocolate - it will impress friends and family
From our experience we really recommend you put all your ingredients/tools together before you start your recipe as many steps really must be done quickly.

The Not So Good Stuff

Should be a disclaimer - Don't try to make the recipes before you read the introduction
Another good suggestion would be mentioning if you don't have a stand mixer (must get one soon) that it would be extremely beneficial to have two people working together to make these. Wife made two batches by herself and was a wee bit stressed while doing it but when we worked together it was so much smoother and she didn't get all snappy or depressed afterwards (yes readers he says crap like this all the time, and no I have not killed him yet - though tempting I tell you)
Once you have tasted one of these homemade marshmallows -- you will never ever want to have a bagged one again!

Favorite Recipes

Cookies n' Cream Marshmallows
Concord Grape Marshmallows
Margarita Marshmallows (Get yourself a good lime juice though!)
Sea Salt Caramel Swirl Marshmallows
Mallow Cones (Wife gave these to Anne Rice)

Who Should/Shouldn't Use

I would recommend this to anyone who knows their way around a kitchen and who doesn't get intimidated easily (what he really is saying is not for my wife LOL!)
Definitely for the more experience cook/baker - although my wife did get a hang of it pretty quickly
If you are going to make these recipes all the time -- trust us -- buy a stand up mixer - our really good hand held one took a beating and probably will never be the same again

4.75 Dewey's

I received this from Random House in exchange for an honest review… (más)