Nancie McDermottReseñas

Southern Cakes: Sweet and Irresistible Recipes for Everyday Celebrations by Nancie McDermott (Becky Luigart-Stayner (Photographs) is a 2012 Chronicle Books publication. (originally published in 2007)

I noticed this cookbook at my library a long while back struck by the simple cover which reminded me of the coconut cakes my grandmother and mother used to make.

This sounds like a book that was a fun endeavor for the author as she went through recipes for the book which led to fond memories and making connections.

Baking is altogether different from cooking in general- so there is a helpful ‘how to section’ and a list of helpful kitchen tools.

The book is a little heavy on various flavors of pound cakes and coconut cakes. There are familiar recipes and some I’d never heard of – like Tomato soup cake and chocolate mayonnaise cake.

The recipe for the icing or frostings are included with each cake recipe- but it is also helpful to have a section just for the cake toppings.

Most of the ingredients are common, some may be seasonal or unique to southern areas- but I don’t think there was anything listed that was so exotic one couldn’t locate it online, if nothing else. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. Some are very basic and easy, some more complicated and time consuming. However, as the title suggests, these recipes are just right for everyday celebrations.

I have a digital copy of this book, which is a little plain. There are pictures, but not one for every recipe and they are not much bigger than a thumbnail in some cases. The presentation may be different in the print version.

There are some internet links in the back of the book- but it should be noted that this is an older book and some of those links are no longer viable.

Although I felt like was having a virtual sugar rush and might have gained ten pounds just browsing through the book- it did bring back a few memories for me too, and I am happy to see these nice southern cake recipes compiled in one book!

3.5 stars½

Great book.

Great book.

A gal who grew up in Thailand recommended this book - all the recipes we have tried have been very good to excellent.

Pros: This is a very nice little book with some great recipes. I also enjoyed the short stories before each recipe.

Cons: the print is very small and some of it is light, making it difficult to read, especially when you're trying to cook; the pictures of the finished cakes are beautiful but less than half the cakes have pictures, closer to one-third; skimming through it I have found some confusing /conflicting instructions.

That said, I am not sorry I purchased this cookbook and plan to enjoy several of the recipes included. If the cons were corrected, and assuming the cakes come out well, it would be five stars.½

Asian accent
If you're looking for the ultimate Vietnamese recipe compendium, you won't find it in Nancie McDermott's "Quick and Easy Vietnamese" (Chronicle, $20). But if you'd like some simple dishes with Vietnamese origins that could fit easily into a modern American kitchen, you're more on track.

One guest made me repeat the simple recipe for lemongrass beef over and over, disbelieving how such simple steps and ingredients could result in such tender, tasty meat. Chicken simmered in caramel sauce was a restaurant-quality offering that took perhaps 15 minutes, start to finish. While I tend to associate chicken curry with Indian recipes, curries are popular in Vietnam as well, and this simple dish, spiked with lemongrass and chunks of sweet potatoes, was another dinnertime hit. The only main-course misfire was Vietnamese meat loaf, which used dried bean-thread noodles instead of breadcrumbs as a filler, and resulted in an odd, rubbery texture.

From the sweets and drinks chapter, warm banana-coconut pudding with tapioca pearls sounded wonderful, but the resulting dish was less what we think of as pudding and more a watery coconut-milk based broth with bobbing banana pieces. But overall, even if you've never thought you could make Vietnamese food at home, this book is a delightful way to get started. —G.F.C.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10839983/page/2/

One of the first and best Thai cookbooks in America.