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Caramel
Taking the rich, luxurious flavor of caramel to new heights
Carole Bloom takes the rich luxurious flavor of caramel to new heights in Caramel. Her recipes for cakes, tarts, cookies, custards, candies, ice creams, and other delicious desserts are fabulously decadent and palate pleasing. Bloom expertly guides you with clearly written instructions and helpful hints as you indulge in creating these wonderful treats. Caramelized Almond Financiers, Bittersweet Chocolate Caramel Cashew Tart, Espresso Crème Caramel, Caramel Chocolate Truffles, Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream, and Caramelized Roasted Pears are just a hint of what awaits you in this stylized cookbook.
Carole Bloom is a European-trained pastry chef and confectioner who has worked in five-star hotels and restaurants in Europe and the United States. She is the award-winning author of ten other cookbooks, including Intensely Chocolate, Bite-Size Desserts, and The Essential Baker. Her articles and recipes have appeared in Bon Appétit, Chocolatier, Fine Cooking, Food and Wine, and Gourmet among other magazines and online sources. She has made many television appearances including The Today Show, ABC World News This Morning, and CNN. Bloom teaches dessert classes at cooking schools throughout the country and lives in California with her family.
Carole Bloom takes the rich luxurious flavor of caramel to new heights in Caramel. Her recipes for cakes, tarts, cookies, custards, candies, ice creams, and other delicious desserts are fabulously decadent and palate pleasing. Bloom expertly guides you with clearly written instructions and helpful hints as you indulge in creating these wonderful treats. Caramelized Almond Financiers, Bittersweet Chocolate Caramel Cashew Tart, Espresso Crème Caramel, Caramel Chocolate Truffles, Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream, and Caramelized Roasted Pears are just a hint of what awaits you in this stylized cookbook.
Carole Bloom is a European-trained pastry chef and confectioner who has worked in five-star hotels and restaurants in Europe and the United States. She is the award-winning author of ten other cookbooks, including Intensely Chocolate, Bite-Size Desserts, and The Essential Baker. Her articles and recipes have appeared in Bon Appétit, Chocolatier, Fine Cooking, Food and Wine, and Gourmet among other magazines and online sources. She has made many television appearances including The Today Show, ABC World News This Morning, and CNN. Bloom teaches dessert classes at cooking schools throughout the country and lives in California with her family.
- GenresCookbooks
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 20, 2013
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42 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 30, 2013
This is not a book for those with an overly sweet tooth who wish to lose a few pounds (or more!). It is a sheer dedication to luxurious, decadent living with caramel at its core.
No prior knowledge is expected as the reader is given a brief yet quite filling introduction to the various key ingredients that will be used, utensils and equipment that might be necessary and a bit of a general "pep talk" about the art of cooking with caramel. Some great food photography will draw you in and perhaps lull you into a bit of a false sense of security as to how simple caramel cookery is - you do need to focus and follow the instructions rather more than, for example, making a soup but the end result will be worth the effort.
At first one gets to see some basic "components" that are staple parts of more ambitious recipes, such as a classic caramel sauce and praline, and then it is just recipe after recipe after recipe, split into logical chapters by type. Browsing through the recipes was a "dangerous" pastime for this reviewer, there is even a few rather scrumptious ice creams for good measure and a great demonstration of caramel's diversity.
A book of this type really does need to have an estimation of a typical preparation and cooking time clearly stated by each recipe - one of our usual niggles - as such recipes can be rather fussy, involved and an inexperienced cook can gain a lot of confidence from knowing that they are not really making a mistake and that a certain task should take a long time to do… The reliance on sole U.S. imperial units is also a bit of a silly oversight in the 2010s. Other than that, the use of a caramel-coloured font made this book a little harder to read if one doesn't have 20:20 vision. Fortunately the subject and its recipes made up for any small issues but why not strive for total perfection?
The recipes are abundant with detailed information and guidance throughout so once you lock your focus on the recipe, you shouldn't come a cropper. If in doubt, read and re-read the recipe in detail BEFORE you start cooking. Less haste, more speed. Thankfully (!) there is no break out of nutritional information including the dreaded calorie count. That might be the equivalent of pouring cold water over things! Matters are rounded off by a great, detailed index.
So, for many, cooking such dishes might feel as being something out of their "comfort zone" - this book has the capacity of changing this preconception. Invest in this book, invest a bit of time and trouble to get cooking, and be prepared to have to convince friends and family that you haven't bought the finished items from a store. Maybe there should have been a few pages about that in the book as once you see the range of recipes on offer and have made a few, you might still question yourself as to "did I really just make that!?!"
Caramel, written by Carole Bloom and published by Gibbs Smith. ISBN 9781423632122, 224 pages. Typical price: USD24.99. YYYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
No prior knowledge is expected as the reader is given a brief yet quite filling introduction to the various key ingredients that will be used, utensils and equipment that might be necessary and a bit of a general "pep talk" about the art of cooking with caramel. Some great food photography will draw you in and perhaps lull you into a bit of a false sense of security as to how simple caramel cookery is - you do need to focus and follow the instructions rather more than, for example, making a soup but the end result will be worth the effort.
At first one gets to see some basic "components" that are staple parts of more ambitious recipes, such as a classic caramel sauce and praline, and then it is just recipe after recipe after recipe, split into logical chapters by type. Browsing through the recipes was a "dangerous" pastime for this reviewer, there is even a few rather scrumptious ice creams for good measure and a great demonstration of caramel's diversity.
A book of this type really does need to have an estimation of a typical preparation and cooking time clearly stated by each recipe - one of our usual niggles - as such recipes can be rather fussy, involved and an inexperienced cook can gain a lot of confidence from knowing that they are not really making a mistake and that a certain task should take a long time to do… The reliance on sole U.S. imperial units is also a bit of a silly oversight in the 2010s. Other than that, the use of a caramel-coloured font made this book a little harder to read if one doesn't have 20:20 vision. Fortunately the subject and its recipes made up for any small issues but why not strive for total perfection?
The recipes are abundant with detailed information and guidance throughout so once you lock your focus on the recipe, you shouldn't come a cropper. If in doubt, read and re-read the recipe in detail BEFORE you start cooking. Less haste, more speed. Thankfully (!) there is no break out of nutritional information including the dreaded calorie count. That might be the equivalent of pouring cold water over things! Matters are rounded off by a great, detailed index.
So, for many, cooking such dishes might feel as being something out of their "comfort zone" - this book has the capacity of changing this preconception. Invest in this book, invest a bit of time and trouble to get cooking, and be prepared to have to convince friends and family that you haven't bought the finished items from a store. Maybe there should have been a few pages about that in the book as once you see the range of recipes on offer and have made a few, you might still question yourself as to "did I really just make that!?!"
Caramel, written by Carole Bloom and published by Gibbs Smith. ISBN 9781423632122, 224 pages. Typical price: USD24.99. YYYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
December 9, 2014
I hate it when I find a $25 cookbook featuring things I will likely never make and yet feel that I simply MUST POSSESS this book. Aaarrrrggghhh!
Besides the fact that I have two shelves of cookbooks I have not been able to part with despite repeated purges and despite the fact I rarely cook and despite the fact I have a teeny weensy apartment sized kitchen and despite the fact I have next to no budget for food of any kind -- I WANT THIS BOOK!
It's not enough that my library has this book (which is how it crossed my path). No, I WANT THIS BOOK.
This is the kind of book where even if you don't prepare the recipes, lick the beaters, scrape the bowls -- your brain imagines these delights. I wouldn't be surprised if I gained pounds just thumbing through the pages. I WANT THIS BOOK.
Besides the fact that I have two shelves of cookbooks I have not been able to part with despite repeated purges and despite the fact I rarely cook and despite the fact I have a teeny weensy apartment sized kitchen and despite the fact I have next to no budget for food of any kind -- I WANT THIS BOOK!
It's not enough that my library has this book (which is how it crossed my path). No, I WANT THIS BOOK.
This is the kind of book where even if you don't prepare the recipes, lick the beaters, scrape the bowls -- your brain imagines these delights. I wouldn't be surprised if I gained pounds just thumbing through the pages. I WANT THIS BOOK.
cookbooks
February 11, 2017*cries* Okay, there are some food photos, but not of every single item. Some items don't get photos and others merely get an aesthetically pleasing photo of eggs in a basket. Blech. I'm here for the caramel, ma'am. More caramel food photos, none of that bullshit about "here. look at this chocolate and pastry."
Planning to try a couple of recipes.
Tried a Caramelized Upside Down Pear Tart. It was actually pretty tasty even though I accidentally overcooked the caramel. Whoops. Classic Caramel Sauce was tasty.
I've requested that we need this for Christmas. Hopefully that's possible. There are so many things to try.
Planning to try a couple of recipes.
Tried a Caramelized Upside Down Pear Tart. It was actually pretty tasty even though I accidentally overcooked the caramel. Whoops. Classic Caramel Sauce was tasty.
I've requested that we need this for Christmas. Hopefully that's possible. There are so many things to try.
December 27, 2014
Can't wait to use.
Amazing recipes...I can't wait to get in the kitchen and start working my way through the book. I have recently mastered sauce and soft caramel and these recipes seem straight forward and easy to follow.
Amazing recipes...I can't wait to get in the kitchen and start working my way through the book. I have recently mastered sauce and soft caramel and these recipes seem straight forward and easy to follow.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews