Gourley (a graphic designer at Workman Publishing) does her mentor, Grandmother Mattie, proud in this precious jewel of a cookbook. She walks the reader through each step of these show-stoppers with helpful hints about everything from separating eggs (separate while cold, then bring to room temperature) to licking the bowl (not a good idea if the batter contains raw eggs). Even baking novices will discover that cake-making has nothing to do with alchemy—it's about accurate technique, presented so simply here even for complicated delectables like the infamous Rocky Mountain Fruitcake, which packs a sugar punch with a dried-fruit- and-brown-sugar frosting, or the sophisticated, three-tiered Lady Baltimore, which combines cake, rum-soaked-currant filling, and frosting topped with candied cherries. These are southern recipes, so sometimes subheads, which for the most part offer accurate descriptions (the pineapple Rise and Shine Cake is a ``zingy mixture of fruit and nuts'' and the Bàte Noire is ``wantonly rich''), can also be misleading for those accustomed to less heavy fare: the Hummingbird Cake, described as ``delicate,'' actually satiates after a few bites with its weighty combination of pecans, bananas, and cream cheese. To her credit, she complements these sugar-laden basics of Confederate fare with refreshingly light tea cakes. Gourley's own watercolors appear on every spread, along with personal anecdotes about activities like fall picnics and berry-picking. The beauty of this slim book just might justify paying $15 for only 25 recipes. A sure cure for baking phobia.
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-385-47588-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1994
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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