Description
Book SynopsisThe sumptuous debut cookbook from celebrated baker, activist, and pastry "it girl" Natasha Pickowicz Natasha Pickowicz is a creative force in the world of baking.
Her pastries are uniquely delicious and surprising. She's picked up three James Beard Award nominations for her time as a professional pastry chef. Her buzzy bake sales for Planned Parenthood and other nonprofits have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. Now she shares her recipes and baking know-how in a debut cookbook brimming with the energy, passion, joy, knowledge, and spirit of generosity that define her work.
The recipes are fresh and uncomplicated, drawing on the author's Chinese and Californian heritage. She pairs nectarine and miso in a tarte tatin and makes a layer cake with olive oil, mascarpone, and fennel. Black cardamom gets tucked into pecan sticky buns, and galettes go savoury with kabocha squash. And she's a born teacher. Of course pastry requires a real focus on detail and technique, but the author is here at every step with invaluable tips: underbeat meringue; boil your plum stones to extract even more plum flavour; look for "first-press" yuzu juice; for the flakiest pie dough, first freeze your butter, then use a grater to get perfect shreds.
More Than Cake means baking to bring people together. It calls on you to prioritize pleasure. As the author writes, "Dessert is beyond simple calories and nutrition. . . . It spreads delight in a way that no other kind of dish can. This is something I think people really need-it's not optional." It's a philosophy to live by.
Trade Review“Natasha takes the natural yet whimsical aesthetic, unique sweet-and-savory flavor combinations, and technical mastery that have made her a pastry chef ’s pastry chef and translates them into approachable, achievable recipes for the home baker.”
—Claire Saffitz, author of What’s for Dessert “It’s almost impossible to capture the reciprocal joy that comes from making and sharing beautiful baked goods with friends—oh wait, Natasha Pickowicz has done it perfectly, right here.”
—Carla Lalli Music, author of That Sounds So Good and Where Cooking Begins “One of the most inspiring baking books and a stunning piece of work that every home baker needs on their bookshelf.”
—Kristina Cho, author of Mooncakes and Milk Bread “Natasha’s dedication to bringing people together through food to benefit community is widely known and admired, and this book showcases her love for the art and craft of simple, beautiful pastry, with a particular talent for combining the traditional with surprise elements to create something wholly new.”
—Liz Prueitt, chef/owner, Tartine Bakery “Natasha’s respect for ingredients (the fruit section reads as a love letter), genius ingredient pairings (see Olive Oil Cake with Crispy Capers), and ability to balance aspirational with accessible make this book a must-have and prove that—not to be redundant—it is so much more than cake.”
—Antoni Porowski, author of Antoni: Let’s Do Dinner “In the Natasha Pickowicz weltanschauung, mottled radicchio is a layer cake garnish, the bake sale is a middle finger of defiance, you make your own condensed milk (say what?), Parker House rolls are fig leafed, and Mom does all the illustrations.”
—Brooks Headley, chef/operator,Superiority Burger “In
More Than Cake, Natasha has collected delicious recipes that perfectly reflect her originality and sense of whimsy. Inspired!”
—Claudia Fleming, author of Delectable “Think of
More Than Cake as your guide to capturing the happiness of baking, the pleasure of making something fabulously delicious with your hands and your heart, and the satisfaction of sharing what you’ve made with others.”
—Dorie Greenspan, author of Baking with Dorie “Pickowicz’s melodic prose makes you want to curl up with her book, a cup of tea, and one of her pecan and black cardamom buns and revel in the originality of such outside-the-box recipes.”
—Booklist “Natasha takes the natural yet whimsical aesthetic, unique sweet-and-savory flavor combinations, and technical mastery that have made her a pastry chef ’s pastry chef and translates them into approachable, achievable recipes for the home baker.”
—Claire Saffitz, author of What’s for Dessert “It’s almost impossible to capture the reciprocal joy that comes from making and sharing beautiful baked goods with friends—oh wait, Natasha Pickowicz has done it perfectly, right here.”
—Carla Lalli Music, author of That Sounds So Good and Where Cooking Begins “One of the most inspiring baking books and a stunning piece of work that every home baker needs on their bookshelf.”
—Kristina Cho, author of Mooncakes and Milk Bread “Natasha’s dedication to bringing people together through food to benefit community is widely known and admired, and this book showcases her love for the art and craft of simple, beautiful pastry, with a particular talent for combining the traditional with surprise elements to create something wholly new.”
—Liz Prueitt, chef/owner, Tartine Bakery “Natasha’s respect for ingredients (the fruit section reads as a love letter), genius ingredient pairings (see Olive Oil Cake with Crispy Capers), and ability to balance aspirational with accessible make this book a must-have and prove that—not to be redundant—it is so much more than cake.”
—Antoni Porowski, author of Antoni: Let’s Do Dinner “In the Natasha Pickowicz weltanschauung, mottled radicchio is a layer cake garnish, the bake sale is a middle finger of defiance, you make your own condensed milk (say what?), Parker House rolls are fig leafed, and Mom does all the illustrations.”
—Brooks Headley, chef/operator,Superiority Burger “In
More Than Cake, Natasha has collected delicious recipes that perfectly reflect her originality and sense of whimsy. Inspired!”
—Claudia Fleming, author of Delectable “Think of
More Than Cake as your guide to capturing the happiness of baking, the pleasure of making something fabulously delicious with your hands and your heart, and the satisfaction of sharing what you’ve made with others.”
—Dorie Greenspan, author of Baking with Dorie“It’s hard to pick just one thing to love about pastry maven and activist Natasha Pickowicz’s long-awaited debut cookbook, so I won’t even try. . . . This is
the baking book of the year.”
—Food Wine “Celebrated for her fine-dining pastry work and fundraiser bake sales, Natasha Pickowicz brings a community spirit to this soulfully precise book.”
—Vanity Fair “From simple yet surprising recipes to total showstoppers, [Pickowicz]’ll change the way you think about baking with her unexpected flavors and combinations, like pecan sticky buns with cardamom and nectarine and miso tarte tatin. Especially fun: the build-your-own layer cake section with various sponges, soaks, fillings, and buttercreams.”
—Simply Recipes “Pickowicz’s melodic prose makes you want to curl up with her book, a cup of tea, and one of her pecan and black cardamom buns and revel in the originality of such outside-the-box recipes.”
—Booklist “Natasha takes the natural yet whimsical aesthetic, unique sweet-and-savory flavor combinations, and technical mastery that have made her a pastry chef ’s pastry chef and translates them into approachable, achievable recipes for the home baker.”
—Claire Saffitz, author of What’s for Dessert “It’s almost impossible to capture the reciprocal joy that comes from making and sharing beautiful baked goods with friends—oh wait, Natasha Pickowicz has done it perfectly, right here.”
—Carla Lalli Music, author of That Sounds So Good and Where Cooking Begins “One of the most inspiring baking books and a stunning piece of work that every home baker needs on their bookshelf.”
—Kristina Cho, author of Mooncakes and Milk Bread “Natasha’s dedication to bringing people together through food to benefit community is widely known and admired, and this book showcases her love for the art and craft of simple, beautiful pastry, with a particular talent for combining the traditional with surprise elements to create something wholly new.”
—Liz Prueitt, chef/owner, Tartine Bakery “Natasha’s respect for ingredients (the fruit section reads as a love letter), genius ingredient pairings (see Olive Oil Cake with Crispy Capers), and ability to balance aspirational with accessible make this book a must-have and prove that—not to be redundant—it is so much more than cake.”
—Antoni Porowski, author of Antoni: Let’s Do Dinner “In the Natasha Pickowicz weltanschauung, mottled radicchio is a layer cake garnish, the bake sale is a middle finger of defiance, you make your own condensed milk (say what?), Parker House rolls are fig leafed, and Mom does all the illustrations.”
—Brooks Headley, chef/operator,Superiority Burger “In
More Than Cake, Natasha has collected delicious recipes that perfectly reflect her originality and sense of whimsy. Inspired!”
—Claudia Fleming, author of Delectable “Think of
More Than Cake as your guide to capturing the happiness of baking, the pleasure of making something fabulously delicious with your hands and your heart, and the satisfaction of sharing what you’ve made with others.”
—Dorie Greenspan, author of Baking with Dorie“Natasha takes the natural yet whimsical aesthetic, unique sweet-and-savory flavor combinations, and technical mastery that have made her a pastry chef ’s pastry chef and translates them into approachable, achievable recipes for the home baker.”
—Claire Saffitz, author of
What’s for Dessert “It’s almost impossible to capture the reciprocal joy that comes from making and sharing beautiful baked goods with friends—oh wait, Natasha Pickowicz has done it perfectly, right here.”
—Carla Lalli Music, author of That Sounds So Good and Where Cooking Begins “One of the most inspiring baking books and a stunning piece of work that every home baker needs on their bookshelf.”
—Kristina Cho, author of Mooncakes and Milk Bread “Natasha’s dedication to bringing people together through food to benefit community is widely known and admired, and this book showcases her love for the art and craft of simple, beautiful pastry, with a particular talent for combining the traditional with surprise elements to create something wholly new.”
—Liz Prueitt, chef/owner, Tartine Bakery “Natasha’s respect for ingredients (the fruit section reads as a love letter), genius ingredient pairings (see Olive Oil Cake with Crispy Capers), and ability to balance aspirational with accessible make this book a must-have and prove that—not to be redundant—it is so much more than cake.”
—Antoni Porowski, author of Antoni: Let’s Do Dinner “In the Natasha Pickowicz weltanschauung, mottled radicchio is a layer cake garnish, the bake sale is a middle finger of defiance, you make your own condensed milk (say what?), Parker House rolls are fig leafed, and Mom does all the illustrations.”
—Brooks Headley, chef/operator,Superiority Burger “In More Than Cake, Natasha has collected delicious recipes that perfectly reflect her originality and sense of whimsy. Inspired!”
—Claudia Fleming, author of
Delectable “Think of More Than Cake as your guide to capturing the happiness of baking, the pleasure of making something fabulously delicious with your hands and your heart, and the satisfaction of sharing what you’ve made with others.”
—Dorie Greenspan, author of
Baking with Dorie Table of ContentsCONTENTS
Introduction
Essential Tools
Never-Ending Cookies Citrusy Macaroons
Nubby Granola Shortbread
Fennel, Chocolate, and Hazelnut Spears Shoyu Peanut Cookies
Brown Butter and Buckwheat Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Pine Nut Sablés with Taleggio
Coffee-Hazelnut Linzers with Kumquat Filling
Black Sesame Fortune Cookies
Sour Glaze Maple Gingerbread
Sweet and Salty Snacks Tangy Lemon Verbena Chips
Passion Fruit Jellies
Caramelized White Chocolate and Coconut Truffles
Malted Cocoa Fudge
Golden Sesame Candy
Pizza Crackers
Flaky Poppy Seed Cracker with Whipped Feta
Cheddar Oatcakes
Fennel Seed Squiggles
Single Layer Cakes Carrot and Coconut Cake
Cocoa and Chicory Sheet Cake Dappled Date Cake
Crunchy Almond Cake
Jammy Coffee Cake
Olive Oil Cake with Crispy Capers and Orange Vinaigrette
Passion Fruit Roll-Up Cake
Sticky Fig Cake
Toasted Vanilla Bean Pound Cake
Modern Layer Cakes Soaking Cakes
No-Soak Cakes
Soaks
Creamy and Rich Fillings
Tangy and Bright Fillings
Crunchy and Salty Fillings
Frostings
Cake Sets
Passion Fruit, Coconut, and Tequila Layer Cake
Black Sesame, Cream Cheese, and Pineapple Sheet Cake
Olive Oil, Mascarpone, and Fennel Layer Cake
Almond, Green Tea, and Blueberry Bombe
Espresso, Hazelnut, Chocolate, and Honey Cake
Fruit Expressions Pineapple Tile Galette
Triple Apple Tart
Checkered Rhubarb Tart
Sour Cherry and Sunflower Pie
Stone Plum Nests
Nectarine Miso Tarte Tatin
Sunchoke and Apricot Pie
Still Life Tart
Baking with Vegetables Kabocha Galette
Half Moon-Pie
Miso Soup Danish
Mushroom, Cheddar, and Apple Tart
Apricot and Olive Focaccia
Lemony Squash Pizzettes
Bathed Pie
Greens and Apple Stromboli
Creamy, Elegant Desserts Panna Cotta and Grated Melon
Caramel Chocolate Chip Bombe
Cheesecake and Plum Syrup
Star Anise and Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée
Rose Water and Mezcal Flan
Chamomile Puff Crown
Chocolate and Earl Grey Mousse
Adzuki Bean and Brown Butter Pie
Yeasted Treats Twisty Fruit and Nut Buns
Tutti-Frutti Tart
Pecan and Black Cardamom Sticky Buns
Leafy Dinner Rolls
Buttered Cucumber Sliders
Overnight Blackberry Doughnuts
Date-Swirled Brown Brioche
First-Light Bakes Terrazzo Bread
Spiced Rutabaga Loaf
Millet, Parsnip, and Chocolate Chunk Muffins
Corn Husk Muffins
Peach Cocktail Skillet
Big Green Salad Scones
Scallion Pancake Biscuits
Sweet Onion and Sesame Gougères
Mocha Latte Puffs
Resources
Acknowledgments
Index
