baking nerd

hi all :) sorry it's been a while since my last post, i've been busy re-doing my bedroom! as i didn't have any cake orders in the last week, i've used this time to do some pastry (and cooking) reading. i absolutely LOVE cookbooks. i'd take them over a novel any day; add pictures and i will read that baby cover to cover! discovering new flavour combinations and presentation ideas is invaluable to a chef. recently i've gone a bit overboard book shopping. i hit the jackpot at winners in the book section- found 3 cookbooks i had been on the lookout for, for over half off! i couldn't not buy them! i've gone through a good chunk of each one already, and was impressed by "the art of the dessert" by ann amernick (she worked in the white house!). each recipe is founded on multiple simple, good recipes, and is clearly written and organized. love it!

[on another note, "bon appetit: fast, easy, fresh" by barbara fairchild is going to be my new dinnertime/ anytime bible... amazing]

sooo i love cookbooks. i'm also a sucker for a good deal. when the mediatheque at my school had their used book sale, guess who was first in line to get in? (actually though.. thanks for letting us out of class, chef!) i bought an old school "larousse gastronomique" from '67, i figured it was one of those staples that every chef should have. and yes, it is literally a dictionary for cooking terms. nerdy much?
i also was lucky enough to spot the only copy of "baking and pastry" by the culinary institute of america.. for a whopping $4! that actually made my day :) ahh so i now go to bed reading my new cookbooks... heaven.

just a portion of my ever-growing cookbook collection :)

UP NEXT: halloween cupcakes, a bunny birthday cake and a tropical surprise birthday cake... stay tuned :)