I have a few different whisks that come in handy for different things, but one will do in a pinch.
A small, skinny whisk is great for getting into the corners of pots when making curds or grits. A medium whisk works well for stirring batters. And a larger balloon whisk is a good thing to have if you like to whip cream or egg whites by hand.
OVEN THERMOMETER AND INSTANT-READ THERMOMETER
Since my oven is nearly as ancient as some of the grains in this book, I never bake without an oven thermometer (or two) firmly in place. These can be inaccurate, but they’re better than nothing. Replace every six months for the most accuracy. An instant-read thermometer is nice to have for checking that custards and curds have reached the proper temperature to kill any nasty germs.
MEASURING CUPS AND SPOONS
There are two types of measuring cups: wet (glass or plastic pitchers for measuring liquids) and dry (metal or plastic cups in ¼-cup [60-ml] increments for measuring flours, sugars and other dry ingredients). (See more on measuring here) Measuring spoons are for smaller measurements such as baking powder and salt. Not all measuring cups are created equal! Check your measures against each other (or better yet, against a kitchen scale) to see that everything matches up.
ELECTRIC KITCHEN SCALE
This can be a lifesaver for weighing things like fruit that are hard to get an accurate volumetric measure on. Baking by weight saves time and dishes because you can simply spoon all the ingredients right into the bowls rather than having to dirty a variety of measuring cups and spoons. Plus, baking by weight tends to yield more consistent results.
SPATULAS
My number one favorite kitchen tool is my small, offset spatula. It has a skinny, metal spatula bit that sits lower than its handle, and it’s the perfect tool for just about everything—lifting bars out of pans, flipping crepes, spreading icing. A regular, thin metal spatula is another essential tool for cooking things in skillets, lifting oven pancakes out of pans and transferring cookies from baking sheets. A few flexible, silicone spatulas are essential for folding batters, scraping doughs out of bowls, and stirring stove-top custards. I have a couple of standard-sized ones, plus a smaller one for coaxing honey out of jars and that sort of thing.
PIE PAN
Look for a standard 9-inch (23-cm) pie pan with a flat lip around the edge; this will give your crust something to rest on and hold it up as it bakes. All pies in this book were tested with glass pie pans; if you have a metal pan, that’s fine, just decrease the baking time, as metal conducts heat differently than glass does.
TART PANS
The two I use most often are a 9-inch (23-cm) pan with a removable bottom and a 10-inch (25-cm) ceramic pan that is perfect for baking clafoutis and cobblers. Smaller 4-inch (10-cm) pans with removable bottoms are nice for individual tarts, too.
CAKE PANS
Look for cake pans with 2-inch (5-cm) high sides made from sturdy metal and with straight sides. I prefer to stay away from nonstick coating when possible. Having the following will give you the most versatility:
• one 6-inch (15-cm) round pan (for making small cakes)
• two 8-inch (20-cm) round pans (for making the layer cakes in this book)
• one 9-inch (23-cm) round pan
• one 9-inch (23-cm) round springform pan (which has a bottom that detaches from the sides)
• one 8-inch (20-cm) square pan
• one 9-inch (20-cm) square pan
And a couple of specialty pans:
• one 8 by 4–inch (20 by 10–cm) loaf pan
• one 10-cup (2.4-L) Bundt pan
CANNING JARS AND/OR RAMEKINS
These are the perfect vessels for baking individual puddings, cheesecakes and crisps. Ball mason jars are quite affordable and can be found at hardware stores. Weck makes an assortment of cute canning jars, too. And ramekins can be found at kitchen supply stores.
CAST-IRON SKILLETS
Aside from having a sort of old-timey charm, these skillets conduct heat brilliantly and are just the thing for baking cornbread, oven pancakes and tarte tatins. The sizes I use most often are 8 and 10 inches (20 and 25 cm). To season a skillet, rub the inside with a teaspoon of oil (I use sunflower) and place the pan over medium heat until it’s very hot. Let cool. Acidic ingredients, soap and abrasive sponges can all strip away the seasoning, so take care to keep those things far away from your cast iron.
FOOD PROCESSOR
This is your friend for grinding nuts and making frangipane. I tend to use my stand mixer more often (and call for it in recipes), but a food processor can also help pulse cold butter into biscuit and scone doughs.
MICROPLANE GRATER
Ever grate citrus zest on a block grater and spend hours trying to scrape it out of those obnoxious little holes? Well now you’ll never have to again. Microplanes are ideal for zesting citrus and grating fresh ginger and nutmeg.
SPRING-LOADED ICE CREAM SCOOPS
These come in a variety of sizes and make quick work of portioning out cookies, muffins and cupcakes.
PASTRY BLENDER
I use my pastry blender, which has a handle attached to four curved metal blades, for working butter into pie, scone and biscuit doughs. It’s the perfect tool for the job, as it gives you more control over the final product without the heat from your fingertips, which causes the butter to soften prematurely. Stay away from the flimsy, wire types, which don’t work as well.
BENCH SCRAPERS
These may seem like a luxury, but for certain tasks, like working with GF pie dough, they’re essential. These come in both plastic and metal, and I recommend having one of each. The plastic ones have a bit of flex and are great when working with stiff doughs, like scones and biscuits. A metal scraper is your friend for scraping fraisaged pie dough off the counter, folding the dough and cleaning off a floury countertop in one fell swoop.
PARCHMENT PAPER
I have a slight addiction to parchment paper that comes from having worked in bakeries and restaurants most of my life. It makes life so much easier: fewer dishes to do, fewer pastries sticking to pans. Additionally, layering baked goods with parchment for storage helps keep them fresh, as the parchment absorbs excess moisture that leads to stale sweets. And it makes measuring things like freshly grated nutmeg or citrus zest a breeze because you can grate it onto a small piece of parchment, then use the parchment to slide the zest or spice into a measuring spoon. Look for natural, precut sheets of parchment paper. To line a pan with parchment, you can either do it the neat way (cutting the parchment to fit precisely) or the messy way (shoving the parchment in the pan, creasing the corners and trimming excess overhang). I’ve given the neat way as the instruction in most recipes, but if you can’t be bothered to measure and trim, most of the time it’s fine not to. To line a round pan with parchment, place the pan on a sheet of parchment, use a pencil to trace a circle around the pan, cut out with scissors and voilà.
ROLLING PIN
This comes in handy for rolling out pie dough and biscuit dough for swirl biscuits. I prefer the tapered pin with no handles, but anything will do. (I even used a wine bottle once in a pinch!)
KITCHEN SHEARS
These are great for cutting parchment paper, trimming pie dough and opening up bags of flour so you don’t ruin your knives!
KNIVES
It definitely pays to splurge on a few good knives. I recommend:
• A large, sharp chef’s knife, for general chopping and cutting
• A large serrated knife, for sawing away at things like roulade cakes
• A small, sharp paring knife for cutting the hulls from strawberries or cutting into oven pancakes
• A small serrated knife for cutting delicate fruits
T-SHAPED VEGETABLE PEELER
This is the perfect tool for peeling apples and pears or making chocolate shavings.
STRAINERS
A medium-mesh strainer is the thing to use for sifting clumpy flours, rinsing berries and straining batters—more u
seful and user-friendly than a traditional sifter. A fine-mesh strainer works well for straining custards, such as ice cream bases.
COOLING RACKS
These allow baked goods to cool, letting air circulate beneath them. I like to have at least one round rack and one large rectangular rack on hand.
BISCUIT CUTTERS
A set of fluted biscuit cutters is just the thing for cutting out rounds of dough for fig bites, cutout pie lids and pandowdies. (But a small glass works in a pinch, too.)
PASTRY BRUSH
You’ll be glad to have a small pastry brush on hand; nothing else quite does the trick for brushing the tops of scones or pastries or sweeping away excess flour when rolling out pie dough.
MADELEINE PAN
This specialty pan makes the pretty little cookies here. If you don’t have one, however, you can bake the batter as little cakes in a muffin pan instead.
MUFFIN AND CUPCAKE PAPER LINERS
These are you friends for making muffins, cupcakes and financiers. Small paper liners can also hold cheesecake bites or other bar cookies for serving.
KITCHEN TORCH
This not only makes you look like a badass in the kitchen, but it also caramelizes figs for the tartlets.
BAKING STONE
Never have a soggy-bottomed pie again with one of these. It’ll give your pie bottom some extra oomph, keeping it nice and crisp. (Plus, you can use it to make the alternative flour pizza recipe on my blog.)
PASTRY BAG AND TIPS
If you want to look fancy, pipe frosting for cakes or cupcakes from a bag fitted with a plain or star tip. If you don’t have one of these, a plastic baggie with the top cut off will work in a pinch.
SOURCES
The best place to shop for the ingredients and materials in this book is your local co-op, farmers’ market, health food store, upscale grocer and kitchen supply store. When all else fails, here are some good online resources.
ARROWHEAD MILLS
Alternative flours, many organic and GF
www.arrowheadmills.com
BOB’S RED MILL
Alternative flours, grains and starches
www.bobsredmill.com
CHEF SHOP
Calleris Chestnut Flour
www.chefshop.com
CRATE & BARREL
Kitchen supplies, bakeware and cookware
www.crateandbarrel.com
FRONTIER CO-OP
Whole and ground spices
www.frontiercoop.com
INDIA TREE
Light and dark muscovado sugars
www.indiatree.com
KEREKES BAKEDECO.COM
Hard-to-find tartlet pans with loose bottoms in all sizes
www.bakedeco.com/a/gobel-round-fluted-t-258.htm
K+L WINE MERCHANTS
Specialty spirits such as St-Germain and nocino
www.KLWines.com
KODA FARMS
Blue Star Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour
www.kodafarms.com
LADD HILL ORCHARDS
Delicious, organic chestnut flour that isn’t smoky
www.laddhillchestnuts.com
OLD SUGAR DISTILLERY
Queen Jennie Gluten-Free Whiskey, made from sorghum
www.oldsugardistillery.com
SINGING DOG VANILLA
Organic vanilla beans, vanilla extract and even some yummy
vanilla-infused teas
www.singingdogvanilla.com
SUR LA TABLE
Kitchen supplies, bakeware and cookware
www.surlatable.com
THE TEFF COMPANY
Teff grains and flour
www.teffco.com
WHOLESOME!
Organic granulated, brown and powdered sugars, molasses and corn syrup
www.wholesomesweet.com
WILLIAMS-SONOMA
Kitchen supplies, bakeware and cookware
www.williams-sonoma.com
ZÓCALO GOURMET
Algarrobo mesquite flour
www.zocalogourmet.com
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It truly takes a village to raise a book baby! This book couldn’t have happened without:
My editor Marissa’s kindness, patience and encouragement;
Danielle Svetcov’s killer title and subtitle, advice and calm demeanor;
My dad’s teaching me to love both food and health;
My mom’s endless support, research and proofreading assistance;
Cierra’s personal assistance and cheerleading;
My yoga and dance teachers keeping me (semi-) fit and (mostly) sane, and eating the desserts I bring them;
Sarah M’s friendship, advice, recipe guidance, help with process photos and perfecting the cover design;
Adam Salomone’s endless generosity of time, support and guidance to a complete stranger;
Stephen, Shelley, Craig and Pete’s photography schooling;
Claire making me embrace chiffon cake and teaching me how to master pie pastry;
My amazing community of readers and fellow bloggers’ encouragement and support over the years;
Amelia’s unwavering friendship, support and recipe testing skillz;
My army of kind and generous recipe testers who made these recipes rock solid: Kelly O, Ann L, Malavika, Jemma, Lea, Celia, Deanne, Tara, Ana, Emma, Stacy, Lukas, Zané, Kelly H, Joelle, Max, Tori, Christine, Emily, Daria, Morgan, Sienna, Sharon, Karen, Vanessa, William E, Maria, Suzuki, Tracy, Todd, Jen M, Cassy, Emilie, Ellen, Nicole, Jessica, Ashley and Tara;
With special thanks to Caterina, Michelle R, Janet, Erika, Lawre, Maureen, Shanna, Rebecca G, Kathy, Michelle D, Alanna L and Jaime for testing loads of recipes and even helping develop, brainstorm and problem solve;
And especially Jay’s willingness to “taste” insane amounts of sweets without complaining (much), washing approximately a million dishes, supporting me through many years of Bojon and encouraging me to pursue my passion.
FLOUR INDEX
almond flour
Apple Chestnut Tart with Salty Caramel
Apricot, Almond and Brown Butter Buckle
Apricot Clafoutis with Honey and Cardamom
Bergamot and Meyer Lemon Bars
Buckwheat, Plum and Almond Brown Butter Buckle
Caramelized Fig and Whipped Honey Yogurt Tartlets
Chestnut Plum Financiers
Chestnut Tart Crust
Chocolate Bergamot Truffle Tart with Olive Oil and Flaky Salt
Chocolate Cranberry Pecan Tart
Chocolate Pear Tea Cakes with Rosemary, Olive Oil and Sea Salt
Cocoa Almond Tart Crust
Coconut Cream and Raspberry Tart
Earl Grey Chocolate Tart
Fig and Olive Oil Cake
Fromage Blanc Tartlets with Honeyed Kumquats
Grapefruit and Elderflower Curd Tart
Meyer Lemon Bars with Vanilla-Almond Crust
Muscovado Mesquite Tart Crust
No-Meyer Lemon Bars
overview of
Peach Brown Butter Crème Fraîche Tart
Pear and Pomegranate Clafoutis with Vanilla, Saffron and Pistachios
Pistachio Lime and Matcha Snowballs
Salty Caramel Banana Cream Tart with Mesquite Crust
Tangerine Vanilla Bean Madeleines
Two-Persimmon Cupcakes
Two-Persimmon Layer Cake with Vanilla Bourbon Cream Cheese Frosting
Vanilla Almond Tart Crust
amaranth flour
Cinnamon Amaranth Peach Scones
overview of
Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler with Ginger-Amaranth Biscuits
amaranth seeds, in Maple Orange Amaranth Granola
bean flours
brown rice flour
buckwheat flour
Apple, Buckwheat and Gruyère Puff Pancake
Blackberry Buckwheat Crisps
Buckwheat Bergamot Double Chocolate Cookies
Buckwheat Gingersnaps and Chewy Ginger Molasses C
ookies
Buckwheat Pear Galettes with Walnuts and Salty Caramel
Buckwheat Pie Dough
Buckwheat, Plum and Almond Brown Butter Buckle
Huckleberry Buckwheat Cheese Blintzes
overview of
Poppy Seed, Pluot and Buckwheat Streusel Muffins
Pumpkin Pie with a Buckwheat Crust
chestnut flour
Apple Chestnut Tart with Salty Caramel
Cherry Chestnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chestnut Brownie Ice Cream
Sundaes with Port-Roasted Strawberries
Chestnut Roulade Cake with Rum Mascarpone and Roasted Pears
Chestnut Roulade with Mascarpone, Cinnamon Roasted Apples and Whiskey (or Calvados)
Chestnut Brownies
Chestnut Fig Scones
Chestnut Plum Financiers
Chestnut Tart Crust
overview of
chickpea flour
coconut flour
Cashew Lime Blondies
Coconut Cream and Raspberry Tart
Coconut Flour Chiffon Cake
overview of
Triple Coconut “Tres Leches” Cake with Mango and Lime
corn flour
Blueberry Corn Flour Muffins
Blueberry Plum Cobbler with Corn Flour Biscuits
overview of
corn grits, in Creamy Baked Grits with Sweet Corn and Berries
cornmeal
Millet Skillet Cornbread with Cherries and Honey
overview of
Petite Blood Orange Cornmeal Upside-Down Cake
Petite Tangerine Cornmeal Upside-Down Cake
hazelnut flour/meal
Buckwheat Hazelnut Pear Financiers
overview of
legume flours
mesquite flour
Banana Butterscotch Pudding with Mesquite Gingersnaps
Buckwheat Gingersnaps and Chewy
Ginger Molasses Cookies
Chewy Double-Ginger Molasses Cookies
Mesquite Chocolate Cakes with Whipped Crème Fraîche and Raspberries
Mesquite Gingersnaps or Ginger Cats
Muscovado Mesquite Tart Crust
Nectarine Cheesecakes in Jars with Mesquite Gingersnap Crusts
overview of
Pumpkin Ice Cream Sandwiches with Mesquite Ginger Molasses Cookies
Salty Caramel Banana Cream Tart with Mesquite Crust
Sweet Potato Bourbon Cheesecake Bites with Mesquite-Pecan Crust
millet flour
Alternative Baker Page 27
