Cookies and pastries and pies, *oh my*
I hope it's not blasphemy if I say this book might be considered a religious experience. How can a cookbook be a religious experience? When I and every other person I've shown it to has gotten a look at the recipes – titles and photographs – in this book has only been able to say "Oh my God."
I only just recently connected to Blogging For Books, made my first selection, and waited for it – an actual hardcover, not digital – to come in the mail. Having a terrible short term memory, when I opened it I muttered in disappointment, "I requested a cookbook?" Thirty seconds – and a few "Oh my God"s – later, I was all but hugging the book to myself in delight: "I requested a cookbook!"
As the description says, this is a collection of dessert recipes. Most of them are quite familiar: sticky buns and strawberry rhubarb pie, chocolate chip cookies and fruitcake. Yes, fruitcake. What makes this worth getting, and more than worth getting, is the little twist to each recipe: the author builds on her Sri Lankan background as a springboard to tweak each old familiar recipe with an unexpected spice – or herb – which makes it something new and marvelous. This isn't a book I'll use once or twice, make a recipe or three, and never open again. If all goes well I would like to work my way through the whole thing, and make all of them. Including the fruitcake.
The book is gorgeous. There is no dust jacket, and thus no dust jacket to be soiled or torn in media res. It's enjoyable to read – Samantha Seneviratne has a sense of humor, demonstrated in the introductions to the recipes. The recipes are marvelous – and the photography by Erin Kunkel is completely irresistible. It's a beautiful, beautiful book from cover to cover. I'm going to have to find a better exercise program to counteract this …
"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."
I only just recently connected to Blogging For Books, made my first selection, and waited for it – an actual hardcover, not digital – to come in the mail. Having a terrible short term memory, when I opened it I muttered in disappointment, "I requested a cookbook?" Thirty seconds – and a few "Oh my God"s – later, I was all but hugging the book to myself in delight: "I requested a cookbook!"
As the description says, this is a collection of dessert recipes. Most of them are quite familiar: sticky buns and strawberry rhubarb pie, chocolate chip cookies and fruitcake. Yes, fruitcake. What makes this worth getting, and more than worth getting, is the little twist to each recipe: the author builds on her Sri Lankan background as a springboard to tweak each old familiar recipe with an unexpected spice – or herb – which makes it something new and marvelous. This isn't a book I'll use once or twice, make a recipe or three, and never open again. If all goes well I would like to work my way through the whole thing, and make all of them. Including the fruitcake.
The book is gorgeous. There is no dust jacket, and thus no dust jacket to be soiled or torn in media res. It's enjoyable to read – Samantha Seneviratne has a sense of humor, demonstrated in the introductions to the recipes. The recipes are marvelous – and the photography by Erin Kunkel is completely irresistible. It's a beautiful, beautiful book from cover to cover. I'm going to have to find a better exercise program to counteract this …
"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."
7
