Sweet Miniatures: The Art of Making Bite-Size Desserts

In Sweet Miniatures Flo Braker proves that it is a small world after all. But don't think of this IACP Award-winning cookbook as tiny. Rather, it's a comprehensive introduction to creating fabulous and impressive miniature desserts. Braker, a contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle and author of the much-loved Simple Art of Perfect Baking, offers step-by-step recipe directions, a complete list of baking needs, and helpful recommendations based on her own bakery and catering experience. Careful consideration is given to the basic art and science of baking, including sage advice on how to stock a kitchen with the necessary tools and ingredients. Novice and advanced bakers alike will find educational tips such as how to temper chocolate, how to use a pastry bag with tips and a coronet, and how to make simple yet elegant decorations. Braker's focus here, however, is the miniature presentation, and she brings together more than 125 recipes of sought-after minicakes, pastries, cookies, candies, and tarts. Popular favorites include Individual Lemon Meringue Tarts as well as traditional European favorites such as Shortbread Cameos, Viennese Triangles, Krumkake, Pistachio Petit Fours, Neapolitan Wedges, and the holiday favorite, Lebkuchen. Full-color illustrations complement the recipes. Braker even suggests storage ideas to protect the most fragile pastries and to maintain their even more delicate flavor. With such an inclusive, smart, and instructional book Flo Braker lends credibility to the phrase "bite-size." And it's a mouthful. --Teresa Simanton