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| The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes from the Texas Hill Country's Rather Sweet Bakery & Cafe | 
 enlarge | Authors: Rebecca Rather, Alison Oresman
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Category: Book
List Price: $32.50
Buy New: $20.38
You Save: $12.12 (37%)
New (33) Used (8) from $16.45
Avg. Customer Rating:  50 reviews
Sales Rank: 11557
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.2
Dimensions (in): 10.2 x 8.2 x 1
ISBN: 1580085628
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.815
EAN: 9781580085625
ASIN: 1580085628
Publication Date: October 17, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
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| Customer Reviews:
A mouthwatering cookbook full of Rather Sweet indulgences June 15, 2007
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
Native Texan Rebecca Rather decided to move her Austin bakery to the delightful Hill Country town of Fredericksburg, and local legend Rather Sweet was born. A self-taught pastry chef, Rebecca baked her way through childhood and adolescence, decided that she had to find a "real" (non-food) job after college, eventually went into the catering business (where she burned out two Thermador ovens in her home kitchen), was an executive pastry chef for Tony Vallone in Houston, and found her greatest happiness having her own bakery.
Rather Sweet serves a full gamut of baked goods, from sweet and savory kolaches, giant Texas muffins, and scones at breakfast to hearty entrees such as All-Sold-Out Chicken Pot Pie, sandwiches and quesadillas. The Pastry Queen captures all of these Texas-influenced recipes in their down-home goodness, lovingly captured in mouthwatering photographs and atmospheric pictures taken at the Rather Sweet Bakery and Cafy. Each recipe is personalized with an introduction by Rebecca about the origins of the recipe, possible substitutions, or a favorite memory attached to the dish.
Many of the breakfast recipes for quick breads and muffins also give conversions for muffins (both regular and Texas-size). Several of the cakes do as well, which is perfect for birthdays and coworkers (it's less messy to bring in individually frosted cupcakes than fuss with cutting and serving a frosted cake!).
If you're a scone lover, prepare to be delighted. Rather includes standards such as Peach Jam scones and Chocolate Chip Scones, but also includes savory options such as Apple-Smoked Bacon and Cheddar. Muffin lovers will rejoice at the Essence of Orange and Whole Lemon muffins, and the Eddie's Autumn Pumpkin Bread and Fresh Ginger-Pear Quick Bread will wake up your taste buds in a flash!
Rather has also written The Pastry Queen Christmas: Big-hearted Holiday Entertaining, Texas Style, but there are plenty of seasonal recipes perfect for your next Thanksgiving celebration, such as the Autumn Pumpkin Quick Bread, Bourbon Pumpkin Tart with Streusel Topping, Cream-Filled Pumpkin Roll, and Larger-Than-Life Praline Cheesecake.
Texan cuisine also make an appearance, including Hill Country Peach Cobbler, Peach Queen Cake with Dulce De Leche Buttercream Frosting, Buttermilk Pecan Pie, Southern Comfort Apple Pie, Texas Tortilla Soup, Brie and Brisket Quesadillas, Gorditas, and Nuevo Texas Waldorf Salad.
Tex-Mex and Mexican influences abound in the divine Mexican Chocolate Fudge-Pecan Cake rich with cinnamon and vanilla, Dulce de Leche Arborio Rice Pudding, Muchas Leches Cake with Sugared Almonds, and Dulce de Leche Macaroons.
If you're looking for more traditional fare, there's Espresso Creme Brulee, Tiramisu with Homemade Ladyfingers, Mars Pies and Grasshopper Pie, but with the Texas-sized bounty of creative desserts, why not try something new?
The recipes are clearly laid out and easy to follow. Helpful tips are sprinkled throughout, along with ideas for presentation. There are some truly spectacular desserts here (sky-high meringues, Tuxedo Cake, etc.), but all are manageable for novice cooks.
Be warned: this is not a book for those thinking about going on a diet! The recipes are loaded with butter, cream, sugar, and other indulgences; in Rebecca's own words, "I don't do low-fat desserts. If I am going to eat dessert, I want it to be really, really sinful."
Hill Country's Recipes June 9, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This cookbook has some very good recipes that are easy to follow and have very good results.
The Pastry Queen June 9, 2007
Excellent! Throughly enjoy reading and trying some of the really good
recipes.
Best Little Baking Book in Texas May 15, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I love this book so much that I'm giving it to an out-of-state friend as a memory of her time in Texas. I've successfully made several of the recipes and the results were always delicious. Favorites are the Tuxedo Cake and Applewood Bacon Scones. The recipes are well-written and instructions are easy to follow. The book is beautifully designed, too. The photos make me want to jump in my pickup and drive to Fredericksburg and the beautiful Texas Hill Country! This one is a keeper!
Texas Hill Country's Rather Sweet Bakery May 12, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a beautiful book. The recipes look wonderful. The background of Rather is interesting.
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