My Favorite Cookbooks

I love books and have a special place in my heart--and kitchen--for cookbooks. Since we re-opened the inn in 1984--I've been baking breakfast pastries for our hotel guests. With the help of our kitchen staff, I've turned out, oh, about a zillion muffins, 27 million coffee cakes and enough biscuits to stretch from here to the Southern States. Some of my long-time favorite baking cookbooks have clocked in 20+ years of service, they are so dog-eared and splattered, it's almost embarrassing...but they're like old-friends...always there for me.

My absolute favorite baking cookbook author is Beth Hensperger. Her book Bread is as good as it gets. (My copy lost its spine a few years back--the batter-splattered pages are loose and held together with big paperclips. It looks abused but it's really just well-loved!) Bread (Chronicle Books) is full of easy-to-follow recipes for breads and pastries, such as Vanilla Coffeecake--a moist layered coffee cake baked in a Bundt pan--and a chocolate bread, a thick-crusted bread sprinkled with bits of dark chocolate. Hensperger includes interesting information about a recipe's origin as well as suggestions for spreads for the breads. Her berry-butter concoction is a favorite with our guests. Hensperger has several other cookbooks including The Art of Quick Bread--all with smart recipes that can be doubled and all of her breads freeze well. If you can't find her cookbooks at your local bookstore or on Amazon, try your library or a used bookstore.

Bert Greene's Greene on Greens (Workman Publishing) is full of delicious recipes all of which use some form of fresh veggies. (The recipes are not however low-fat health conscious, Greene is liberal with his use of cream, oil, and butter but the flavors are robust and just may be worth cheating on your diet for.) Every summer when we're harvesting what seems like tons of zucchini---I turn to page 403 and knock out a couple of batches of Eleanor Tobin's Mother's Zucchini Muffin Gems. The combined flavors of zucchini, grated nutmeg and pecans make for a sensational muffin that can easily be called up for a dinner-time dessert --say, with a little scoop of vanilla ice cream. The Sweet Red Pepper Cornbread and Hungarian Fennel breads are unique and sure crowd-pleasers.

A Julia Child cookbook--or two-- is an essential tool to have in any kitchen. Like measuring cups, sharp knives, and a mixer---Julia's wisdom is a must-have. I have several of Julia Child's cookbooks. Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan (William Morrow Books) is an excellent cookbook for both the beginner baker and for those of us with some baking experience. Child's recipes for Berry Galette and Savarin are quite simple to follow; flavorful and pretty to serve. The Gingerbread Baby Cakes are a favorite with Alexander's guests. Topped with whipped cream and maybe a fresh lemon glaze...what a way to start a day. Getting off the subject of pastries for just a moment, Julia's Torte Milanese is a gorgeous torte with layers of spinach, cheese, ham and tomato. It requires some pre-planning and concentration but well worth the effort-- especially for a special occasion brunch.


I'm an NPR-addict and I love listening to Lynn Rossetto Kasper's radio program, The Splendid Table. Her book, The Italian Country Table (Scribner) is an intriguing blend of travel writing and old-family recipes from Italy. (While The Italian Country Table isn't a baking cookbook per se it's still one of my top five favorite cookbooks. Although, I do wish the book had photographs of the food--I like to see the end-product before I start.) I've made just about every recipe in the book and each one is a winner. Kasper's Apple Cake with a Crackly Meringue is very easy to put together and everyone loves it. The meringue makes for a crunchy topping and, with the moist apple cake, it's a combination made in heaven. This cake lasts well for several days.

I have a recipe file filled with Alexander's tried-and-true best breakfast pastry recipes. I'll be sharing them sometime soon but, for now, the kitchen is calling. Bon Appetite!