I suppose it’s only natural to call this Kim Laidlaw Week. There will be three reviews of her books here this week:
- Tuesday it’s Home Baked Comfort [Revised!]
- Friday it will be Quick Slow Cooking
- Saturday you’ll see Dessert of the Day: 365 Days for Every Day of the Year
All three have been published by Weldon Own in the last 18 months in a barrage of books. A very tasty barrage. Home Baked Comfort first appeared in 2011 and now greats us in a grand upgraded volume still filled with sugar, butter, chocolate and spice.
Kim’s story is simple. She loves the kitchen, loves being covered in flour, and just happens to have the distinctive talent to compose recipes — first in her home kitchen and then on paper to share with you. Home Baked Comfort includes not only her ideas but the “best” from famous bakeries and bloggers across America. So here you will find Homemade English Muffins from Huckleberry in Santa Monica and Brown Sugar-Cranberry Oat Muffins from Flour in Boston. Oh, there’s the extravagant, it‑takes‑two‑days‑to‑make Mississippi Mud Pie from Baked in Brooklyn.
Home Baked Comfort has an excellent layout: one page recipes, typically with less than 10 ingredients and 4 or 5 clearly written paragraphs of directions. That clear writing is very helpful. It’s easy to first read and understand a recipe here — you do read before you start, right? — and then to follow it step by step. If a recipe is not written “for use” you can easily get lost, distracted, or confused. Kim’s writing is impeccable, a model for recipe presentation.
And then there are the photos, lovely, full page, seductive photos. Food photographer Eric Wolfinger was himself a cook and baker before putting down the spatulas and picking up a camera. His previous work appeared in Tartine Bread, nominated in 2011 for a James Beard Foundation Award for photography. These lovely photos are grand visual highway through Home Baked Comfort.
Here’s a tour of our own of the book’s chapters with some representative and wonderfully indulgent recipes:
- Breakfast
Gooey Cinnamon Rolls
Bit-Size Bacon and Cheese Scones
Ham, Leek, and Gruyere Quiche
- Breads
Dark and Sticky Gingerbread [made with coffee]
Bacon, Caramelized Onion and Gruyere Focaccia
Soft Pretzels with Grainy Mustard
- Cookies and Bars
Whoppie Pies with Salted Dulce de Leche
Honeyed Biscotti with Almonds and Dates
Pistachio-Almond Bars with Citrus Glaze
- Cakes and Cupcakes
Coconut Cupcakes with Lemon Curd
Apple Whiskey Cake
Brown Butter Pound Cake with Fresh Fig Compote
Polenta Olive Oil Cake
- Pies and Tarts
Rhubarb turnovers
Apricot Pistachio Tart
Buttermilk Pie with Raspberries
- Custards and Soufflés
Crème Brulee with Caramelized Blood Oranges
Spiced Persimmon Pudding
Savory Goat Cheese Soufflés
I noted above that the recipes take just a few paragraphs and a few ingredients to compose. Yet, as you can see from these recipe titles, you can create spirited dishes with multiple layers of texture and flavor. Recipes like that Brown Butter Pound Cake with Fresh Fig Compote offer you the chance, at home, to make an exceptional dessert. Home Baked Comfort is book you will turn to again and again. It’s filled with what will become family favorites. You just have to start baking. And enjoying.