Mrs. Jeffries Appeals the Verdict (Victorian Mysteries)

Book Description

When a man is wrongly convicted of a woman's murder, Mrs. Jeffries and her belowstairs cohorts have their work cut out for them if they want to save an innocent man from the gallows.

Customer Reviews:

A good addition to the series.......2007-03-02

I adore this series; indeed, it is one of my all time favorite cozy series ever, as it combines my two loves: Victorian England and a cozy mystery. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because the author drops a huge clue - almost a giveaway - in the first few chapters as to who the killer is. In the previous books, I've always been surprised at the killer's identity when it is finally revealed, but in this one, Brightwell practically gave it away fairly early on.

Other than that, I enjoyed the book. The staff at Upper Edmonton Gardens have become like family and Brightwell is superb at painting a vivid picture of Victorian England. Even though Luty and Hatchet weren't there, we got to see more of Ruth Cannonberry.

Overall, this is a great book that fans of the Mrs. Jeffries series are sure to enjoy.

A very strong Mrs. Jeffries mystery!.......2006-07-23

Even though we don't get to see Luty or Hatcher in this book, it is still a very entertainlng book. In it we have Mrs. Jeffries and her crew trying to stop a hanging of a man convicted of murder. They are convinced that the man is innocent of murder, and they have to work against the clock to prove it. This series continues to remain fresh and new, and I look forward to each book.

A race with the hangman.......2006-05-31

Mrs. Jeffries and her plucky band of amateur investigators are racing the hangman in the latest entry in this series. And they are at a disadvantage because the case was not handled by their own Inspector Witherspoon. Worse yet, the case was investigated by the dread Inspector Nivens, an unethical ambitious detective who envies and despises Witherspoon.

Mrs. Caroline Muran was very efficiently shot to death in an apparent street robbery late one night, in which her husband was injured by a blow to the head. Soon after the crime, pickpocket Tommy Odell was found to have pawned Mr. Muran's pocket watch.

Thanks to a less-than-stellar investigation by Nivens, Odell was convicted of the murder and scheduled to hang. But a friend of Odell's mother doubts his guilt and approaches the Witherspoon household's servants to ask for their help - with not many days left before the execution date.

Others have doubted the thoroughness of Nivens' investigation. When the victim's brother - thought to have died in the US - turns up alive and well in London and asking questions, the investigation is reopened. Nivens is livid - and then he's beyond rage when the reopened case is assigned to Witherspoon.

The victim was a truly good woman who ran the family business well and cared for the welfare of the workers. Mrs. Jeffries and her crew must sort through facts implicating people who had either business or personal reasons for wanting her dead - and find the killer before more deaths occur.

A strong book in the series. We don't see Luty or her butler, but the lovely and spirited neighbor Ruth Cannonberry lends her talents to this investigation.

Appealing Mystery.......2006-05-10

In this installment in the Mrs. Jeffries mystery series, Smythe's friend, Blimpey Groggins asks Inspector Gerald Witherspoon's household staff, to investigate a murder. His friend, Tommy Odell, has been found guilty of killing a woman and is scheduled to hang for the crime in a few weeks, but Blimpey is convinced that Tommy is innocent. The staff agrees to help, but they realize it's going to be difficult to find clues in a case that is considered already solved. To complicate things further, it wasn't Witherspoon's case; it belonged to Inspector Nivens, Witherspoon's nemesis. Mrs. Jeffries and the rest of the staff have their work cut out for them if they wish to save an innocent man from hanging.

Emily Brightwell has done it once again. Even after writing over 20 Mrs. Jeffries books, she manages to keep the series from going stale. Having the staff investigate a murder that is considered already solved was a great plot device and worked well. It also ups the animosity between Witherspoon and Nivens and opens up lots of possibilities for plot developments in future books in the series. What makes this series so good is how the characters continue to develop in each book and especially Inspector Witherspoon in this book. Some fans of the series will be disappointed that there's no Luty and Hatchet in this entry, but there is plenty of Ruth Cannonberry in exchange. It was also nice to see more of Blimpey and Brightwell adds a neat twist at the end of the book to make his character even more likable. The mystery is nicely plotted and while I thought I knew who the murderer was, I was pleasantly surprised to find out I was wrong.

Highly recommended!

Book Description

The Amazons must choose a champion.

Who is the smartest?
Who is the strongest?
Who is the fastest?
Who will be Wonder Woman?

Customer Reviews:

Great for young girls!.......2004-09-04

This book was perfect for my young girls. Wonder Woman is a terrific role model (she doesn't look like a Barbie doll in this book) and my girls LOVE the story. It is simple and just the right speed for this reading level. The pictures are well done and engaging. We love reading this book and my girls ask for it every night!

Average customer rating:

Graphic SF Reader
An enjoyable read.
Don't buy unless you read the Wonder Woman series.
Wonderful Art by Mike Deodato JR! A Must read!
Artemis: The New Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman: The Contest (Artemis)
William Messner-Loebs
Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Wonder Woman: Paradise Found
Wonder Woman: Second Genesis
Wonder Woman Vol. 3: Beauty and the Beasts
Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia
Wonder Woman: Down to Earth

ASIN: 1563891948

Book Description

Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons and mother of Wonder Woman, proclaims a new contest to choose a champion who will replace her daughter as the new Wonder Woman.

Customer Reviews:

Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03

The Amazons are non too pleased with that old mission to man's world thing, and how Princess Diana has been performing in the role.

Recalling her, they decide she has to prove herself in a good old fashioned super powered Decathlon/Pentathlon/Bitch Fight all rolled into one.

An enjoyable read........2003-02-08

This trade paperback collects Wonder Woman #90-93 and #0.

Diana returns to Themyscira and it seems that her mother, Hippolyta (queen of the Amazons), thinks she is no longer fit to serve the role of Wonder Woman. Hippolyta says Diana has failed to positively act upon the most important role of Wonder Woman, fighting to end all acts of hate on Earth. As a result, a contest is held in which every Amazon is invited to compete to become the new Wonder Woman.

The story is very well-written by William Messner-Loebs. Here, he has given the characters of Diana and the Amazons a little depth. They have believable emotions, and not once does the story escape into camp. The only downside is that once the contest ends nothing seems to make sense. If you are not an avid reader of Wonder Woman and know nothing of her supporting characters, then the last ten pages of this book will be confusing. Hawkman appears, too, out of nowhere; I guess, his point was supposed to be revealed in later issues.

The art is absolutely incredible. The panels are fast and exciting, and the Amazons are depicted as strong but delicate, sexy but independent ... except for the many panels of "rears-in-the-air." These are just a little too blatantly sexual. They are unnecessary because the Amazons are just as sexy without having to be drawn in such a manner. But, I'm sure most fanboys won't mind.

Buy the book if you are looking for a great Wonder Woman story with the perfect balance of story and art, but don't expect an intro that explains what has happened up to this point.

Don't buy unless you read the Wonder Woman series........2002-12-16

I've never read a Wonder Woman book before. What I know of her is what I've read from JLA, Superfriends, The 1970s Wonder Woman TV show, and the Justice League. This book reads as if it's incomplete. It does a fine job with the characters from Wonder Woman's home island even though they all look like and sound alike (ok, a few have different color hair)... but we are definitly missing a number of pages in the beginning and unless you read the series, you are lost at the end. I was looking forward to a good introduction to the series, but if this is how the series reads, I don't think I'd be interested in reading more.

Wonderful Art by Mike Deodato JR! A Must read!.......2001-08-27

This DC comics tradepaperback features wonderful art by Mick Deodato Jr! Written by William Messner-loebs, This story starts in Paradise Island where Princess Diana meets her long lost Amazon sister, Artemis. Diana faces her greatest challenge with Artemis for the mantle of Wonder Woman! Artemis wins the contest and is taken to New york to become the New super Heroine! Princes Diana becomes a private eye and goes on her own crimial cases! Will Artemis, the New Wonder Woman be able to stop crime and stop Diana from interfering with her duties?! Will Artemis's new mean streak be able to take care of crime in New York? Will Diana ever be able to reclaim the mantle of Wonder Woman? Find out! Buy this DC comics Trade paperback! Beautiful art by Mike Deodato Jr (he is known for drawing beautiful women in the comics feild!) Mike's draws the Amazons, Artemis, Wonder Woman (Diana) with such great detail! They look awsome!

Artemis: The New Wonder Woman.......2001-07-14

For those of you not overly familiar with the comic book, this is a great jumping on book to purchase. In it Diana goes back to her native island of Themyscira (Paradise Island) and finds everything in a shambles. A new tribe of Amazons have invaded the island in order to call it their own. Although unsuccessful, they still remain on the island living in a very uneasy alliance with Diana's Amazons. Enter Artemis, a member of the new tribe who has a very big chip on her shoulder, but is very fair and seeks to find peace between the two tribes. Diana and Artemis soon form a bond and Diana's life will never be the same. This a book that is very well written so that new readers of the comic can understand what is happening, as well as find lots of interesting story pieces to keep their attention. The art is beautiful as well. I highly recommend you consider this book as it is one of my favorite story arcs of the current comic.

Wonder Woman The Contest Lost # 92 December 1994

Average customer rating:

Wonder Woman The Contest Lost # 92 December 1994
Loebs & Deodato
Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MS7S82

Wonder Woman: The Contest (Festival Reader)

Average customer rating:

Wonder Woman: The Contest (Festival Reader)
Ben Caldwell Nina Jaffe
Manufacturer: HarperFestival
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEZ2M8

The People: No Different Flesh
Average customer rating:

Sheer delight from Zenna Henderson

The People: No Different Flesh
Zenna Henderson
Manufacturer: Avon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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Ingathering: The Complete People Stories of Zenna Henderson

ASIN: 0380015064

Customer Reviews:

Sheer delight from Zenna Henderson.......2000-04-28

Readers who love Zenna Henderson's Pigrimage will want to read this, her second novel about the People, a race from another planet who become marooned on earth. The People have the very best of human qualities: love, gentleness, spirituality; and also special powers of healing, levitation and other abilites.

This book tells the story of a couple, Mark and Meris, who, one stormy night, find a young girl who has fallen in a capsule from the sky, and who has special abilities. Maris and Mark, still grieving the loss of their own baby, must come to terms with the emotional issues that caring for the young girl, Lala, creates in both of them. What follows is a plot that will involve the reader in the magic, compassion and sense of rightness that the People evoke.

In Pilgrimage, as in The People: No Different Flesh, the plot shifts between the present day story, and stories about the People from their past, which comprise the People's race memory. Included as one of these memories told to Mark and Meris is a short story, "Deluge", which has appeared in some short story collections. "Deluge" gives the reader a taste of the magical and deeply fulfilling way of life on the People's home planet and tells how the People came to leave it. Other memories tell us what happened to various individuals of the People as they arrived on earth. These add texture and interest to the present-day story, and include events of terrible persecution of the People as well as stories of personal tragedy and joy.

Some critics have found Zenna Henderson and her People books too emotionally melodramatic, and indeed, Henderson does have the talent for making vivid emotion come alive on the page. The ending of this book has a fairytale-like happiness that may bring tears to many readers' eyes, although some critics consider Henderson to be too saccharine. To my mind, Henderson's novels, with their emotional brand of spirituality, are uplifting and warming without being cloying. Henderson shows us that there is still comfort and genuine goodness in the world. Reading The People: No Different Flesh is like drinking a warm cup of cocoa in front of a fire on a cold winter's night. END

A Different Flesh: A Different Flesh
Average customer rating:

I just finished reading an unfinished book

Great premise, no follow-up

Doesn't deliver

A great book. Republish it!

"A Different Flesh" by Harry Turtledove

A Different Flesh: A Different Flesh
Turtledove
Manufacturer: Baen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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Similar Items:

Dance of the Tiger: A Novel of the Ice Age

ASIN: 0671876228

Customer Reviews:

I just finished reading an unfinished book.......2001-09-16

Intrigued with the alternate history scene and learning that Harry Turtledove is the "grandmaster" of it, I read "A Different Flesh" with high hopes of inspiration & imagination. Boy, was I let down.

The idea of the book is great. Instead of finding the Indians, the early explorers find "sims"...a shorter way of saying Neanderthal caveman. The book goes through several short stories with very likeable characters and intriguing plot lines.

However, the plot goes from the 1600s to the 1800s at a good pace and then all of a sudden jumps to 1988 and then that's the end. I feel that Turtledove only had to write x amount of words for the publisher and that's exactly where he stopped.

What about all the years between the 1800s and 1988?

Why not explore future years past 1988? I realize that would have been predicting for the author, but that is the fun of science fiction.

The ending of the book did not wrap anything up...the sims go to either medical research or reservations. And?!? Then what?!? Turtledove could have easily turned this into a 400-500 page epic novel and connected many loose ends while stabbing at greater philosophical, political, religious and social issues.

Overall, a let down at the end after a promising start.

Great premise, no follow-up.......2001-07-13

I was intrigued with the premise of the book long before I located a copy. Reading it, I was disappointed to find that there wasn't much more to it than that. It's written as a series of vignettes, starting with early American colonists encountering the Sims, and continuing forward through time to the present day, with Sims being used as medical test-subjects. I liked that approach at first, but now I'm wondering if a novel would have worked better. None of the characters are very well fleshed out (excuse the pun), and the alternate-reality world of the sims seems disappointingly similar to our own. I'd love to see a different writer work from the same starting point - the results could be fascinating.

Doesn't deliver.......1998-09-22

Turtledove grabs us by the throat with an interesting premise then drops us and leaves the room, never to return. That's how I felt after reading this. The only alt history this so called "Grand Master of Alternate History" has ever written worth it's salt is "Guns of the South" Shine this one on.

A great book. Republish it!.......1998-03-09

This early Turtledove work is a great piece of work, posing -- and sometimes answering -- sensitive questions relative to our debates on animal rights, race, ethnicity, and more. And it's a great story! REPUBLISH IT!

"A Different Flesh" by Harry Turtledove.......1997-02-19

"A Different Flesh" shows an extremely likely outcome of the world's history if one simple factor in history had changed; namely, the arrival of modern man via the Alaskan land bridge. In this carefully written book, he explores several periods of Americal history where the Native American has been replaced by Homo Erectus, and the resulting theological, historical, judicial, moral, practical, and political changes worldwide. He uses his Ph.D in history and the resources of the universities we works at to carefully extrapolate the future from a different past, and his writing experience to create colorful, realistic, and deep characters

Average customer rating:

Everyone with a heart should read this book!

Different Fleshes: A Novel/Poem (103p)
Albert Goldbarth
Manufacturer: Hobart & William Smith
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Customer Reviews:

Everyone with a heart should read this book!.......1999-05-15

Albert Goldbarth stretches across space and time to reveal the great essential truth of life.

Average customer rating:

The People: No Different Flesh
Zenna Henderson
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K0ID9U

Average customer rating:

Different Fleshes a novel / poem
Albert Goldbarth
Manufacturer: Hobart & William Smith Colleges Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0934888019

Average customer rating:

Isaac Asimov Presents a Different Flesh
Harry Turtledove
Manufacturer: Congdon & Weed
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Short Stories | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

The People : No Different Flesh
Zenna Henderson
Manufacturer: Morrow/Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GQQ8OA

Average customer rating:

THE PEOPLE: NO DIFFERENT FLESH

Manufacturer: Avon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GQVRZA

Average customer rating:

The People: No Different Flesh
Zenna Henderson
Manufacturer: Doubleday & Co. Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NYCDTY

The People: No Different Flesh (Avon S328)

Average customer rating:

The People: No Different Flesh (Avon S328)
Zenna Henderson
Manufacturer: Avon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000JR034C

Nancy Silverton's Pastries from the La Brea Bakery
Average customer rating:

A Great Cookbook that deserved a Great Editor

Flawless Recipes

Family favorite - Raspberry Bars

Great Book

Hard to follow directions

Nancy Silverton's Pastries from the La Brea Bakery
Nancy Silverton
Manufacturer: Villard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Desserts | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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Cooking, Food & Wine | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Nancy Silverton's Breads from the La Brea Bakery: Recipes for the Connoisseur

Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book: The Best Sandwiches Ever--from Thursday Nights at Campanile

The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread

Paris Boulangerie-Patisserie: Recipes from Thirteen Outstanding French Bakeries

Crust & Crumb: Master Formulas for Serious Bread Bakers

ASIN: 0375501932
Release Date: 2000-10-10

Book Description

"The pastries we make are deliciously simple and rustic and never too sweet. Woven into many of them are my favorite flavors: butter, cinnamon, nuts, and fruit. They're familiar, uncomplicated, and satisfying. One taste and you're instantly comforted. Inspired by a sweet memory from childhood, a European classic, or a time-honored bakeshop standard, they are flavors you never tire of. Like my bread, these are pastries you want to eat every day."        --from the Introduction

When celebrated pastry chef and baker Nancy Silverton decided to add sweets to the La Brea Bakery's shelves of artisanal breads, she knew that they couldn't be just any sweets. Instead of baking fastidious and overelaborate desserts, she creates deliciously simple, rustic pastries, full of texture and flavor, that complement perfectly her hearty, country-style breads and have people lining up morning after morning. Now, in Pastries from the La Brea Bakery, Silverton shares her passion and expertise in more than 150 recipes of her most scrumptious favorites--virtually every pastry in the La Brea Bakery's impressive repertoire.
        Silverton distills years of experimentation and innovation into simple and accessible directions. Many of her recipes are surprisingly quick and easy--not to mention incredibly tasty--like her crisps, cobblers, and crumbles, and her ever-popular scones, which run the gamut from Chocolate-Walnut to Ginger to Mushroom-Onion. Her muffins are moist and distinctive, from the healthful Bran to the rich Crotin de Chocolat. She offers an array of quickbreads and quickcakes for all tastes (including Madeleines, Canellés, and Cranberry-Almond Tea Bread), and her tarts bring out the best qualities of the finest ingredients, from the intense, fresh fruit of her Cherry Bundles to her elegant Triple Almond Tart. Beautiful cookies, such as Almond Sunflowers, Nun's Breasts, and Swedish Ginger Wafers, are centerpiece desserts on their own. Silverton also deftly teaches the delicate art of confections--here you'll find Almond Bark, English Toffee, and Lollipops--and demystifies the sometimes intimidating technique of doughnut making.
        The crowning touch is her detailed section on Morn-ing Pastries, where she guides us to mastery of the classic doughs: the quick and rich bobka, the fine-textured traditional brioche, the famous and flexible croissant, and the pièce de résistance: puff pastry.
        An important book from a baking and pastry icon, Pastries from the La Brea Bakery, like Nancy Silver-ton's acclaimed Breads from the La Brea Bakery, is a bible of the craft for bakers everywhere.

A selection of recipes from
Nancy Silverton's Pastries from the La Brea Bakery

Apple Fritters * Asparagus-Egg Pie with Potato Crust * Black Currant Silk Tart
Blueberry-Almond Muffins * Brownies with Irish Whiskey and Currants * Canellés
Caramel Candy Kisses * Cheese Croissants * Chocolate-Walnut Scones * Cinnamon Custard Tart  ¸  Country Feta Pies * Crème Fraîche Coffee Cake * Croissants * Crotin de Chocolat  ¸  Espresso Wheels * Everyone's Mother's Berry Cobbler * Ginger Scones * Hazelnut-Banana Tart  ¸  Iced Raisin Squares * Jelly Doughnuts * Lemon Turnovers * Madeleines * Moravian Ginger Snaps  ¸  Nectarine-Ginger Crisp * Nun's Breasts * Parma Braids * Pecan Sticky Buns * Ricotta Muffins  ¸  Rosemary Corncakes * Rugelach * Sesame-Pumpkin Seed Brittle  ¸  Sticky Toffee Pudding * Viennese Cream Brioche

Amazon.com

The La Brea Bakery had humble beginnings, initially offering only rustic bread. But the locals clamored for more, so owner Nancy Silverton--to ever-widening acclaim--introduced everyone's favorite sweets, including cookies, tarts, crisps, and crumbles. The irresistible sights and smells of a good local sweets shop permeate her second cookbook, Pastries from the La Brea Bakery, a follow-up and companion to Breads from the La Brea Bakery. The recipes are designed with the novice baker in mind (baking tools and ingredients are indexed with brief explanations of importance), but the book courts all levels of baking experience. For the more advanced, Silverton shows how to visually accentuate her creations with richly colored fruits and sugars that create varying caramelized effects in delicious ways. Dough recipes include bobka, brioche, and croissants; in the more decadent sweets department are recipes for cookies, tarts, scones, and an entire chapter on doughnuts. Once you get stuck in La Brea you'll have a deliciously hard time getting out. --Teresa Simanton

Customer Reviews:

A Great Cookbook that deserved a Great Editor.......2004-05-09

This would have been a delightful cookbook, but the careful eye of an editor was needed. None of the recipes I have used have been free of errors. By way of example, the author indicates that the recipe for the yummy Banana-Cocoa Muffins yields 12 muffins. Actually, there is sufficient batter for 30 good-sized muffins - but only enough garnish for 12! If followed carefully, the recipe for cannele - which should produce tender little French cakes - produces rock-hard pellets. Most of the time, an accomplished cook can work with the many many mistakes - a novice will have a great deal of trouble using this book.

Flawless Recipes.......2004-03-10

I have baked my way through this fabulous cookbook for the last couple of years and have yet to come across a better cookbook for baking. Actually, I have to respectfully disagree with the reviewer who recommends Rose Levy Beranbaum's Pie & Pastry Bible over Pastries from the La Brea Bakery. Though I love Beranbaum's Cake Bible, I have found the recipes in The Pie & Pastry Bible to be fussy and rarely turn out as promised.

I consider myself a fairly experienced baker, but have always been intimidated by pastry. Yet I have tried several pastries from this cookbook and all have turned out beautifully (including the Pumpkin Pie, which is indeed the best I have ever had and got rave reviews from my Thanksgiving guests). The directions are clear and easy to follow and the sections on muffins, quickbreads, and scones will keep the novice baker busy for a while until she or he gets up the courage to try the croissants and tarts. Pity not the poor bride who gets this for a wedding gift --maybe her husband will give it a try while she's at work.

One word of caution --get ready to spend some money on kitchen equipment if you get addicted to Nancy Silverton's fabulous recipes. Some of them require cake rings and molds most home bakers don't have on hand. However, lest you be discouraged by that warning, I also have to say that many of the recipes require basic pans and tools.

Family favorite - Raspberry Bars.......2003-03-21

Starting with the raspberry bars and going through the book, Silverton does a great job in bringing classic American favorites to our tables. I'm an experienced baker, educated by Maida Heatter's books. In between then and now I have collected hundreds of cookbooks and Pastries From LaBrea Bakery is up there in my top 10. It's takes time and patience to learn any craft. You have to collect good equipment and have a pantry ready. But why bother making it if it's not great???

Great Book.......2002-11-02

This is a great book!! I am in school to become a Pastry Chef and we have used this book in class a lot. It is not really a book for use at home. But it has great ideas for the profrssional or student.

Hard to follow directions.......2002-07-22

I recently purchased Nancy Silverton's Pastries from the La Brea Bakery and while I'm very excited and intrigued by many of the recipes and flavor combinations, I have a few issues with some of the directions given. for example, I tried the recipe for "Viennese Cream Brioche" - a circle of rich brioche filled with creme fraiche. For one thing the directions say to divide the dough into 12 parts and roll into five-inch rounds, then place the rounds on a baking sheet to rise. Obviously 12 five-inch rounds will not fit on a standard home cookie sheet, so you will have to use at least two pans and bake in shifts. OK, I can deal with this oversight, but when baked the filling did not "set" as the recipe indicated. In fact it separated into a greasy mess and never set up. Very frustrating and waste of good brioche dough.

Some of these issues could be cleared up with a few extra photos or diagrams. Another example: in a recipe for a "Princess Ring" you are instructed to roll croissant dough around a filling and then form it into a ring, then "along the inside of the ring, about 2 inches from where the 2 ends meet, make a cut 2 inches deep, cutting 3/4 of the way through to the outside edge. Make 5 more cuts evenly spaced along the inside of the ring". I re-read this direction many times and still can't figure out what I'm supposed to do or what the finished pastry should look like. I'm an experienced baker who doesn't need a photo of a scone or muffin to know what one looks like, and I certainly wasn't expecting a glossy coffee table show piece, but a couple line drawings or photos of key steps would have really helped this book.

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