Bake from Scratch Sep/Oct 2017

IF YOU’RE LIKE ME, the arrival of each new season comes with a list of items you can’t wait to bake, and the pages of this issue are going to make fall’s list even longer. Did you know that cardamom is the new cinnamon? Once you read what Malika Ameen has to say about it on page 27, you’ll be reinventing all of your baked goods with this standout spice that we can’t get enough of. I don’t know about you, but I’m always inspired to bake new things after traveling to a new destination. Or maybe it’s the other way around, and baking new recipes inspires us to travel to new places. Probably both. Last September, I was lucky enough to be in Taipei during the Chinese celebration of Mid-Autumn Festival…

MALIKA AMEEN Malika Ameen is the author of Sweet Sugar, Sultry Spice: Exotic Flavors to Wake Up Your Baking, the definitive guide to spice. Early in her career, Malika served as head pastry chef at L.A.’s famed Chateau Marmont, where she fed Hollywood’s A-listers her popular cardamom snowballs and sticky toffee pudding. In 2007, Malika moved home to Chicago and opened the well-reviewed Aigre Doux. Still based in Chicago with her three children, she is currently a culinary consultant and caterer. Favorite pie to bake in the fall: “Apple. It is the ultimate all-American comfort food. Apples marry well with a plethora of spices, and work well in sweet and savory dishes.” LINNEA COVINGTON Denver, New York City, food, babies, travel, agriculture, and chefs—these are the main topics Linnea Covington has been writing about…

1. The Perfect Pie Crust Shield by Norpro Protect the edges of your single-crusted pie from excess browning with this reusable, dishwasher-safe pie shield. $7.49; preparedpantry.com 2. La Tourtière d’Annette White and Blue Circle Pie Plate With each slice of pie, you’ll get closer to viewing the beautiful blue ring design at the bottom of this artisan dish from Art & Manufacture in Quebec. $75; etsy.com 3. Brass and Steel Pie Server This hand-forged pie server from designer Erica Moody features a flexible but sturdy brass blade and a looped and seasoned cast-iron handle. $120; ericamoody.com 4. Williams Sonoma Lattice Piecrust Cutter This handy stencil cutter will have you creating perfect lattice crust every time, no weaving required. $19.95; williams-sonoma.com 5. Ateco Adjustable Dough Divider Cutting pastry strips just got five times faster. This adjustable, five-wheel divider creates multiple exact lattice slices…

DESSERT REFERENCE BOOKS FOR EVERYONE FROM THE PASTRY NOVICE TO THE WELL-FLOURED MASTER THE LAST COURSE: THE DESSERTS OF GRAMERCY TAVERN (Random House, 2001) by Claudia Fleming “Hands down the most influential cookbook I’ve ever owned. And I own two copies: one copy that’s literally falling apart I keep in the kitchen, and another in mint condition on my shelf at home. This cookbook is a masterpiece from ingredient combinations to photography. It was ahead of its time.” NANCY SILVERTON’S PASTRIES FROM THE LA BREA BAKERY (Villard, 2000) by Nancy Silverton “This book has taught so many people how to make savory breakfast pastries, shortbread, hot chocolate, and marshmallows. The approach to technique and method in this cookbook is so simple and accurate. There is nothing else like it.” THE LIDDABIT SWEETS CANDY COOKBOOK (Workman Publishing Company,…

When baker Shannah Primiano moved to Park City, Utah, from Florida, she suddenly found herself baking at high altitude—7,000 feet to be exact. Quite the adjustment! The Waldorf Astoria head pastry chef played around with ingredients, temperatures, and liquids, and now churns out some of the best cakes, pastries, and desserts around. Changing a recipe to adjust for high altitude starts at 3,500 feet above sea level, and the higher up you go, the more you have to alter. It can be tedious and challenging, but Shannah assures us that with a little patience and experimenting, those beloved recipes will taste just as good on top of a mountain as they do by the beach. Why does high altitude affect baking? The boiling point and air pressure are different at high altitude…

People don’t give pears enough love. (There, we said it.) Their window of peak deliciousness is narrow, but when you come across a perfectly ripe, juicy pear, there’s little to rival its honeyed fragrance and acidic streak of brightness. As with most ingredients, we enjoy teasing out the nuanced flavors of pears in both desserts and cocktails, and embracing them in their fresh, baked, and distilled forms. As the weather starts to cool, we like to bust out our Bundt pans and whip up cakes that can be served as easily for breakfast as dessert. Invite your friends over for a weekend afternoon, slice into this rich, buttery, perfectly moist cake, and skip the tea in favor of a refreshing and herbaceous gin cocktail. PERFECT PEAR Makes 1 serving This cocktail feels like…