Cookbook Excitement: Modern Art Desserts

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about this cookbook! Back in 2009, I wrote a piece about pastry chef Caitlin Williams Freeman and the amazing work she was doing at The Blue Bottle Cafe, which is located at San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art. That piece was, and remains, one of my most popular posts. People can't seem to get enough of Caitlin's wonderful art-inspired desserts! And, now, with the release of her cookbook, Modern Art Desserts, you can find out exactly how she goes about converting famous works of art into gorgeous, edible desserts! Along with step-by-step instructions on how to create her most famous cakes, the Mondrian Cake and her trio of Thiebaud cakes, you will find recipes inspired by the works of Andy Warhol, Cindy Sherman, Henri Matisse, Jeff Koons, Francesca Woodman, Roy Lichtenstein, and Richard Avedon, among others. Each recipe includes an image of the dessert, along with a photo of it's artistic inspiration, so that you get a real sense of the whole process.

Caitlin Williams Freeman is one of the true dessert art innovators. You can find out more about her cookbook by watching the video above. To order Modern Art Desserts: Recipes for Cakes, Cookies, Confections, and Frozen Treats Based on Iconic Works of Art, click here. ~Erin

{Cookbook photos by Clay McLachlan}

Cookbook Excitement: Miette

Omg, omg. Okay, that’s a little annoying, but seriously…OMG! One of my most favorite bakeries ever, Miette, is releasing a cookbook on June 22nd! I have a sneaking suspicion that my Baked obsession is going to turn into a Miette obsession sometime in the next few months. Right now, there are only a few images  available, but I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy, so that I can see what other photos are included inside.  Their baked goods are always so lovely to look at, not to mention all together yummy. If you haven't tried anything from their shop, I would highly recommend the toffee and the macarons, which are available by mail order. To preorder Miette: Recipes from San Francisco's Most Charming Pastry Shop, click here.

Have a great (long) weekend! ~Erin

Caitlin Williams Freeman Serves up the Art of Wayne Thiebaud

Pastry chef Caitlin Williams Freeman has been getting a lot of well-deserved attention lately for the fun and arty desserts that she's been serving up at the Blue Bottle Coffee Bar, part of San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art. Freeman, a former co-owner of the lovely Miette in SF, brings artwork to the kitchen by creating sweet treats that are inspired by the work of famous artists. On the Blue Bottle menu, you'll find intriguing items like the Katharina Fritsch Ice Cream Sandwich and the Mondrian cake. I really love Freeman's creative way of looking at art and food and her ability to tie together the cafeteria with the museum in a totally unique way. That said, I'm really excited about the fact that artist Wayne Thiebaud's yummy cake paintings have finally been brought to life!

Wayne Thiebaud is a California artist best know for his paintings of everyday objects and is particularly famous for his mouth-watering pictures of cakes, pies, and other sweets! I think Michael Kimmelman summed it up best when he wrote in the New York Times in 2001 that "If the world were a perfect place, the Wayne Thiebaud retrospective that has just opened at the Whitney Museum would be nailed to the walls for good and we would be free to stop by whenever we needed to remind ourselves what happiness feels like." I hope Freeman utilizes more of Thiebaud's work in the future. How could she not? There's just so much deliciousness to work with!

For more about Freeman's desserts, click here. You can also check out Megan's version of Freeman's Mondrian cake over at Feasting on Art, right here.

[photo from the Blue Bottle Cafe by KQED SPARK.]

Ice Cream Crepes

One final, end of summer item from my Japanese dessert adventure: Ice cream crepes. It's ice cream, but it's a crepe, so it requires chewing. Kinda like an ice cream sandwich, I suppose. Not fun for people with teeth sensitivity, but I don't have that problem, so I'd give it a shot! If you're in San Francisco, you can get crepe ice cream at Genki Crepes and Sophie's Crepes. Otherwise, look for them at Japanese restaurants and markets. [Top photo by Brian.]

Cakework at Dean & Deluca

I just stumbled upon this beautiful Cakework creation on Dean & Deluca's Web site. This lovely almond cake is filled with layers of vanilla cream and raspberry filling, wrapped in a chocolate casing, and topped with marzipan pears. It sounds wonderful! And, at $160, it's also quite a bargain! (That last part was sarcasm.)

Cakework, which like so many of my favorite bakeries, is based in San Francisco and are known for their unique, highly sculpted wedding cakes that not only look amazing, but also taste great. The fact that they can create a cake that is not only interesting to look at, but also delicious, is probably due to the fact that each cake is wrapped and decorated in chocolate instead of yucky fondant. Luckily, for all of us that live outside California, they'll deliver cakes to almost anywhere. Click here for more info or, to order their chocolate wrapped cake, visit Dean & Deluca's Web site.

Old-Fashioned at Miette

I don't know what kind of cake this is, but I want it! That was the first thought that went through my mind when I saw this cake on Miette's Web site. It's called an Old-Fashioned and, after doing a quick search, I discovered that it's a chocolate cake with a meringue frosting that is topped with a candy-coated peanut. It has a sweet retro feel, hence the name, and you can never go wrong with red, black, and white. Actually, all of the cakes at Miette are quite lovely.

Also, a friend of mine bought me some of their peanut butter cookies once and they were surprisingly good! There was a lot of flavor packed into that little cookie!

Miette is based in San Francisco, but you can order some of their less delicate products, like the peanut butter cookies, via their online store.