Over the Counter #180

What books caught my eye as they passed over the library counter and under my scanner? This week it's all about having your cake - and eating it too!

First up was Extreme Cakeovers by Rick Reichart and Sasha Reichart.

From the publisher Clarkson Potter:

"Wanted: Must love candy, cookies, frosting, and fun. No experience required!

Make over any purchased sheet cake or frozen pound cake into a stunning creation that looks like it came from a fancy bakery—no special skills or equipment necessary! Even if you’ve never tried to decorate a cake before, with a good supply of candies and other store-bought treats and the detailed instructions in Extreme Cakeovers, you’ll be able to accomplish forty unique designs. You can:

   • Fashion robot hands from chocolate-covered doughnuts
   • Make Fruit Roll-ups blossom into a bouquet of red roses
   • Roll Rice Krispies Treats and Swedish Fish into realistic sushi
   • String a pretty strand of gumball pearls
   • Create a train smokestack from an ice cream cone and marshmallow

Including tips and designs to please everyone from five to one hundred, Extreme Cakeovers is a whimsical guide to crafting cakes that will be the centerpiece of any occasion, from kids’ birthdays to Halloween, Father’s Day to Valentine’s Day, engagement parties to retirement gatherings."

Next up was Modern Art Desserts: Recipes for Cakes, Cookies, Confections, and Frozen Treats Based on Iconic Works of Art by Caitlin Freeman.

From the publisher Ten Speed Press:

"Taking cues from works by Andy Warhol, Frida Kahlo, and Matisse, pastry chef Caitlin Freeman, of Miette bakery and Blue Bottle Coffee fame, creates a collection of uniquely delicious dessert recipes (with step-by-step assembly guides) that give readers all they need to make their own edible masterpieces.

From a fudge pop based on an Ellsworth Kelly sculpture to a pristine segmented cake fashioned after Mondrian’s well-known composition, this collection of uniquely delicious recipes for cookies, parfait, gelées, ice pops, ice cream, cakes, and inventive drinks has everything you need to astound friends, family, and guests with your own edible masterpieces.

Taking cues from modern art’s most revered artists, these twenty-seven show stopping desserts exhibit the charm and sophistication of works by Andy Warhol, Cindy Sherman, Henri Matisse, Jeff Koons, Roy Lichtenstein, Richard Avedon, Wayne  Thiebaud, and more. Featuring an image of the original artwork alongside a museum curator’s perspective on the original piece and detailed, easy-to-follow directions (with step-by-step assembly guides adapted for home bakers), Modern Art Desserts will inspire a kitchen gallery of stunning treats."

(Over the Counter is a regular feature at A Bookworm's World. I've sadly come to the realization that I cannot physically read every book that catches my interest as it crosses over my counter at the library. But...I can mention them and maybe one of them will catch your eye as well. See if your local library has them on their shelves!)