MADreads

What exactly is a Krampus? I’d rather read about croissants.

October 26th, 2009 Molly - Central

Sometimes you really do need to give a book a little more time.   The prologue of Confections of a Closet Master Baker: One Woman’s Sweet Journey from Unhappy Hollywood Executive to Contented Country Baker by Gesine Bullock-Prado really lost me.  I understand that the author was trying to set up her lifelong love of sweets, but this chapter was kinda weird.   She remembers back to a Christmas spent in Austria and how the holiday stockings were delivered by a raggedy St. Nikolaus and his demon sidekick, Krampus.  I may, in fact, have nightmares about this.  I thought I was getting into chocolate chip cookies and some Hollywood style hissy fits.  I wasn’t prepared at all for the Krampus.

But continuing on to chapter one I get exactly what I want: a memoir of why a successful Hollywood executive (and sister of famous actress Sandra Bullock) would want to pack it all up and leave for Vermont to open a bakery.  We also get some kick ass recipes.  I am committing the recipe for Golden Eggs to memory.  It is that good.  Vanilla cake with a sugar and cinnamon coating that makes it taste like a donut.  Mmmmm.

Each chapter is set up with a title and time, the time corresponding to what time of day certain events happen in the life of a baker.  Example, 3:00 a.m. wake up.  4:00 a.m. arrival at the bakery and convection oven preheating.  5:00 a.m. tart filling.  You get the idea.   Each chapter also contains memories, insight and recipes.  I love, love, love this.  Gesine’s mother is German and a lot of the recipes and memories are inspired by the treats Gesine ate growing up in Germany as well as family traditions carried on after moving to the U.S., which is fascinating stuff.  Having grown up eating apfelkuchen myself, this was very enjoyable reading.  But I will not lie to you, I almost hung it up after the Krampus chapter.  I’m still a little freaked out.

So it’s a good thing I have a new carrot cake recipe to test that calls for nine pounds of butter!  Well, not quite, but all of the recipes included in this book have full-fat, real ingredients.  Totally worth it!   That’s what baking is all about!  I was this close to planning a trip to Montpelier, VT, to visit Gesine Confectionary & Gourmet Market, but it looks like they closed up shop and Gesine is preparing to open a new bakery in Austin, TX.   I will keep my eye out for that one.  And in case you’re wondering, it’s Geh-see-neh.

Entry Filed under: Memoir & Biography, Nonfiction