Miette: Recipes from San Francisco's Most Charming Pastry Shop

ADDENDUM (October 2011): Revised edition with corrections has been printed and is now available.ADDENDUM: This book has been found to have several errors in printing, mostly with the "weights" of the ingredients, though the "volumes" have all been correct. There are 2 other errors that were legitimate concerns regarding ingredient name and amount. My unprofessional review was based solely on the "volumes" therefore I experienced no problems. That being said, supposedly there is talk of a second printing but nothing concrete. Therefore, while I truly enjoy this beautiful and delicious book, you might want to wait for a possible second printing (as the publishers should do) or you can go to the publishers website for a correction sheet.What a simply charming book from an equally charming baker! Even before you open these delicious pages, you have the sense that you are about to enjoy something very special and very different; you won't be disappointed!Amy Ray is the chef/owner of Miette (bakery) located in San Francisco, which she officially opened in 2003. Technically, she had started her baking business under the "only pastel pink" tent of a local farmers market in 2001. Her love of things French, as well as the thought and style that represents the delicacy of the French charm, Miette is the culmination and visual expectation of those graces.Her shoppe, her book, her style, her vision can all be seen in the glance of an eye as pastel pinks and greens and other shabby-chic hues have formed the Miette look. I am definitely enchanted with this book and offer no apologies.The book itself is just exquisite with beautifully scalloped pages; what a fabulous idea! It makes this more than just a baking book but rather something artful. The various pages that have splashes of pastel colors present the contents of Meg's hard work and dedication to her craft.I enjoyed reading her "Introduction" and the opening of her "Cakes" chapter. She has an interesting approach in her attitude on baking that is different than the American way of baking. I think she feels that a person does not need to eat a big slice of cake, or a large pastry, or oversized cookie just to appreciate its flavor. Her cakes are, for the most part, limited to the 6" size, which if made well, is all that one really needs to satisfy.She also discusses the fact that for some of the cake recipes, "while they look simple, they are very hard to master, as they require expert skill in a few basic techniques" therefore the reader is somewhat given pause to realize that you will need some solid baking skills and techniques.Other baking mini-education is given throughout the book, inparticular the sidebars with each recipe. Little tidbits of info on perhaps the history or background of the baked good or perhaps a little science know-how to help you along. Many of the recipes will be based upon the basic ingredients of a standard formula on which the baked good is built therefore as with the Lemon Debutante Cake, it uses the "Hot Milk Cake" batter as its foundation.The recipes are clear and sharp as is the photography. Not all recipes have accompanying photos but what photography is present gives you the end you yearn for in your efforts. Occasionally you will be given "step-by-step" photography, but only for those actions which might need slight clarification. The finishing touches on any of the creations will always be simple yet elegant so artistic skills or cake decorating skills are minimal.A sampling of the CONTENTS:IntroductionCakes:Hot Milk Cake (traditional white cake batter)Coconut Mousse Cake (yellow cake w/ layers of coconut mousse, fluffy icing, & coconut flakes)Strawberry Charlotte (white cake, ladyfinger band w/fresh strawberries, all tied w/ a ribbon)Afternoon Cakes:Carrot Cake (this is filled w/ currants, though I used plump raisins, coconut, and walnuts)Banana Bread w/ Nutty Streusel (a perfectly aromatic breakfast bread; they'll wake up the house)Tarts:Pate Sucree Tart Shell (I just LOVE this recipe; just crumbly enough but holds well)Lime Meringue Tart (lemon's oft-forgotten cousin)Fresh Fruit Tart (the dessert hit of the summer harvest of berries!)Cookies, Bars, and Pastries:Chocolate Chip Cookies (these are a bit crispier than most but still good with a cold glass of milk)Brownies (I double the nuts and bake them in a large pan; Miette brownies are individually baked)Eclairs (outstanding; don't use anything but custard to fill these delicacies)Candies and Creams:English Toffee (my weakness; make the American version with lots of nuts)Meringues and MarshmallowsCaramel Corn (once again, hail to the peanuts that you have to load in this!)Miette Essentails:These are the fillings and frostings that are used to make these works of delicate art such as Vanilla Buttercream, French Buttercream, Cream Cheese Frosting, Ganache, Lemon Curd, Syrups,etc.Essential Ingredients and Essentail Tools:Foods as well as the tools needed to help you become proficient in Miette baked gems.Sources:All the spots and places and sources to find whatever you need to bake.IndexShould you be blessed enough to be in San Franciso, make a trip to Miette, then please tell the rest of us all about it. In the meantime, I have to go purchase another book because the one I have now is getting a bit used; happy sigh! Peace!POSTSCRIPTS:1) If you go to the website "Bakerella", on her Sunday, July 10, 20011 posting, she has her column all about Miette Bakery.2) Regarding printing errors, if you Google, "Chronicle Books Miette" you will be brought to the publishers website with a corrected list of misprints to use against the book. But I must say that I am a bit taken back with the strong critiques of the book. Yes, there are 18 incidences of errors BUT for those who are advanced bakers, I am questioning the essence of the comments. They could have been written with much kinder words. Errors/incidences are:Of the 18 incidences, 13 are speaking to the "WEIGHT" of the ingredient; the "VOLUMES" were ALL correct. Most home bakers use volume (measuring cups) so they would have had no problem with the recipes. Those bakers who are more advanced and technical, might use a scale (which I use at times). So instead of the ingredient reading as "1 cup/7-1/2 ounces", it should have been "1 cup/7 ounces". The "volume" amount recipe was correct for standard bakers so jumping all over the recipe just because the "weight" said half an ounce more, really destroyed the recipe? I mean, really? C'mon.Of the remaining 5 "errors", 2 were the "YIELD". On one recipe, it said a yield of "42 cookies" and so you got "48 cookies"; the reviewer is upset about THAT? Was it worthy of an attack? And the other "YIELD" printing error was legitimate but certainly not fatal in that it said, "24 cookies" rather than "48 cookies". But if you're an advanced baker, wouldn't you have just adjusted your sizes before you baked them? A printing error, yes, but not worthy of such comments.The remaining situations had 2 legitimate printing errors in type of sugar used and amount of salt; yes, these would definitely change the taste; agreed. But the last set of printing errors were in a "STEP" and that was questionable one in that some bakers would omit it anyways, as would I, so it's a mute point.I am quite sure that Ms. Ray was most upset with this, being her freshman attempt into the cookbook world; I am also sure this was not her intention. But let's understand that this is a book, not a life-threatening emergency. The errors that some felt were important, have been noted, and that in the second printing, they will be corrected. Aim your arrows at the proofreader, not the author. Peace.

This is a book, lovely to look at with scalloped pages and beautiful photographs. I too was concerned about the errors and contacted the publisher to secure an errata sheet. For those of you having difficulties getting a copy from the publisher's website or seeking to determine whether the errors would dissuade you from purchasing, what follows is thecontents of the errata sheet: please note the following changes. Throughout this book there are inconsistencies in the weights of flourand sugar measurements. Please apply the following measurements: 1 cup of all-purpose flour is equal to 5 ounces 1 cup of granulated sugar is equal to 7 ounces The following yields should be adjusted: Thumprint Cookies (page 128) makes about forty-eight 2 inch cookies; Chocolate Chip Cookies (page 130) makes about thrity-six 3 inch cookies or one hundred twenty 2-inch cookes; Peanut Butter Cookies (page 133)makes about sixteen 3 inch cookies or forty-eight 2-inch cookies; Lemon Shortbread (page137) makes about forty-two 1 1/4-inch cookies; and Walnut Shortbread (page 138) makes about forty-two 1 1/4 inch cookies Pleae adjust the following recipes: Fleur de Sel Caramels (page 167): The amount of fleur de sel should be "Fleur de sel for sprinkling." Vanila Buttercream (page 185): Step 2 should end "until soft peaks form." Step 3 should read "As soon as the sugar syrup reaches 238 degrees F, immediately pour it into a heat proof measurer. Pour a few tablespoons into the whites, away from the whisk, so the hot syrup doesn't splash and whisk on medium speed for a few seconds. Be careful as the syrup is very hot. Pour in a little more syrup and whisk for a few seconds until incorporated. Repeatuntil all the syrup has been added. raise the speedto high and continue to whisk until them ixture cools to room temperature, 70 to 75 degrees F, 5 to 10 minutes.For more information contact the publisher's webiste: [...]Note, I was unable to access the errata sheet on the website but emailed the front desk requesting they email me a copy. Apparently the website was under construction. Frankly, I am not still not sure about the yield on the Chocolate Chip Cookies. It seems that your get about 36 three inch cookies but 120 two inch cookies. Seems like alot but on the other hand you can never have too many chocolate chip cookies.To date, I have made only one recipe, the yellow cupcakes and they were very good. They were a bit more labor intensive (melting butter in milk, heating and whisking the eggs) than most cupcake recipes. They also included potato starch which I eventually located in a natural foods store. The result was good, a light buttery cupcake that was a nice foil to the fresh berries and whipped cream I paired them with. As I have invested in some of the smaller sized cake pans, I will keep and use this book. I liked the smaller sizes and sophisticated but accessible recipes. The errors are annoying but the book itself is quite charming and enjoyable just to look at.

This cookbook is great for a friend who is thinking about moving to San Francisco. It's also great for reminding my mom about back home, (in San Francisco, of course).

Présentée comme "la plus charmante pâtisserie de San Francisco", la boutique de Meg Ray donne vraiment envie d'en pousser la porte pour passer un moment de douceur un peu hors du temps. Alors si vous ne projetez pas un voyage dans le coin avant un bon moment,et bien sur si vous aimez faire de la pâtisserie, je vous conseille vivement d'acquérir cet ouvrage !En premier lieu, la présentation est ravissante et inhabituelle : toutes les pages du livre son festonnées comme un napperon en papier, la gamme de couleur dans les tons "pastel" rappelle l'ambiance "cosy" d'un salon de thé et les recettes proposées vous donnent envie de tout essayer.Le Tomboy trône en couverture dans un contraste de chocolat noir et de glaçage rose.Le mythique "Princess Cake" né en Suède en 1930, est présenté de façon très claire grâce à une série de photos.La mise en scène est toute en finesse, c'est un livre que je ne me lasse pas de feuilleter : bonbonnières, rubans roses au nom de la boutique, présentoirs à gâteaux ... etcIl est clair que le parti pris du photographe, en multipliant les gros plans, est de faire en sorte que ces gourmandises se rapprochent le plus possible du lecteur ... ultime tentation pour nous motiver à passer à l'action !

サンフランシスコで古き良きテイストのお菓子を作っている、ミエットさんのレシピ集です。表紙の写真のトムボーイケーキに代表される、乙女ごころをくすぐるお菓子が沢山です◎しかし、作業過程の写真が一切載っておらず、英文のレシピ（という時点で自分には無理ですが）もざっくりした工程しか書いていないようで、レシピ集としてはかなりハードルが高い上級者向けのものだと思います。可愛いお菓子の写真集だと思えば、買って後悔はしません。

ce livre contient de multiples recettes classiques américaines (layer cakes, cheesecake...). Les illustration sont très belles et des astuces sont données pour bien décorer vos gâteaux. Le format est agréable en mains.

製本がすごくかわいらしく気に入ってます。しかし写真が少ないので、レシピの出来上がりのイメージがわからないです。

De très beaux gateaux dans un univers très joli et des photos superbes ! On a envie de réaliser toutes ces magnifiques recettes. Un vrai bon livre pour faire de bons et beaux gateaux mais en anglais donc cela peut un compliquer les explications.