BRUNCH WITH BINGO: SWEET CHIC: A REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

WELCOME TO BOOKIN' WITH BINGO'S

"BRUNCH WITH BINGO DAY"
I AM EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THIS SUNDAY'S
   BRUNCH BOOK CHOICE IS.....

GIVEAWAY ENDED
SWEET CHIC

Stylish Treats to Dress Up for Any Occasion

BY RACHEL SCHIFTER THEBAULT

FOREWORD BY ISAAC MIZRAHI  

ABOUT THE BOOK:
DESSERT DRESSED TO THE NINES
 
Today’s baker faces a great challenge: With little time and a limited repertoire, she often needs to whip up a delicious dessert that’s dressed to impress. Rachel Schifter Thebault, founder and head confectioner of Tribeca Treats in New York City, knows all about making a sweet statement. Combining a confectioner’s expertise with fashion sense, she shares a scrumptious cache of popular dessert recipes that can be accessorized to fit any occasion.

What’s more, transforming a basic dessert into a masterpiece brimming with personality and flair can be easy, quick, and fun. In the same way you’d plan an outfit, Sweet Chic pieces together a Devil’s Food Cake—the little black dress of delights—with such irresistible accessories as Caramel Buttercream (think knee-high boots) for ultimate decadence, turns Vanilla Cookies (the crisp oxford shirt) into Strawberry “Shortcakes” ideal for casual or dressy occasions, and blends brownies (the cashmere sweater of confectionery) with a swirl of mint for a showstopping number.

Gorgeous and appetizing color photos throughout reveal how a change of icing here and a substitute topping there can take a simple dessert from Sunday brunch to a date-night treat. Mix and match more than seventy recipes for cookies, cakes, and confections, including Peanut Butter and Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies, Brownie Sundae Parfait, Mini S’mores Cupcakes, Wasabi-Black Sesame Truffles, and so much more.
 
Whether you’re a novice baker hoping to master the basics or an experienced one looking to add a little versatility to your existing creations, Sweet Chic is a clever and practical guide for memorable desserts, a one-sweet-fits-all way to make a tantalizing impression.

Watch "Moms & The City" NBC New York as they interview Rachel about her book at her famous Tribecca Treats shop. (please excuse brief commercial at beginning)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Rachel Schifter Thebault, founder of Tribeca Treats, spent seven years as an investment banker before transforming her side hobby of making truffles for friends into a full-time career in confections.

A graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education, she opened Tribeca Treats in 2007. The bakery has won honors from American Express OPEN and entrepreneur organizations, and is a pillar of the Tribeca community.

A sought-after speaker and panelist, she has also taught cooking and baking to children. She currently lives in Tribeca (and travels the globe) with her husband and their two daughters.

Rachel Thebault writes about her life on her own website HERE and it is worth reading so please take a peek!

PRAISE FOR SWEET CHIC: 
“I’m telling you, Sweet Chic is so inspiring. It will make you want to break free of tradition and bake things you’re excited about. You don’t have to stress yourself out to make something fabulous—you have all the tools you need right here. Hooray!”

—Isaac Mizrahi, from the Foreword  

“Rachel Thebault . . . has reimagined the humble Oreo as an indulgence that is spectacular as an afternoon snack or as the end to an elegant meal.”

—Food & Wine

“Thebault is on a mission to do for desserts what Coco Chanel did for the little black dress: re-create, reinvent, and pull it all together with exquisite details.”

—Leite’s Culinaria

RECIPE FROM SWEET CHIC: 

CRANBERRY BARK

Ingredients

2 cups (about 12 ounces) finely chopped bittersweet chocolate

¾ cup toasted whole almonds

¾ cup dried cranberries

Directions (Makes about 3 cups)

1. Temper the dark chocolate as directed in Basic Tempered Chocolate (page 163).
2. Once the chocolate is tempered, pour the almonds and cranberries into the chocolate and stir with a rubber spatula until the nuts and fruit are completely coated.
3. Pour the chocolate mixture onto a sheet pan lined with parchment or waxed paper. Spread it as thinly as possible (only as thick as one layer of almonds and cranberries).
4. Allow the bark to set at room temperature for 1 hour (or 30 minutes in the refrigerator).
5. Using a chef's knife, cut the bark into bite-size pieces, about 1 inch.
6. Serve the bark immediately, or keep it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 weeks.

MY THOUGHTS/REVIEW OF SWEET CHIC:
SWEET CHIC by Rachel Schifter Thebault, who is the founder of the trendy Tribeca Treats in New York City, does for cooking what a good clothing designer does for their designs. She takes her innate fashion sense and applies it in her cooking. All of us know about the "little black dress" that is said to be a must-have in any woman's wardrobe. Dress it up or down by adding the right accessories. This is what Rachel Thebault does with her recipes in SWEET CHIC. As referred to in the book, a good chocolate cake can be dessert's little black dress. As famous designer Isaack Mizrahi says in his Foreword, "Rachel teaches you not only how to master the basics of baking, but how to accessorize your treats to reflect your own personal style." Mizrahi also reminds readers that cooking this fabulous way isn't something to stress about because Thebault gives readers all they need right here in SWEET CHIC.

I especially liked the way the book is broken up into different kinds of desserts and sweets while advising to try different things together. A chocolate cake with a different kind of icing one time, becomes a totally new treat from the last time. Thebault also advocates, as she does at her Tribeca Treats, that "less is more". This means that small sized desserts can be much more appealing to a guest and so most of her recipes are proportioned that way. For instance, a cupcake is made to be one to two bites. Who can say no, diet or not, to something so petite and fabulous? Lastly, Thebault advises to use your imagination and let your own sense of style come thtough in baking. 

The book opens with THE BASICS and it is a fountain of background information from Major Ingredients, Essential Equipment, Basic Techniques, and Making It Last. The rest of the book then goes into different kinds of sweets starting with Section One which is Cookies (and it includes Brownies), to Section Two that is Cakes (and includes cupcakes and icings), to the last, Section Three, which is Confections. I have to say SWEET CHIC is one of the most delicious and useful cookbooks I have reviewed in a long time. The gorgeous photography alone almost made me gain weight!  It is really an imaginative cookbook that is built around sweets that everyone has in the back of their closet, er, I mean..that everyone can prepare! Highly recommend SWEET CHIC by Rachel  Schifter Thebault!

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO RUBY WITH MY GREAT

FRIENDS AT FSB ASSOCIATES, I HAVE

ONE COPY OF SWEET CHIC TO GIVE AWAY

  

--U.S. AND CANADIAN RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
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IN CASE YOU WIN!
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COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!

HOW TO ENTER:

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GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
6 PM, EST, AUGUST 5