Rose's Christmas Cookies By Rose Levy Beranbaum
If it were not for the myriad post-it notes stuck to the pages of my cookbooks, you would think most of the volumes in my vast library were new. It's not just that I handle them carefully and lay sheets of cling-film over the pages when I'm cooking from them, but rather that most of my books are used primarily for inspiration and food-styling ideas.
One exception is Rose's Christmas Cookies - the pages are stained and splattered. Despite the title, most of the recipes are good for year-round baking.
Unlike many American bakers, Beranbaum doesn't over-sweeten her creations (although there are a few exceptions), so they're suitable for the Asian palate. Some of the recipes - her nut crescents, 'melting moments', buttercrunch (chocolate- and nut-covered toffee) and gingerbread (although I've decreased the sugar, see recipe on page 56) have been permanently incorporated into my own repertoire, with many others on my must-try list. Beranbaum is good at explaining the hows and whys of certain techniques and she gives ingredients by weight - both avoirdupois (pounds and ounces) and metric, as well as the more American-friendly (but less accurate) volume measurement.