Miette Is a Cookbook for People Who Love to Bake for Others.
Welcome to Cookbook of the Week. In this series, I highlight cookbooks that are unique, easy to use, or just special to me. While searching for a specific recipe online serves a quick purpose, flipping through a truly excellent cookbook has its own magic.
I’m always excited to see new cookbooks on the scene, but truth be told, most weeks I find myself flipping through my archives; looking through old books I picked up along the way. Some cookbooks I keep because they are a treasure trove of foolproof recipes (like this one ), and others I keep because there are a few dishes in there that I’ve always enjoyed.
One of the latter is Miette. This week’s cookbook comes from the San Francisco bakery of the same name. I bought this candy recipe book years ago when I worked at Borders Bookstore—before I went to culinary school, before I visited San Francisco, and before I realized how baking would impact my life. . Vintage cake designs, jagged page edges, and classic recipes like walnut brownies, shortbread, and salted caramel drew me in, and within these pages I felt like baking would become a tool of solace and meditation for me.
A little about the book
Miette was first published in 2011 and is owned by Meg Ray, chef and founder of Miette Bakery in California. Like many cookbooks that hit the market, it all starts with a popular restaurant or bakery, and if all goes well, a cookbook is sure to follow. I received an appeal. The bakery’s offerings are European-based but have a distinctly retro-American feel. The desserts are classic and true to how the bakery produces its products. This means you’ll end up seeing simple recipes like shortbread, as well as others that require patience and a little knowledge.
Keep in mind that you are looking for the most recent version. The 2011 cover features a three-layer Tomboy cake. This is where you’ll want to purchase the updated 2023 edition , which features a single-layer Old Fashioned Cake on the cover. The newest edition includes corrections of errors that were in the first publication.
A great cookbook for those who bake for others.
I’ll admit that I don’t use every recipe in this cookbook (I have other cookbooks that I rely on when looking for great cake recipes ), but I love the small, packaged recipes in Miette because they make the perfect gift for someone. my friends and family. Above all, I love giving gifts, and if I baked something, then I enjoy sharing it even more.
This book is great for bakers who deliver cookies every holiday, for those who pass out treats to their neighbors just because, and for coworkers who bring peanut butter cookies to share with their coworkers when they all head into the office on Thursdays. . Cookies are often cut to have fluted edges, brownies can be baked individually in muffin tins, and candy canes can be wrapped like miniature gifts. These treats are meant to be given as gifts.
The dish I cooked this week
This week I was completely torn between pecan brownies and thumbprint cookies. If you read my Hallongrottor post , then you know that I have a huge addiction to jam-filled baked goods. After a few back and forths, I marked the page for fingerprints.
The recipe is super simple, and that’s what I love about so many cookie recipes, like graham crackers and peanut butter cookies— Miette doesn’t reinvent the classics. This thumbprint recipe has everything you’d expect: flour, sugar, egg, butter, baking powder and extracts. Solid.
The instructions are focused on how they produce the product in their bakery, so you will mostly see mixing methods that use stand mixers. However, when batches of cookies are small for home production, I often just do it by hand. This recipe was one of those that works great in a bowl with a wooden spoon.
I mixed, scooped, rolled and made fingerprints. (Well, I actually use an old wine cork – corks are better than thumbs here). In this recipe, unlike many others, the jam remains after baking, and not before. It’s a slightly different vibe, but the jam stays glossy and doesn’t turn into a chewy disc once baked.
The cookies turned out exactly as I hoped: plump and round, with a hint of sweet raspberry. A classic thumbprint cookie perfect for serving to friends or grandkids. The batter includes a healthy dose of vanilla extract, which I was skeptical about at first, but not for long. The cookie reminds me of raspberry vanilla ice cream and I’m not crazy about it.
How to buy a book
Miette is available in hardcover online or as an e-book. I highly recommend supporting your local bookstores by asking them to order the book to you if they don’t already have it in stock.