Ruperti Yvonne - One bowl baking : simple, from scratch recipes for delicious desserts

Yvonne Ruperti

photography by

Evan Sung

2013 by Yvonne Ruperti

Photographs 2013 by Evan Sung

Published by Running Press,

A Member of the Perseus Books Group

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2013937228

E-book ISBN 978-0-7624-5063-3

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Digit on the right indicates the number of this printing

Design by Joshua McDonnell

Edited by Jennifer Kasius

Typography: Avenir, Hand Gothic, and Thirsty Rough

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Id like to thank the following people without whom, this book could not have happened:

To Jennifer Kasius, my wonderful editor, who loved the idea for this book right from the start and who has patiently communicated with me throughout our massive 12-hour time difference.

A big thanks to Judy Linden, my agent at Stonesong, whos given me encouragement and direction from the projects conception, and who has worked feverishly to help me turn it into a reality. To Alison Fargis, my good friend at Stonesong, who approached and mentored me on my first book project and then introduced me to Judy when the idea for this book came about.

To all of the folks at Running Press, who have helped create this beautiful book, including Joshua McDonnell, designer, and Sara Phillips, copyeditor, who diligently converted all of my measurements into metric.

To the photo team, who made the food look beautiful: Evan Sung, photographer, and his assistant, Greg Morris. Suzanne Lenzer, food stylist, and her assistant Michaela Hayes. Kaitlyn DuRoss, prop stylist, and her assistant Brooke Deonarine.

My mother, Patricia, who always cooked from scratch and taught me that there was really no other way. And also Juliane, my sister, and her husband Christian, who have through the years both shared in my love of food and offered encouragement throughout the many phases of my career.

Ruth, my great-grandmother, whose cookies, cream puffs, layer cakes and Halloween cakes covered in coconut made me fall in love with baking and who still inspires me to this day.

A very big thanks to my recipe testers, Melissa Vaughn, Jo Keochane, and Lisa Homa.

My portable shopping cart, which made my life so much easier during my countless trips on foot to the supermarket down the block and on the subway.

And a big, big thank you to my husband, Hallam, who ran last minute food errands, willingly tasted my winners and failures, offered constructive advice, encouragement, support, and made worthy attempts to find homes for the hoards of cupcakes and cookies that piled up on our counters. His patience over the last year while I worked nights and weekends and transformed every space of our small kitchen into a bakery is immeasurable.

The first time that I knew that I was passionate about food was when I was about nine or ten. I was so much more fascinated by the stacks of Bon Appetit magazines on the coffee table than I was with my moms racy, romance-filled Cosmopolitans. Sitting on the floor, Id hungrily thumb through pages of tempting recipes, planning imaginary menus. One of the first that I ever attempted was a retro green grasshopper pie. I drove my family nuts, making them tote me around to buy the ingredientsthe crme de menthe, gelatin, special chocolate wafers for the crust. Following each step carefully, I presented my masterpiece hours later. My mom was very open minded to allow me to make that boozy pie, let alone have a slice of it!

As with many bakers, it all started with my great-grandmother Ruth. She knew how to keep it simple. She owned a small collection of cookbooks, used her small kitchen table as a workspace, never used a food processor, and only used a handful of tools.

But you should have seen the amazing desserts that came from her tiny oven. Cookies, cream puffs, lemon meringue pies, and especially, cakes. No birthday passed without this wonderful woman showing up on our doorstep toting a plastic cake carrier with a scrumptious layer cake waiting within. And her holiday cakes were fabulous. Straight out of her old Bakers Chocolate cookbook would emerge coconut-covered cakes shaped like a fluffy bunny or a Halloween witch. Ruth showed me that baking never felt like work (though she was known to toss soupy blueberry pies in the garbage right in front of us). Baking could also have a fun and whimsical side, and I soon learned to love it.

Growing up, I constantly surrounded myself with food, because Im obsessed with eating. But even though I took my first jobs scooping ice cream, flipping grilled cheese sandwiches, waiting tables, watching cooking shows like The Frugal Gourmet, plus spending a majority of my free time in kitchen supply shops, I never considered making a career in the food artsat least not in the beginning. I wanted to be a veterinarian. But after almost flunking a calculus course at Vassar College, I did a 180 and switched my major to art history. It didnt take long after I graduated to realize that working in a museum was just not going to cut it for me. I needed something more hands-on. After my floundering hit a low point (I made an attempt at becoming a shoe model despite the fact my feet are not exactly photo worthy), things finally took a turn. While riding home on the Metro North train from a shoe fitting in Manhattan, I read an ad for the Culinary Institute of America, and something clicked.

A tour of the gorgeous Hudson River campus sealed the deal. It was so invigorating to observe the students and chefs all dressed up in their whites and working together in this professional environment. A career that could be hands-on, technical, creative, and would never leave me hungry? This was where I needed to be.

After graduating with a certificate in the pastry arts, I landed an assistant pastry chef job at a massive beachside restaurant and catering hall on Long Island. The Crescent Beach Club gave me my first experience with large scale baking for the huge banquets that would serve hundreds of guests at a time. Only a few months into the job, the head pastry chef quit, and I took over the spot. It was a big position for someone with so little experience, but it forced me to work fast. I relished having my very own pastry kitchen, even though it was in the basement (you never see much daylight as a chef), and the privacy helped sequester me from the all-male kitchen staff, many of whom would puff cigars in the chefs office and run around playing pranks on each other. As a girl chef its wise to stay above the fray if you can (I didnt completely succeed in that).