Rebecca Rather - The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes from the Texas Hill Country’s Rather Sweet Bakery and Cafe

Copyright 2004 by Rebecca Rather and Alison Oresman

All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.tenspeed.com

Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file with publisher

eISBN: 978-1-60774-137-4

Cover design by Toni Tajima

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To my mother, for telling me I could do anything; my father, for instilling in me a strong work ethic; and my beautiful daughter, Frances, for putting up with years of living under and around my pastry table.

R.R.

To Warren, for his unwavering support and his good-natured acceptance of the extra ten pounds gained in the line of duty as principal taste tester. To Danny and Callie, for being their lovable selves.

A.O.

Most mornings I smell like an Apple-Smoked Bacon and Cheddar Scone as I drive my daughter Frances to school. Im often at the bakery for a few hours before her classes start, and lately, she has taken to spraying me with perfume to kill the smell. My daughter knows better than anyone that running a bakery is all-consuming. She knows that getting away isnt easy, eitherthe smells endure long after youve closed the bakery door. I want to thank her for her patience with me as I worked to raise her and run a business at the same time. Being a single mother isnt always easy, and neither is being the daughter of one. Frances has helped me out of more last-minute jams than I can count, including delivering countless loaves of bread to restaurants, pitching in to produce seven hundred fried pies for a local festival, and working at the bakerys counter. I love you, Franny.

When I first told my friend and colleague Dan Kamp that I was planning to open a new bakery in Fredericksburg, he said, I believe in you. You can do this, but you cant do it alone. You need help with the business side. I know we can make this work together. Three years later, we are, and he was right. I couldnt have done it without him. Thank you to my wonderful staff: Marcella, my first pastry person; Beatrice; and Thomasthey do breakfast, they do it all. Nancy and Wanda run the dining room with efficiency and charm. My eleven-year-old sidekick, Graham Comstock, is a big help in the kitchen and has already mastered the art of making a fine lemon tart. And I can never forget all the teens who over the years have handled the crowds at the bakery counter while keeping their cool and maintaining their sense of humor.

I want to thank the people of Fredericksburg for supporting us, toofrom our loyal customers, many of whom have become my friends, to the shopkeepers who send customers our way. A few special Fredericksburg friends deserve particular mention for supporting me as a businesswoman and a friend: Jan Alexander, Lauren Cone, Lane Hutchins, Kim Robertson, and Deann Sears. Thanks, too, to my Austin friends Melanie Adler and Kristen Ohmstede. My friend, writer and chef Paula Disbrowe, gets extra thanks for always being there for me.

Thanks to Texas Monthly senior food editor Pat Sharpe, and to Virginia Wood at the Austin Chronicle. Theyve always believed in me and backed it up with the written word.

My publicist Pam Blantons enthusiasm and great ideas have helped me many times over the years. And thanks to my agent Doe Coover for taking on a first timer and getting me my first book contract. A special thanks to my friend and colleague Paige Conn, who took time out of her busy life as a teacher and mother to test almost every recipe in the book. Her input was invaluable.

It was a joy to work with talented food photographer Laurie Smith, who managed to make my food look great while simultaneously making the hard work of the photo shoot seem fun. My friend Barbara Parrish used her impeccable taste to assemble a beautiful array of props from her own home and nearby kitchen and antique stores for the photo shoot. Her expert eye and organizational skills contributed greatly to the finished product. Working with Lauren Bade, The Homestead, and Der Kchen Laden was a pleasure, too.

Ten Speed associate art director and designer Toni Tajima has perfectly captured my style and lifes work in these pages.

This book never would have happened without my writer, Alison Oresman, who spearheaded this project from start to finish. We met on horseback at a cattle drive and cowboy cookout arranged for a culinary professionals conference. When she told me she was a writer, I said Id always wanted to write a book, and that I already had a name and a table of contents in mind. Im looking for a new project, she said. Within weeks she had flown from her Washington State home to my Austin bakery to collect recipes. Within a few months she had found our agent. When I moved the business from Austin to Fredericksburg, she rewrote the book proposal with the new bakery in mind. We spent hours on the phone, discussing recipes, and often I dictated recipes to her as I made them. Many times I gave her recipes scaled for a large bakery. She scaled them down and tested them all, making sure they were accessible for home cooks. Getting the book out has been a longer process than either of us expected. We always knew wed come away with a great book, but I dont think we realized wed build such an enduring friendship. Im eternally grateful for both.

R.R.

I love to make dessert because I love to eat dessert. When I met Rebecca and learned she needed help writing a dessert cookbook, I couldnt believe my luck. A chance to make dessert as part of my professional life sounded fabulous. Four years later, people ask me, Arent you tired of making dessert? I am not. I love to sample the dough; I love the smell of something, anything sweet baking in the oven; and I love the reception I get when I show up with dessert in hand.

So the biggest thank you goes to Rebecca, for giving me the chance to do something for a living that I would happily do for free. Not only has it been fun, it has been educational. (My parents would approve.) Few amateur bakers have the opportunity to work so closely with a professional. Rebecca taught me to lose my fear of yeast dough, to loosen up in the kitchen, and to change and refine recipes without trepidation. She has shared her secrets with generosity and humor.