Carey - The Mermaid Cookbook

The Mermaid Cookbook copyright 2019 by Summersdale Publishers, Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews.

Andrews McMeel Publishing

A division of Andrews McMeel Universal

1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106

www.andrewsmcmeel.com

First published in 2018 by Summersdale Publishers Ltd.

Part of Octopus Publishing Group Limited

Carmelite House, 50 Victoria Embankment

London, EC4Y 0DZ, UK

All recipes by Alix Carey except for: Mermaids Purse Mirror Glaze Cake p. 2931, Wave Cake p. 3537 by Amy Hunter; Oyster Cookies p. 5253, Mermaid Cheesecake p.113115 by Claire Berrisford.

ISBN: 978-1-5248-5318-1

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018964069

Editor: Jean Z. Lucas

Art Director: Holly Swayne

Production Manager: Carol Coe

Production Editor: Margaret Daniels

Digital Production: Kristen Minter

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For Harley and Harper

Introduction

Welcome to The Mermaid Cookbook , where all your under-the-sea wishes are guaranteed to come true in the form of delicious treats. Inside this magical book, youll find forty-six fun-filled recipes ready to help you bring the mysterious mermaids out of the water and into the kitchen. But before you begin Operation Mermaid, you need to find your oceanic name. So, what are you waiting for? On the next page, youll be able to identify your fantasy alter-ego and begin your baking adventure into the world of the most mesmerizing aquatic legend of all time.

What is Your Mermaid Name?

To discover your mermaid name, find the initial of your first name and the month you were born in the lists below. Combine the two and state your new alias aloud with joy as you put on your apron and get ready to dive into this magical mermaid feast.

Kitchen Essentials

Before we get started, lets take a look at all the essential ingredients and equipment youll need.

Ingredients

Butter Unsalted butter is best for baking and it is easiest to use at room temperature, but when youre making pastry, it needs to be cold.

Flour Most of these recipes call for all-purpose flour, but occasionally, when baking cakes, I advise using self-rising flour.

Sugar The most important types of sugar for the recipes in this book are superfine sugar, confectioners sugar, and light brown sugar.

Flavor extracts A number of recipes in this book require vanilla extract, but there are several others that call for other flavors, such as peppermint, if you wish to use these.

Eggs Always use large eggs, unless otherwise specified.

Gel food coloring These are preferred over liquid food colorings because, most importantly, they do not dilute any mixtures and, secondly, you only need to add a few drops to make rich, vibrant colors.

Sprinkles and edible glitter Youll have a hard task getting through this book without sprinkles and edible glitter. The key cake decorations you will need are: nonpareils (tiny balls made of sugar and starch), edible star sprinkles, edible pearls, sugar crystals, and edible glitter.

Edible candy eyes A few recipes also use edible eyes to help bring your creations to life. Edible candy eyes can be found in the cake-decorating section of most supermarkets, in cake-decoration shops, or online.

White chocolate Whether it be for dipping, coating, drizzling, or even baking, white chocolate is a big part of many of these recipes. Of course, you are welcome to use dark or milk chocolate as a replacement, but white chocolate is used widely, as its appearance can be changed easily with food coloring.

Desiccated coconut To add that tropical touch to many recipes in this book, its worth making sure your cupboard is well-stocked with this ingredient.

Lemon and lime zest These are finely grated to help add some fresh flavors to your delicious sweet treats.

Cream cheese This is used in a number of recipes in the book. Dont worry if youre dairy-free, as you can simply replace dairy cream cheese with soya or other non-dairy options.

Equipment

Baking pans You will need at least three flat sheet baking pans, a 9 by 13-inch sheet pan, a jelly roll pan, and an 8-inch square pan.

Cake/cupcake pans All the cakes in this book are baked in round 7 or 8-inch cake pans and you will need at least two of each (maximum of six). All cupcakes are baked in batches of 12, so you will need a 12-cup muffin pan as well as a 12-cup mini muffin pan.

Candy thermometer When making confectionery items, mirror glaze, and Italian meringue buttercream, a candy thermometer will make the recipes failsafe and easier to follow.

Parchment paper The majority of recipes will ask you to line a baking sheet or cake pan, so parchment paper is a necessity. ( Note: this is not to be confused with wax paper, which is not heat resistant and can cause baked goods to stick to it like glue. Parchment paper has a silicon lining and is heat resistant, which prevents any cakes or baked goods from sticking to it. )

Mixing bowls An assortment of sizes would be ideal, but as long as you have one heatproof mixing bowl, youll get through this book just fine.