Emmett - Get your bake on: sweet and savory recipes from my home to yours

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Gallery Books

An Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

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New York, NY 10020

www.SimonandSchuster.com

Copyright 2015 by Brian Emmett

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Gallery Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

First Gallery Books trade paperback edition May 2015

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Designed by Davina Mock-Maniscalco

Photography by Mark Ferri Photography

Cover design by Laywan Kwan

CBS is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. All rights reserved

The American Baking Competition is a trademark of Love Productions Limited

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Emmett, Brian, 1969

Get your bake on : sweet and savory recipes from my home to yours / Brian Emmett.

pages cm

1. Baking. I. Title.

TX763.E63 2015

641.81.5dc23

2014048393

ISBN 978-1-4767-7256-1

ISBN 978-1-4767-7259-2 (ebook)

I feel so blessed to be able to write my first cookbook; it has been a fantastic journey and I have so many people to thank.

First and foremost, the Lord above, who helps me every day and gives me the strength and courage to follow my dreams and never give up.

My beautiful and loving (and sometimes fiery) wife, Lisa, for believing in me and sacrificing so much for our family to allow me to follow my dreams and passions. You were by my side at each audition and we finally did it!

My daughters, Shayla and Julia, for making me a proud dad, challenging me, and being my ultimate taste-testers.

My best friend and business partner, Mike, for putting up with me and always encouraging me to move forward and never look back. Oh... and for being another one of my ultimate taste-testers.

To my beautiful mother, Nancy, who taught me how to be a kind, loving, and caring man. And... for teaching me how to bake and cook my butt off.

My grandmothers, Lillian and Marianne, may they rest in peace, on whose heels I followed into the kitchen, trying to find out what they were whipping up.

My mother-in-law, Dorothy, for inspiring me to try new things in the kitchen and sparking my love of European culture, including olive oil and vino!

My wifes grandmother, Mima, for introducing me to Cuban cuisine, teaching me patience in the kitchen, and making me laugh. Ay, chico! Miss you.

My food editor, Sarah Mastracco, for her guidance throughout the process of writing this book. Her food knowledge is amazing, and I couldnt have done it without her.

To my photography and food stylist team... you truly made this book come alive with beautiful food and photos that represent the spirit and essence of my cooking style as a baker and a chef. Thanks to: Mark Ferri (photographer), Leslie Orlandini (food stylist), Amanda Heckert (food stylist assistant), Francine Matalon-Degni (prop stylist), and Jamie Slater (photo assistant). What a memorable three days it was for me!

My good friend, Mia, the best fitness trainer in the world, for pushing me beyond limits in the gym and for being a true inspiration.

My many fans for following me on this journey and for loving all the food pictures I post daily. You are as much an inspiration to me as I am to you.

All the people at Simon and Schuster and Gallery Books who made this book possible; there are too many to name.

Love Productions and CBS for creating The American Baking Competition the best cooking show on TV.

Last but not least, to all my extended family and friends that come to all my soirees and dig into the delicious food, you inspire me to keep creating deliciousness!

W hat an amazing journey I have had since winning The American Baking Competition ! One of my favorite sayings is You Will... When You Believe. As I sit down to write this introduction, I cannot help but be overwhelmed with emotion, gratitude, and pleasure. I feel quite fortunate to have had such an experience, but it didnt come easily. When I decided to challenge myself through competitive cooking, the first door did not open, nor the second, or even the third. I tried out for several other shows before auditioning for The American Baking Competition . Ill tell you that I had my doubts, and in fact, the day before the audition I decided not to compete. My past experiences discouraged me, and I wasnt ready to get the rejection stamp again. And then my wife stepped in and said, You can do this! You absolutely are competing, so get in that kitchen and whip up your cheesecake! The rest, as they say, is history.

I have spent the better part of this last year traveling around the country, doing cooking demonstrations, making TV appearances, and having the time of my life! Along the way, I have met so many amazing, inspiring people, and I feel like I have learned as much from them as they have, hopefully, learned from me.

During my travels, I have noticed that Im frequently asked this question: What does it take to become a great baker? Well, my answer is this: Because baking is both an art and a skill, you should be willing to make mistakes. Making mistakes is a part of the learning and creative process, and working through the setbacks will only help you succeed in the long run. Excellence evolves over time, so dont be afraid of failing. Practice, practice, practice techniques and try different methods until you find what works best and gives you the results youre striving for. Have fun and let the time you spend baking be the best part of your day. You deserve it!

I remember when I first got married and I really started to turn up the heat on my culinary skills and prowess. I was invited to a dinner party and the hosts requested that I bring a banana cream pie. Because its one of my very favorite desserts, and one that Ive made about a million times, I was thrilled! When I finished making the pie, I thought the consistency of the filling was a little strange, but I just told myself, Oh, it just has to set. Right? Well, I was completely wrong. When we got to the party, I cut into the pie and as my knife sliced through something that was much closer to the consistency of soup, I realized it definitely was not set. Not only that, but the flavor? Well, lets just say it was not what I would call sweet. And then it hit me like a brickI FORGOT THE SUGAR! WOW, talk about embarrassing! The moral of the story is that you live and you learn. Now, whenever I make that banana cream pie, guess what I bring out first? Yep, the sugar! So it goes to show that practice makes perfect, and its all about having fun and learning in the kitchenmistakes are simply a part of the process.