Copyright 2014 by Joy the Baker
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company, New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.clarksonpotter.com
CLARKSON POTTER is a trademark and POTTER with colophon is a registered trademark of Random House LLC.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wilson, Joy, 1981
Joy the baker homemade decadence / Joy Wilson. First edition.
pages cm
Includes index.
1. Desserts. 2. Baking. I. Title. II. Title: Homemade decadence.
TX773.W6977 2014
641.86-dc23
2013045976
ISBN: 978-0-385-34573-6
eBook ISBN: 978-0-385-34574-3
Jacket design by Ashley Tucker
Jacket and interior photography by Joy Wilson and Jon Melendez
v3.1
For Dede
Thank you for all of the birthday cakes and forehead kisses.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
You should see my oven. You really should. Its a tiny apartment-size oven made to complement the tiny apartment-size refrigerator, inside the tiny apartment-size kitchen, housed in the very tiny bungalow in which I live and work, located in Venice, California.
By the looks of the oven and the mini baking sheets Ive had to buy to accommodate it, youd probably say that I have no business at all in the baking world. Thankfully, its not the size of ones oven that makes a baker; its the amount of butter in ones fridge and passion in ones heart.
My food blog, JoytheBaker.com, was born out of such passion (and butter, lets be real). I started the site in early 2008, during that weird time on the Internet when AOL chat rooms were uncool and Instagram didnt exist yet. I started it on a borrowed laptop, with a borrowed Internet connection, in a friends kitchen. It was all very haphazard, but it was a place for me to scream into the void by way of sharing recipes, photos, and stories. Food blogs were just starting to emerge, authored by people utterly obsessed with food, and with Joy the Baker I found myself in humble but really enthusiastic company.
The Internet can teach us some pretty invaluable lessons (beyond how to tie a tie and poach an egg). It has taught me that people love to connect around food. We love to share recipes, gawk at pictures of chocolate chip cookies, and share our kitchen successes and occasional failures. In the past few years, Joy the Baker has grown from a solitary endeavor to a community of butter-loving bakers eager to share and learn together every day.
Im a self-taught baker. Fueled by an unreasonable love of sweets and my parents fondness for store-bought whole wheat fig bars, I taught myself how to bake as a survival skill. And yet I learned the heart of baking from my parents. My dad, who has a healthy appreciation for pies, taught me the art of a perfect pie crust; my mom, a cake enthusiast, imparted the importance of completely cooled cake layers in cake decorating. I may not put on a pastry chef coat every morning, but knowledge and confidence in the kitchen dont always come from a fancy uniform. Sometimes all you need is a great recipe and a trusty spatula.
In Joy the Baker Homemade Decadence , Im diving deep into the edible wonders I explore every day in my kitchen and on Joy the Baker. Im reaching beyond what we might need to get down to the nitty-gritty of what we really want. My wants generally include boozy brunches, chewy chocolate cookies, three-tiered cakes, and caramel in my ice cream. No shame! Theres no such thing as out-of-bounds when it comes to dessert desires. My needs (as opposed to my wants) generally include shelter, sustenance, and a fork. Not as extravagant and severely lacking in caramel.
Lets talk about how to get more salty pretzels into our cakes, like in the . Its beyond!
Decadent desserts shouldnt be reserved for fancy date nights at expensive restaurants. The recipes in this book are designed to make you look like a hero at the brunch table or neighborhood potluck. More than that, though, I want these sweet recipes to feel special. I know the biggest indulgence these days is having the time to make a pie crust from scratch and churn your own ice cream. Time is such a luxury, and for you to spend those precious moments making something truly wonderful for yourself and those you love is a big deal. I honor that.
I want you to feel confident in the kitchen. I want you to make scones for the first time, dust off that ice cream maker you got as a wedding present, and conquer your fear of meringue. I think youll find that the time involved and love exuded will make a tasty, tasteful difference. I believe we can all use a little extra love and caramel in our treats these days. It can all be ours, no matter the size of our ovens.
I BELIEVE THAT EVERY GREAT SATURDAY NIGHT IN THE HISTORY OF SATURDAY NIGHTS HAS BEEN PRECEDED BY OR FOLLOWED BY BRUNCH.
This meal is the beginning or end of every epic story.
Lets talk about the luxuries of brunch. Brunch is the lazy weekend meal that extends from the late morning into the mid-afternoon and is nothing short of entirely necessary and completely indulgent. Its a break in the weekend that invites you to linger. We so rarely linger these days. It almost feels unnatural. I believe that as long as there is a warm cup of coffee in front of you on a Saturday or Sunday, youre allowed to linger.
Brunch is always what you need it to be. Maybe its brunch for one on a quiet Sunday morning with buttered toast and cinnamon coffee. Maybe its brunch for many set at a sprawling table where Bloody Marys flow, quiche is sliced generously, and new friends are extra chatty. Brunch can be serious business, a rowdy affair, or simply toast. Its wonderful every which way.
Ive filled this brunch chapter with recipes and ingredients that I hope make you feel capable in the kitchen and praiseworthy at the breakfast table. I also want you to sleep inand not worry about bed-head. These recipes are designed to feel comforting and indulgent, and a few can be made the evening before!
Theres everything from . There are cocktails for a few or for many, and I also support spiking your carrot juice with champagne. Its the weekend. Its time to linger. Its time to liveand time to prepare for an epic night to follow.
