Despite a chapter devoted to ``classic'' cupcakes, such as yellow cupcakes with buttercream frosting, this collection of single-serving treats is not for purists. It is, however, for anyone who takes delight in cutting well-known desserts down to size. Hadda (Coffee Cakes, not reviewed) reworks recipes for Boston cream pie, pineapple upside-down cake, and even tiramisó into miniature form. A chapter on what she terms ``Coffee-Cake Cupcakes,'' which are basically sweeter, moister muffins, includes Dutch Apple Crunchcakes with a crumbly cinnamon topping. A scanty chapter of only five recipes titled ``On the Light Side'' is somewhat out of place here with its No-Cholesterol Pumpkin Cupcakes; and dipping chewy macaroon cupcakes in melted chocolate and toasted almonds isn't much of a diet aid anyway. On the other hand, another brief chapter, ``Cupcakes for a Crowd,'' with recipes yielding 24 plain-flavored cupcakes apiece, is terrific. Some helpful hints and a series of frosting recipes round out the presentation, but mostly these recipes stand on their own. That is not to say that they are all perfect (a recipe for brownie cupcakes instructs bakers to transfer the batter to a two-cup measuring cup and then pour into papers—but the results are more than three cups of batter). But Hadda has hit on a genial idea and followed through on it with just the right amount of irreverence. As compact and fun as its subject.
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-671-86436-X
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1994
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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