Christina Tosi

It's easy to see why Christina Tosi has such a loyal--and large--following. She's engaging, witty, and charming, and the theory presented in this book--what's not to love? :D Frankly, the concept of dessert as celebration (for the good _and_ the bad) is a refreshing change from other things society uses copiously (alcohol). I'd happily take a cake over a cocktail, on all the levels!

Tosi's stories of her growing-up years, foods and food-related experiences that created lasting memories, and show more events that inspired her to celebrate life (even the disappointments) with dessert, are endearing. I particularly appreciated her sharing about her pandemic experiences and how that impacted her approach to baking, as well as inspired her to start Bake Club. Community is so important, and the pandemic has only reinforced that!

There weren't a ton of recipes (one-ish per chapter), but that was fine. The ones that _were_ there sure look tasty--especially the apple dumplings and banana chocolate chip peanut butter cookies!

There is a bit of language in the read (and some of the ever-popular talk about being "one's true self" #sigh), but thankfully it's few and far between.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. show less

I've never read a cookbook quite like Momofuku Milk Bar. The background of the author/chef--how she came to be where she is, her past roles and experiences as a child and adult--lent an interesting and brief memoir air to the narrative behind the creative, sometimes wacky recipes. Yes, to me, many of the recipes were a bit wacky. I'll try some of them involving savory-sweet flavors, such as the pretzel crunch. The cereal milk (the essence of various commercial dry cereals captured in milk, show more like what is left at the bottom of the bowl, minus the actual cereal bits) base for many of the recipes is clever, and I can see how it would appeal to many Americans' palates (the nostalgia and hominess of a bowl of crunchy/soggy cereal consumed in front of Saturday morning cartoons or hastily downed before the dash to the school bus). It does not appeal to me though--I never really liked the milk at the bottom, it was more a drink-it-don't-waste-it-and-get-your calcium sort of penance--so I won't be trying those particular recipes.

Also the recipes in Momofuku Milk Bar involve what I consider a lot of junk, processed food beyond cereal. Though I do find the inclusion of must have ingredients and tools to make the recipes come out like they do in her bakery, as well as the rationale behind them and where to find said items, I find the recommendation of using local and organic milk and a few other ingredients a bit odd. This is probably because I include local and organic ingredients when I can because I believe they are better for personal health and the environment and local economy and not primarily because they make the final product taste better, have better texture, etc. This is definitely a side benefit, but my use of them is not because they carry a certain cache and it's the hip thing to do. I think there may be a little of that going on here in Momofuku, though I do think the author uses them mostly because they provide the best taste, appearance and texture for her final products.

In any case the recipes and methods in this book were without a doubt very interesting and I learned some basic techniques and innovative ones (which were described more than adaquetly). In summary, though these recipes do not involve the kinds of foods I would use or deserts that I would make, the book is definitely a fun read and exploration of a desert bakery sensation in NYC. I'd recommend it to people looking for something really different to do with desserts, who want to knock the socks off the recipients of these likely addictive creations. show less

Desserts cookbook. This has the most unique recipes I've seen in a while, but if you don't already have a kitchen stocked with things like cake crumbs and liquid cheesecake and apple cider soak, it's going to take you quite a while to make a recipe from scratch. Much more tempting to just make the trip out to New York to sample the food. Gorgeous book, though.

Like many restaurant cookbooks converted for home use, it makes use of obscure ingredients and a few "mother" recipes that are then mixed and matched in the other recipes. This is great and highly efficient in a restaurant kitchen serving in bulk, but for the home cook making one at a time, it often means making four separate things instead of one. And that's not even counting the more elaborate creations such as layer cakes or composed desserts, which quickly become multi-day affairs.

On show more the positive side, it was interesting to get some insight into the wild combinations of flavours and textures that Milk Bar is known for, and the creative, often non-traditional techniques used to produce them. Tosi's tone is light and her anecdotes amusing, with the name dropping and humble bragging almost kept in check.

Minus one star for dumping 2 sticks of butter into a generic white bread dough and calling it brioche, and for using that same dough for everything from steamed buns to focaccia to bagels to croissants. show less