The problem with long car trips is that it gives me a LOT of time to think. (At least when the girls are asleep and not making all manner of mischief in the backseat.) On this last trip I brought along my favorite kind of reading material – don’t laugh – cookbooks. For our anniversary my husband gave me two cookbooks that he heard listed on “The Splendid Table” as the two books all home bakers must possess. He emailed the titles to himself, and then picked them up later at the bookstore. I read cookbooks like a good novel, cover to cover. Perhaps it’s strange, but I love knowing why I’m supposed to be doing something as I bake. I like the science of it all. Baking is not a creative endeavor for me – perhaps the finishing touches are, but I crave the preciseness of it all. And I’m never as successful at it when I’m distracted by other things. So maybe it’s just the immersion aspect that I really enjoy.
Those two books are The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum and Bakewise by Shirley O. Corriher. And like every good book that inspires you to try something new – expect to see a bit more baking around the blog.
Briefly back to the daydreaming in the car – what do I dream about? Especially while reading through cookbooks? My dream kitchen. I’m assembling images (in my head, always), but on Pinterest as well. If you haven’t stopped by, please do. It’s a lot of fun.
Jamie Theakston’s Town House Kitchen, as seen in LivingEtc.