Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Rose Levy Beranbaum about her latest cookbook, Rose's Baking Basics: 100 Essential Recipes, with More Than 600 Step-by-Step Photos.  Below, I will share some details from that wonderful experience as well as provide you with a review of this must-have book for cookbook lovers and bakers alike.

Rose's Baking Basics was written with the novice baker in mind but presented in a way that experienced bakers will appreciate and value. What is noticed immediately are the wealth of photographs which detail each step of the recipe process. The amount of work that went into the photography alone is staggering. I am an experienced baker and following Rose's recipes in this title is effortless.

As in all of Rose's books, measurements are given in weights and volume but here she also lays out mise en place instructions as well as countless details to ensure success. Tips are scattered throughout and called "baking pearls." Do you want to know how far Rose will go to make sure you deliver perfect results? She has provided us with the approximate weight of final batters - just in case we may have forgotten an ingredient, such as sugar. I will admit that I have made that error before. So each cookie bakes perfectly and each cake layer is even. 

Rose is known for preciseness and Rose's Baking Basics is her gift to her fans of recipes that are perfected - her best pie crust (flaky perfection), best yellow cake, and so forth. Which recipes are her favorites: Triple lemon cake, Flourless chocolate cake, and the Chocolate caramel tart (especially the Dark chocolate caramel tart variation) to name a few. For the event, I made Rose's chocolate chip cookies and they were a huge success both at home and at the bookstore. Rose wants the ingredients to shine through and her recipes limit sugar and salt - to the level necessary for delicious results.

Of course, I had to ask Rose about cookbooks and she has quite the collection. Who are her favorites? Yotam Ottolenghi, Helen Goh, Erin McDowell (who styled Rose's Baking Basics), Jean Anderson's Doubleday Cookbook and of course works by Julia Child and Paula Wolfert.

What's next for Rose? She shared that before she left for her current book tour, she turned in her manuscript for her next title. Look for Rose's book on ice cream due out in 2020. Next books will be a tome devoted to wedding cakes and then a memoir. Rose is a great story-teller - her memoir will be fantastic. Of course, she keeps up with her blog which is indexed for our members and shares numerous videos, links to her Craftsy class and more. I don't think the woman sleeps.

Besides baking, cooking and writing, Rose also spends time on perfecting kitchen products. I have her Perfect Pie Plate which helps those who are crimping impaired to achieve a beautiful crust. 

Her latest endeavor is her Signature Series which includes products that produce ultimate results include, but is not limited to, these items: 

There is also a cherry pitter, mini roller and other products in the works. Rose's manufacturer, American Products Group, Inc., is offering a set of her Trinity spatula set to three members in our giveaway below (in addition to the publisher, Houghton Mifflin, providing three copies of her cookbook).  

Our will take you inside Rose's book so that you will see the detail provided to each recipe. This preview features the following

Just a reminder, this title is one of our main selections in the Eat Your Books Cookbook Club this fall. And in case you missed the mention above, Rose is on tour so be sure to check out our calendar to see if she is coming to your area. 

Special thanks to Rose for her time and generosity and to Houghton Mifflin and American Products Group for their efforts in our giveaway below.


The publisher is offering three copies of this book and American Products Group is providing three sets of Rose's Trinity spatula set to EYB Members in the US and Canada. Two of the entry options is to answer the following questions in the comments section of this blog post.

Which recipe in the index would you try first?

What product of Rose's line at American Products Group would you like to try?

Please note that you must be logged into the Rafflecopter contest before posting or your entry won't be counted. For more information on this process, please see our step-by-step help post. Be sure to check your spam filters to receive our email notifications. Prizes can take up to 6 weeks to arrive from the publishers. If you are not already a Member, you can join at no cost. The contest ends at midnight on November 18th, 2018.