RECIPES FROM MOMOFUKU MILK BAR NYC BAKERY
Review by Barb & Ron Kroll
Momofuku Milk Bar
(Clarkson Potter) ISBN 978-0307720498 0307720497
Even if you haven't visited Momofuku Milk Bar, we guarantee that you will get hunger pangs from just looking at the photos and recipes for Momofuku's cookies, cakes, pies, ice creams and other desserts.
The NYC bakery cookbook features recipes for crash pie, compost cookies, cereal milk ice cream, carrot cake truffles, candy bar pie, cinnamon bun pie and other popular Momofuku baked goods.
Christina Tosi provides master recipes and advice on baking techniques, ingredients and equipment. You will even learn how to decorate the desserts so they look as professional as the ones on the Momofuku menu.
Cereal milk ice cream
This 256-page bakery cookbook is arranged according to 10 master recipes, which are used to make items on the Momofuku menu. With the exception of one chapter devoted to bread dough recipes (bagels, croissants etc.), all the recipes are for Momofuku desserts.
For example, you learn how to make cereal milk by soaking toasted cornflakes in milk, then sweetening it with brown sugar. Christina Tosi uses it to make fruity cereal milk ice cream and many other popular Momofuku Milk Bar recipes.
All recipe ingredients are listed in metric and US measurements so you don't have to do conversions (e.g., one stick of butter is equivalent to 115 grams or 8 tablespoons).
Some of the recipes from Momofuku Milk Bar have surprising flavor combinations that work, such as celery root ganache and kimchi and blue cheese croissants.
Candy bar pie
Christina Tosi adds baking tips in sidebars. For example, in the recipe for Momofuku's candy bar pie, she recommends toasting pretzels to significantly increase their flavor.
In other Momofuku Milk Bar recipes, she provides ingredient substitutions. She explains that you can substitute three-quarter teaspoon of powdered gelatin for 1.5 gelatin sheets and substitute one tablespoon (18 g) of corn syrup for two tablespoons (50 g) glucose in the cereal milk ice cream recipe.
The introduction to the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook features baking techniques, like how to make brown butter in a microwave in just three to five minutes. Christina Tosi also describes baking equipment, such as silpat (non-stick silicone mats) and baking ingredients, including feuilletine (thin, toasted crepe bits).
Carrot cake truffles
Christina Tosi's cookbook also shows you how to use cake scraps and leftovers to make delicious desserts, such as carrot cake truffles.
More than 100 appetizing photos by Gabriele Stabile and Mark Ibold depict recipes from the Momofuku Milk Bar menu. Step-by-step photos illustrate baking techniques, such as how to roll out, cut and shape croissants. Other images show Christina Tosi and her staff working in the kitchen of Momofuku Milk Bar.
Sample Momofuku Milk Bar recipes
Corn cookies. Cornflake chocolate chip marshmallow cookies. Pretzel ice cream pie. Blueberry and cream cookies. Pistachio layer cake. Coffee frosting. Graham ice cream. Brownie pie. Malt fudge sauce. Cheesecake ice cream. Apple pie layer cake. Peanut butter nougat. Cashew praline. Lemon meringue pistachio pie. Chinese sausage focaccia. Pumpkin seed brittle. Chocolate chip cake. Cinnamon toast crunch.
Contents
- Introductions
- Real Talk
- Ingredients
- Equipment
- Techniques
- Cereal Milk
- The Crunch
- The Crumb
- Graham Crust
- Fudge Sauce
- Liquid Cheesecake
- Nut Brittle
- Nut Crunch
- The Ganache
- Mother Dough
- Bonus Track: Crack Pie
- Index
Author
Christina Tosi is the owner and chef at Momofuku Milk Bar, a NYC bakery located in East Village, Brooklyn, Midtown and Upper West Side.