Savory or Sweet? Two Cookbooks Take On Baking

Around this time of year, I love to bake especially because I can stand sweat-free in front of an oven! Personal comfort aside, there's a homey aspect to fall baking that I find addictive and so I'm constantly looking for something new to bake. Most recently, I added Brown Butter Pound Cake to my repertoire but cooking with apples and pears can be expected as with baking with chocolate. But two recently published cookbooks have me rethinking my baking habits, especially since they are almost opposites in their subject matter: Rustic Fruit Desserts (Ten Speed Press) by Cory Schreiber and Julie Richardson and Savory Baking (Chronicle Books) by Mary Cech.

Rustic Fruit Desserts: Crumbles, Buckles, Cobblers, Pandowdies, and More makes the case for year-round baking by divvying up the recipes by fruit and seasonality. Take advantage of fresh springtime strawberries for the Fresh Strawberry and Ricotta Tart, and move to an Olive Oil Citrus Cake once lemons, grapefruits, and oranges are readily available for the winter. Schreiber, the former chef/founder of Wildwood, and Richardson of Baker & Spice, create a seamless voice and their deep appreciation for the abundant fruit in the Pacific Northwest is clearly evident in the lovingly written descriptions. Ultimately, the book's charm is in its focus on these rustic, old-fashioned desserts and the easy, "I am not a fussy baker," down-to-earth attitude that comes through the writing and the photos.

If savory baked goods are more your thing, then Savory Baking is the cookbook for you. I think it's true: say "baked goods" and almost everyone will think of something sweet, like chocolate chip cookies and blueberry muffins. Cech argues that savory baking ought not to be underestimated, and in fact, is wide ranging in its offerings with waffles, pastries, dumplings, and cookies plus many more. Still need some convincing that savory baking could possibly be of interest? How would you feel if one of these delicious-sounding dishes were baking in your oven? Deep-Dish Curried Vegetable Potpies with Dried Fruits, Black-Rimmed Pistachio Wafers, and Onion, and Fennel, or Orange Upside-Down Shortcake. I don't know about you, but I'll take all of them. To say the least, Cech's book really fills a gap with its emphasis on savory foods. It's a basic baking cookbook in terms of supplementary material (glossary, equipment coverage, introductory ingredients) but the richness of the recipes is reason enough to indulge.

So, which do you prefer: sweet or savory baked goods?

Recipes to try from Savory Baking:
- Smoked-Salmon Crêpe Torte
- Confetti Corn Bread-Crusted Creole Shrimp
- Thyme, Lemon, and Sea-Salt Shortbread

Recipes to try from Rustic Fruit Desserts:
- Rhubarb Fool
- Upside-Down Pear Chocolate Cake
- Deep-Dish Winter Fruit Pie with Walnut Crumb

by Esther Sung

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