Mary of One Perfect Bite and some other women food bloggers (including myself) are blogging our way through the 50 Women Game Changers In Food published by Gourmet in May ’11. Some of the women on the list you will know, others you may not, but either way, this will be a great 50 week journey to learn more about these women that inspire the way we think about food today.
Please visit Mary at One Perfect Bite, Val at More Than Burnt Toast, Joanne at Eats Well With Others, Taryn at Have Kitchen Will Feed, Susan at The Spice Garden, Claudia at A Seasonal Cook In Turkey, Heather at Girlichef, Jeanette at Jeanette’s Healthy Living, Katie at Making Michael Poland Proud, Kathleen at Bake Away With Me, Sue at The View From Great Island, Barbara at Moveable Feasts, and Amy at Beloved Green for their tributes to these 50 women.
“The beloved goddess of apple pie—and coconut layer cake, chocolate Bavarian, lemon squares, cherry cobbler—you name it. She makes every dessert in the land perfect.” I am a dessert junkie. I knew this was my gal. Browsing through her giant book of desserts, I had a very hard time choosing something to make. I passed the task over to my husband – and he actually did it. He narrowed it down to two. Lemon cake and Deep South Chocolate ice cream. I chose the lemon cake. That is not to say I won’t make the ice cream, the Palm Beach brownies, or the Chocolate Rum Icebox Cake, but I thought this would be a great place to start.
I typically don’t like cookbooks without lots of photos, but I LOVED reading through Maida’s cookbook. She tells thoughtful stories that explains not only the dish, but the premise behind it. But who is Maida Heatter you ask? She is a pastry chef and cookbook author who influenced the way in which Americans prepare desserts. She has also been inducted into the Chocolatier Magazine Hall of Fame. I never even knew there was such a thing. This is my gal. Yes, I know I already said it, but just in case you needed reminding. You can read more about Maida’s life from this Saveur article: The Queen of Cake. I would have an IV drip of liquid desserts going into me at all times if I could make it happen. From what I have seen and read so far, they would all be Maida’s desserts. This well deserved reputation lands her in the # 16 spot on the list of 50 Women in Food.
Who would think a simple lemon cake could be so delicious? From the moment I took my first bite, to the moment I had to leave the room in order to stop eating it (after 1/4 of it had already been dealt with), I was hooked. The lemon didn’t thoroughly shine through until I topped it with that addictive, sugary glaze. So soft and light, I think I will be having dreams about this cake later. Maida’s Giant Book of Great Desserts was sitting there watching me. Daring me to open it up and try another recipe. Probing me to go out and buy a copy to make my own – because alas, I have to return this copy to the library. Do you think they would hunt me down if I kept it?
Damn you Maida for making and presenting such good treats.
The pictures don’t do it enough justice. I was having fluted pan issues – but that is a story for another time. Make this please. Then email me for my mailing address and I’ll gladly test yours for you.
Read more from the ’50 Women In Food’ series
Toni Evins, Maida Heatter's late daughter, who lived on East 62nd Street in Manhattan, created this tart, sweet cake. It became a favorite of the chic set after Craig Claiborne printed the recipe in the New York Times. "I hear that Bill Blass and Nancy Reagan asked for it," Heatter notes. Ingredients Directions
http://mangoesandchutney.com/2011/09/east-62nd-street-lemon-cake-50-women-in-food-16-maida-heatter.html
In The Spotlight: Maida Heatter
From Wikipedia: The daughter of the famous radio commentatorGabriel Heatter, Maida Heatter graduated from New York’s Pratt Institute in fashion design and began a career as a illustrator of merchandising, then subsequently switching to jewelry design, and then finally becoming a baker and baking instructor. Her career as a professional cookbook author began when her skills in dessert making caught the attention of Craig Claiborne a former food section editor of the New York Times. In part through his numerous endorsements for her and his suggestion to her in writing her own cookbook, Maida Heatter began her decades long career in teaching baking and writing cookbooks. The quality of her recipes caught the attention of many prominent figures in the trade of cooking and baking, garnering praise from numerous celebrity and media sources. Maida Heatter’s cookbooks have been the recipient of three James Beard Foundation Awards, and she herself has been inducted into the Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America in 1988. She has also been inducted into the Chocolatier Magazine Hall of Fame.
This Recipe Linked To Some of These Blog Hops:
{Sun} Recipe Swap Sundays {Mon} Made By You Mondays, Recipe Sharing Monday {Tues} Totally Tasty Tuesdays, Tip Me Tuesdays {Wed} These Chicks Cooked {Thurs} Full Plate Thursday {Fri} Fresh Food Fridays, Friday Potluck
