Product Description
Nigella shows that there can be more feelgood mileage from running up a tray of muffins or baking a sponge cake than in almost any other cooking - and that it's not actually hard! A domestic goddess has to maintain her cool when faced with pastry, it's true- but with Nigella's guidance even shortcrust pastry can be pain-free. How to be a Domestic Goddess is the book that understands our anxieties, feeds our fantasies and puts cakes, pies, pastries, preserves, puddings, bread and biscuits back into today's kitchen and our lives. Everything from cup cakes to chocolate cakes, from brownies to bagels, from gooseberry-cream crumble to double apple pie, from pizza to pistachio macaroons, scones and muffins to cheesecakes and steamed syrup sponge, from baklava to a Barbie cake, as well as children's cooking, Christmas baking and other wonderful family festive treats.
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Amazon.com Review
While the title How to Be a Domestic Goddess may at first make a modern woman bristle, the book itself is just as likely to inspire the woman who brings home the bacon to start baking cakes. And what's wrong with that? "This isn't a dream," writes British cookery deity Nigella Lawson in her preface. "What's more, it isn't even a nightmare." Lawson--the author of How to Eat, food editor of British Vogue, and star of her own TV cooking show, Nigella Bites--has been suspected of upholding the woman-laboring-in-the-kitchen paradigm, but there are lots of hard-working women out there who derive great satisfaction from cooking, even after a long day at the office. For those women, Lawson, who looks more Elizabeth Hurley than Martha Stewart, is the perfect guide to the wondrous world of baking. "You know, I'm not a cook-to-impress kind of girl," Lawson says midway through the book, but she must admit there are few things more rewarding than putting a warm homemade pie or fragrant cake on the table--especially after preparing a home-cooked meal. How to Be a Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking makes just such a reward possible, in fact positively enticing, with its delicious selection of easy-to-make cakes, pies, cookies, breads, even jams, presented in Lawson's chatty, pleasantly glib manner. Turns out, you don't have be a Pierre Hermé to make to-die-for chocolate confections; nor do you have to spend hours "faffing around" with hot pans and jars to have jam at teatime. You just need to try baking once, then again, and next thing you know, you'll be turning out cookies and desserts every chance you get. Many of the recipes are hand-me-downs or adaptations from other sources, be it a favorite cookbook or a restaurant in some far-off region, but all are imbued with Lawson's wit and distinctive touch. Profiteroles, My Way are "monumentally impressively better" than the original, thanks to burnt-sugar custard and toffee sauce. Her Coffee and Walnut Splodge Cookies are "American-style cookies; in other words just dropped onto the baking sheet free-form," and so on. A sophisticated female alter ego of British mop-top Jamie Oliver, and considerably more sly and comedic than most American gourmets, Nigella is sure to convince more than a few up-and-coming hostesses that baking is indeed women's work. --Rebecca Wright
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 Cakes, cookies, and mince-pies...oh my!
There's no way I could resist buying this cookbook when I saw that it had a giant cupcake on the front cover! I am pleased to say that it delivers on all accounts. I bought the paperback version and am quite happy with the construction. The binding is thick but does not pose difficulty in keeping the book open (and I've had no problem with the binding breaking or cracking).
The recipes are divided into 9 chapters including cakes, cookies/scones/muffins, pies, desserts, chocolate, children, xmas, bread & yeast and the domestic goddess's pantry.
The font Nigella chose is clear and easy on the eyes and the ingredient list for each recipe is in bold so I have no problem finding the ingredient list on the page when going back and forth from the list to what I am doing.
The pictures are absolutely beautiful. They are glossy, colorful and very well presented and each chapter is divided with sparkling gold pages.
The recipes themselves are nicely chosen and are evocative of both the English country-side and the glamor of London (and beyond). Examples include:
Chocolate cherry cupcakes
Pain-au-chocolate pudding
London cheesecake
Gateau Breton
Fairy Cakes
Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Peach Cream Pie
Espresso Cupcakes
Granny Boyd's Cookies
Snickers & Peanut Butter Muffins
Jam-Doughnut Muffins
Fresh Gingerbread with Lemon Icing
Finally, the best aspect of the cookbook is the fact that Nigella includes a little paragraph with each recipe. If you've ever seen her cooking show, you will know that she is quite sensual, a quality that is also very evident in the recipes and the accompanying, mouth-watering descriptions she provides.
For anyone who loves to bake, I'd recommend that you add this to your library of cookbooks!
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 Love it!
I absolutely love Nigella and her recipes are so delicious. This book is wonderful, I have cooked my way through it and made almost all of the recipes, everything is very delicious. I love the savory recipes! And the cakes are superb. Highly recommend, if you like simple, delicious food, this is a great book for you!
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really fabulous
it is really a fabulous book. i have the uk version and i love it, use it for all the desserts i make and have it by my bed because i love reading her cookbooks. she is really good with interesting recipes and even better at writing about them...best brownie recipe here and the wonderful banana bread too...and try the reeses peanut butter cup-like thing...it's amazing and much much more healthy than the original. oh and pain au chocolate pudding is divine.
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How to be a Domestic Goddess
Just received this book and what a great book have had a good read through and can't wait to try out Nigella's recipes love her TV shows a down to earth family chef with easy to follow instructions and great ideas.
This has been such a hit that I have had to order another for my Step-daughter or I would not get my one back.
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LOVE IT! ( baiyuhu )
I am not a baker, but each recipe is clearly explained. Nigella does a good job of letting the reader know what to expect after every step so the possibility of making mistakes are very low. I'm so happy that I chose this as my go-to baking book!
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