Welcome to another installment of Inside the Author’s Studio, wherein we give you a peek into the minds and studios of your favorite Workman authors. Today, we venture into the dangerously temptation-filled kitchens of Liz Gutman and Jen King, authors of The Liddabit Sweets Candy Cookbook, for an especially decadent Q&A. As a special holiday treat, we’re offering five lucky winners a chance to win Liddabit Sweets gift packs with the purchase of a copy of the book! To enter, buy the book at a retailer of your choice, then email your receipt to liddabit@workman.com by 12/31/2012.
9 STICKY, GOOEY QUESTIONS FOR LIZ GUTMAN AND JEN KING
Favorite childhood candy:
Jen: I wasn’t really allowed to eat a lot of candy, but I really loved a PayDay when I got the chance!
Liz: Junior Mints.
Most requested recipe:
Sea Salt Caramels.
Alternate career ambition:
Jen: Human rights activist.
Liz: Astronaut. Or actor. (I have a BFA in theater from NYU.)
Is candy making a baker’s game?
Jen: You don’t need to be a baker to explore the world of candy. I do believe, however, that cooking experience comes into play in the candy kitchen. If you know how to properly boil an egg, make puff pastry, and roast a chicken, you will be a better confectioner.
Liz: The disciplines have things in common—exact measurements, a more technical approach—but they involve different skill sets.
Easiest starter candy:
Buttermints. They’re super-quick, versatile (they can be made in non-minty flavors like coffee and chocolate), and deceptively delicious. They’re also a great candy to make with kids, who can help by rolling out the dough before an adult cuts it into bite-sized pieces.
This is chocolate bark. (Photos by Rachel Been.)
Favorite cookbook:
Jen: The first cookbook I fell in love with was Bistro Cooking by Patricia Wells (Ed note: Workman title!). I also keep going back to the cookbooks of Pierre Hermé.
Liz: On Food and Cooking and Keys to Good Cooking, both by Harold McGee.
Favorite bookstore:
Jen: For everyday shopping, I go to the Strand, but if I have a couple more dollars in my account, Kitchen Arts and Letters.
Liz: I love Greenlight, in Fort Greene, though Book Larder in Seattle is up there.
Guilty pleasure (savory):
Liz: I don’t really go for the idea of attaching guilt to food—but in the spirit of the question, an In-N-Out cheeseburger with fries, whenever I’m on the west coast.
Jen: Dill pickle potato chips. LOVE.
Perfect meal:
Jen: Kimchi, a really good roasted meat, some buttery potatoes, and a kale salad. I’d wrap it up with a roasted fruit tart on puff pastry.
Liz: Depends on the day and mood, but today I’d pick a kale salad with lemon and parmesan (we’re both kale-obsessed right now), seared scallops, my dad’s schinkenfleckerl, and Otto’s olive oil gelato. Plus a perfect Manhattan or some Pinot Noir.
This is the book. It teaches you how to make candy!
**Give the gift of candy. As a special holiday treat, we’re offering Liddabit Sweets gift packs to five lucky winners. To enter, buy a copy of the book and email your receipt to liddabit@workman.com by 12/31/2012. **
***For extra credit, follow Liz and Jen on their candy-making adventures on Twitter and like Liddabit Sweets on Facebook.
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