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Meet the Authors of Liddabit Sweets, Win Free Candy!


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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