SWEET 51649txt.indd 1 5/24/13 5:09 AM 51649txt_05-31.indd 2 2013.06.06 14:01 SWEET VALERIE GORDON PHOTOGRAPHS BY PEDEN + MUNK new york 51649txt_05-31.indd 3 2013.06.06 14:01 Copyright © 2013 by Valerie Gordon Photographs copyright © 2013 by Peden + Munk All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced—mechanically, electronically, or by any other means, including photocopying—without writ- ten permission of the publisher. Published by Artisan A division of Workman Publishing Company, Inc. 225 Varick Street New York, NY 10014-4381 artisanbooks.com Published simultaneously in Canada by Thomas Allen & Son, Limited Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gordon, Valerie. Sweet / Valerie Gordon. pages cm Includes index. ISBN 978-1-57965-468-9 1. Desserts. 2. Confectionery. I. Title. TX773.G65 2013 641.86—dc23 2013006288 Design by Michelle Ishay-Cohen Printed in China First printing, September 2013 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 51649txt_05-31.indd 4 2013.06.06 14:01 for stanley 51649txt.indd 5 5/24/13 5:10 AM CONTENTS 51649txt.indd 6 5/24/13 5:10 AM INTRODUCTION > 9 PEDESTAL CELEBRATION DESSERTS > 27 PLATE EVERYDAY CAKES > 70 TIN PIES AND TARTS > 115 BOX CHOCOLATES AND CONFECTIONS > 169 BOWL DESSERTS TO EAT WITH A SPOON > 213 JAR COOKIES AND BARS > 243 LARDER JAMS AND MARMALADES > 271 HAND BREAKFAST AND SNACKS TO EAT ON THE GO > 304 RESOURCES > 335 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS > 337 INDEX > 339 51649txt.indd 7 5/23/13 8:46 AM 51649txt.indd 8 5/24/13 5:10 AM INTRODUCTION It’s 2 a.m. on a night in the middle of July, and my partner, Stan, and I are talking about Christmas. “I finalized the new holiday collection today,” I say. “How are we going to work the new items into the holiday production schedule? What did we run out of last year? How many people do we need to hire this year? Have we ordered enough boxes?” Every year it’s the same thing, yet somehow each new pre-holiday season seems even more frenetic. A few short years ago, we were making fifteen different choco- lates, all by hand, and it felt very complicated. Today we also make more than a hundred other products: preserves, petits fours, chocolate bars, cakes, pastries, cookies, and pies. It’s no longer just complicated—it’s controlled chaos. When we started our company nine years ago, our motto was “For gifts and per- sonal indulgence.” Valerie Confections has evolved so much since then, but the same intention remains behind everything we make. Each chocolate is made by hand, dipped by hand, and packed by hand in boxes finished with hand-tied ribbons. I believe in making all of our products this way. For me, it is the same idea as pre- paring a home-cooked meal. There is true intimacy in a box of chocolates that are all slightly different because human hands, thankfully, cannot replicate the robotic movements of a machine. Handmade gifts and desserts create a special moment for the person on the receiving end. The next time you need to give a birthday present or a hostess gift, present a box of homemade cookies or a pie—the response will undoubtedly be surprise and gleeful anticipation. introduction • 9 51649txt_05-31.indd 9 2013.06.06 14:01