Wishlist: Easy-Bake Oven Gourmet

I don't have an easy-bake oven any more, but I have fond memories of baking itty-bitty cakes in my childhood. So I really MUST have this cookbook. It features 32 recipes from 26 chefs, all specially formulate for the Easy-Bake Oven! It includes recipes from such noteables as Rick Bayless, Mark Bittman, Bobby Flay, Gale Gand, and Mollie Katzen. Plus:

--Rare Easy-Bake Oven memorabilia, an illustrated timeline of the toy's first forty years, plus never-before-seen anecdotes and personal photos from the recipe contributors!
--Six removable recipe cards with fabulous, full-color photos of delicious dishes such as Queso Fundido with Roasted Poblano Vinaigrette, Warm Kumquat and Date Sticky Toffee Pudding, and Roasted Quail Breast with Wild Mushrooms and Pomme Anna.

Wish List: Stemmarkers

I found these in the Imbibe magazine holiday shopping guide, and I've been coveting them ever since. I like the idea of wine markers, but on all the ones I've seen, the charms are really dorky.

These foam rings have the advantage of being useable for those oh-so-trendy stemless wine glasses as well as the traditional kind.

And at $9.95 for a set of 10 ($8.95 if you order two or more), they're a great stocking stuffer! (I expect them to move from my "wish list" to my 'bought list" real soon now.) Made especially for the MoMA store by designer Eric Janssen.

Wish List: Fine Chocolates, Great Experience

The more I learn about chocolate making, the more I realize how little I know. I started this truffle making thing on a whim, and now I'm pretty much hooked. At this point I'm making hand dipped truffles, mostly with ganache centers. I added a caramel to the mix this last batch, spreading my wings a little bit. But there's a whole world of chocolate to explore out there, and from what I've heard, this book is the tour guide to take with me.

In addition to over 100 recipes, Jean-Pierre Wybauw's book features detailed scientific information on things like crystallization and shelf life, which will be particularly important as I start to think about broader distribution of my creations. Candymaking is a very precise art, and getting a deeper understanding of the whys and and wherefores will help me to figure out why something did or didn't work.

But at the price (even heavily discounted at Amazon it's $59.85) it's not something I can just pick up on a whim. So onto the wish list it goes.

Wish List: Thermapen

I keep coming across culinary-related items that I covet, and thought I would start sharing the list here. Not because I'm looking for readers to buy me anything (although I certainly wouldn't complain), but I figure that if I think something is cool, the rest of you might too.

I've been coveting this Thermapen digital thermometer ever since I first saw it on America's Test Kitchen. It's got an ultra-thin probe, which allows it to give ultra-fast temperature readings. Most inexpensive digital thermometers take 20 seconds or longer to give an accurate temperature reading. The Super-Fast version of the Thermapen takes just 4 seconds (the "standard" with a slightly thicker and sturdier tip, takes 8-10 seconds).

At $85, it's not cheap. But it's right at the top of my wish list anyway!