Baking with Agave Nectar: Over 100 Recipes Using Nature's Ultimate Sweetener
Even before its health benefits were being touted on Oprah's daytime show, agave nectar was finding fans among dessert lovers seeking to reduce or eliminate processed sugar in their diets. In "Baking With Agave Nectar", natural foods chef Ania Catalano shows how to creatively integrate this up-and-coming natural sugar substitute into every sweet tooth's repertoire through a variety of delectable recipes. From breakfast goodies (Pumpkin Muffins, Stuffed French Toast) to cookies (Chewy Double Chocolate Meringue) to desserts (Bread Pudding Souffles with Bourbon Sauce, Pear Frangipane Tart), Catalano makes agave nectar accessible and appealing to health-conscious bakers of all levels.
Baking with Agave Nectar: Over 100 Recipes Using Nature's Ultimate Sweetener Accessories
 Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Raw Blue Agave, 23.5-Ounce Bottles (Pack of 6)
Super Natural Cooking: Five Ways To Incorporate Whole and Natural Ingredients into Your Cooking
Gluten-free, Sugar-free Cooking: Over 200 Delicious Recipes to Help You Live a Healthier, Allergy-Free Life
Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Blue Agave, light, 23.5-Ounce Bottles (Pack of 6)
the sweet truth: a sugar-free / wheat-free kitchen
Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World: 75 Dairy-Free Recipes for Cupcakes that Rule
Madhava Pure Organic Raw Agave Nectar, 46-Ounce Bottle (Pack of 2)
Sweet!: From Agave to Turbinado, Home Baking with Every Kind of Natural Sugar and Sweetener
Stevia Sweet Recipes: Sugar-Free-Naturally
Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook
Baking with Agave Nectar: Over 100 Recipes Using Nature's Ultimate Sweetener Reviews
I do eat a healthful diet, but I am easily seduced by desserts. Ania Catalano is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet School of New York. Each recipe will indicate whether that recipe is vegan, gluten-free, neither or both. It comes in a syrup form and is sweeter than sugar. This is helpful as I do have a friend that enjoys vegan baking, and yet another that is gluten-intolerant. All of the recipes that I tried were extremely successful and no one was able to tell that sugar was not used. Examples of the recipes that my family enjoyed were: Quinoa Corn Blueberry Muffins, Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies, Mocha Hazelnut Cake (gluten-free), Chocolate Almond Silk Pie (vegan) and Chocolate Gelato. Catalano demonstrates a wide variety of ways to utilize agave nectar while still managing to keep flavor and texture of the final product.
This, coupled with family members that need to minimize their simple carbohydrate consumption, I could not wait to see this book. I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars, not giving it a full five stars due to limited photographs. Chapters in this book include: Muffins, Tea Breads and Breakfast Dishes; Cookies and Bars; Cakes and Cupcakes; Pies, Tarts and Crisps; Ice Creams, Frozen Yogurts and Sorbets; Special Treats; Frosting, Fillings and Sauces. Well, it is a natural unrefined sweetener that has a lower glycemic index. Maybe you have no idea what agave nectar is. She is also the owner of her own catering and cooking school in Connecticut, Gourmet Whole Foods.
As like the majority of people in the US, I too need to lose weight. Safe for children and adults, it is allergen-free and vegan. She also includes a glossary, a list of sources, as well as information about agave nectar. Because it is high in fructose, it does not stimulate insulin secretion when consumed. When I first saw that there was a book about baking with agave nectar, I became intrigued.
Unlike honey, agave nectar will not crystallize and can be stored on your shelf for 2 years.
Using the 9x13 pan that the author suggested the crust ended up being a 1mm deep crumbly, vegetable-tasting mess and the filling didn't taste any better. I was extremely excited to find this book. I'll spare you the details but this was the second desert of my life who ended up in the trash can. It's the first desert that I had to throw away in 20 years of baking. I use agave nectar in my coffee, in dressings and in sauces and I was thrilled at the possibility of being able to bake with it. I thought it was just bad luck and the next day I tried the coconut bars. In retrospect I think it was the sprouted flour, which gives an unbearable vegetable taste to everything you put it in. I ordered the book and read it from cover to cover.
I should have paid more attention to the fact that some of the 5 star reviewers did not yet try the book but some of the lower rating reviewers had experiences similar with mine. Oh well, I'm now turning to the other book I bought along with this one, "Sugar-free and fruit sweet" by Janice Feuer and hope to have better luck with it. I then set to spend over $150 on ingredients listed in the book. My four year old spit it out, my 10 year old said there were awful and my husband put it down after one bite.
In my house, we eat healthy and we love agave nectar. How can something which includes coconut, chocolate and walnuts not turn out good. But something is seriously wrong with these recipes. I didn't even dare to try it on my family anymore.
I ordered the sprouted flours from one store, the oat and barley flours and other items from an amazon seller, the essences and dried fruits from another store and I patiently waited for everything to arrive, giddy at the thought that I will bake these wonderful bars, cookies and cakes. Inedible. Well, I first tried the zucchini drops.
I'm glad this book has the "search inside" feature so you can see what you're buying before you order it. While many of the recipes look great, it's hard to know whether they are really "healthy" for someone who is diabetic and needs to loose weight. I wish Ania Catalano had included nutritional information (like the number of calories and carbohydrates per serving) with her recipes. Also, I'd like to know what I could use instead of some of the harder to locate ingredients. (This is especially true when you live overseas). While she does provide places where at least some of the ingredients can be ordered, sometimes you want to be able to make something with what's readily available. The front matter includes interesting information about Agave Nectar, which I've enjoyed for the past year or so. As a whole, the price of the book seems reasonable.
Overall the recipes look relatively simple and there are photographs throughout the book. I have never baked with some of the ingredients listed in this book.sprouted spelt flour, agave nectar, agar flakes, silken tofu, soy milk powder, and arrowroot powder are all new to me. I just received this book and am looking forward to trying some of these recipes. I'd like to research these ingredients to better understand their properties.before I start baking. I hope my attempts at these recipes will have better results than some of the other reviewers have noted. I am a French pastry chef and my mother, who lives with us, was recently diagnosed with diabetes.
Definitely a great buy. My husband hasn't noticed a difference in the taste. There are recipes for candies, frostings and ice creams, too. Can't wait to try the brownies tonight. I've only made a few and I love this cookbook.and I needed a book to help me use it when baking. He doesn't know I've stopped using sugar. The recipes are easy to follow.
|
