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A review by juliachiang
Mooncakes and Milk Bread: Sweet and Savory Recipes Inspired by Chinese Bakeries by Kristina Cho
5.0
This is my first review of a cookbook, but how could I not review it? I've been following Kristina's blog for quite a while and as soon as I opened the first page, it felt like I had come home. I've loved dipping my toes into the home baking world and trying to (haphazardly) recreate those magical flavors from Chinese bakeries, and this is the first cookbook I've seen that's actually meant for someone like me. Kristina's story is so touching and compelling, especially since all the anecdotes and characters in her life can't help but remind me of my family's immigrant story. Although the notes are different, the song is the same.
Her photos are beautiful and illustrative and I can't wait to start tackling some of the recipes -- there are enough easier ones that I feel confident that I could build my way up to some of the harder ones, though I'm not sure I'm ever going to be interested in attempting mooncakes.
One of the biggest reasons why I treasure this book is that she's able to so perfectly capture the second generation immigrant child nostalgia of eating foods at restaurants where you might not be able to quite read the menu, but desperately wanting to keep those traditions and old flavors alive. This is a big reason why I became interested in baking and cooking in the first place, out of fear that if I didn't learn then I wouldn't be able to keep those precious flavors in my life. I love how Kristina captured tons of my old favorites, some of which I never knew the names of but only vaguely recognized from the bakeries.
I truly cherish this book and am so, so grateful that it exists. Thank you Kristina!
Her photos are beautiful and illustrative and I can't wait to start tackling some of the recipes -- there are enough easier ones that I feel confident that I could build my way up to some of the harder ones, though I'm not sure I'm ever going to be interested in attempting mooncakes.
One of the biggest reasons why I treasure this book is that she's able to so perfectly capture the second generation immigrant child nostalgia of eating foods at restaurants where you might not be able to quite read the menu, but desperately wanting to keep those traditions and old flavors alive. This is a big reason why I became interested in baking and cooking in the first place, out of fear that if I didn't learn then I wouldn't be able to keep those precious flavors in my life. I love how Kristina captured tons of my old favorites, some of which I never knew the names of but only vaguely recognized from the bakeries.
I truly cherish this book and am so, so grateful that it exists. Thank you Kristina!