Good To The Grain Cookbook By Los Angeles Pastry Chef Kim Boyce
One pastry chef's road to healthy baked goods
Whole-grain baking is often associated with the '70s era of macramé, burnt earth-tone colors and leaden bread loaves. That's why local pastry chef Kim Boyce gives healthy baked goods an image makeover in her new cookbook, Good to the Grain.
At home, Boyce experimented with a range of flours and grains as a way to boost the nutritional value of foods she baked for her children. But she doesn't just make pastries that are good for you–as an alumna of the Spago and Campanile kitchens, she knows her way around delicious.
Los Angeles' food culture influences her baking: Local farmers' markets have inspired many of her pancakes, scones, muffins and cakes, while seasonal produce shines in the chapter dedicated to jams and compotes.
You may need to stock your pantry with ingredients you haven't used before (like kamut and spelt), but with 75 recipes to explore, you'll quickly use up your new supplies.
Start simple: Boyce's whole-wheat chocolate chip cookies are some of the best we've tasted, and the iced multigrain oatmeal cookies deliver an equally satisfying intensity (click here to download the recipe).
If you want a little hands-on advice, check out Boyce's "Let's Get Cookin'" baking class in Westlake Village next week.