Asian Confections, Pt. 1: Soymilk Desserts

Alright, finally I'm posting another review. Poor T, he gets hungry when I do this, but I have SO MANY cookbooks to review. ;)

Soymilk Desserts, by Yasuyo Shida. This slim little book, at only about 90 pages, might not seem like much, but it offers quite a bit in a small package. As you can see by the sticker in the corner, I got it for ridiculously cheap.

Something I really like about Asian desserts, mostly notably Chinese and Japanese, are their dainty and delicate presentation, their overall look of "tidiness" and the fact they are generally light and fresh, unlike many Western desserts that are very heavy and sugary. I like sweets, but can only eat so much sugar before I feel sick.

This book has a lot going for it. It is divided up into: Baked Desserts, Steamed/Fried Desserts, Chilled Desserts, Fruit Desserts, and Drinks & Shakes. The recipes vary from things that are very common over here, such as cheesecake, to traditional Chinese fare like ma lai koe. Each recipe has a picture of the finished project, and each recipe has a picture for the steps! This is incredibly useful for the novice baker. I imagine anyone who goes into this without prior experience could probably figure out how to do things.
(And if a baking term is used that they don't understand, the back of the book contains a very useful glossary!)
Another big plus is the fact they offer ingredient listings in both Asian measurements (grams, degrees Celsius for the oven) as well as in Western measurements (degrees Fahrenheit for the oven, oz, tsp, etc) This is great for those who want to make this style of food but are too lazy busy to convert.

It's important to note that the recipes themselves, despite using healthier options like soymilk and tofu, are not vegan-friendly, if that's what you are looking for. Eggs, cheese, gelatin, and occasional heavy whipping cream are used throughout. Actually, the nice thing about many Asian desserts is the fact they have several gelatin substitutes....good for me, since I can't eat pork products. Unfortunately, the lack of a nearby Asian market means if I want them I'm stuck paying out the nose on websites.
Sugar is also used to, but generally to a much smaller degree than what I'm sure many Americans are used to.

Pros: Picture of each recipe, step-by-step pictures of each recipe, glossary in the back, usually lighter and somewhat healthier than normal desserts, ingredients are listed in two different terms so converting isn't needed.
Cons: Some weird recipes that might turn the unadventurous off (tomato cupcakes?) sugar is still used, recipes are not vegan-friendly.

Overall, I would recommend this book because of it's ease of use, attractive layout, price, and focus on healthier fare than what's featured in many baking books.

Tofu cheesecake with apricots on bottom.

Yogurt mousse with currants.

Coffee cheesecake.

Creme de Anjou (my personal favorite; makes my mouth water every time)

Disclaimer: All book content is copyrighted Yasuyo Shida, the publisher and any other respective creators. This review is for personal use only and no copyright infringement is intended.