Mad About Maida

  Cuban Coconut Pound Cake Source:  Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed.) , pg. 163 . This is a dense, textured pound cake packed with coconut and nuts. It is not overly sweet. Delicous! I did not use sliced almonds but instead just chopped whole ones in a food processor. I also used almond milk instead of regular milk. You might notice that the hands in the photos are not mine! A friend was visiting and I was teaching her how to make a cake. She did a great job! 8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter (softened) 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1/2 tsp. almond extract 1/2 tsp. salt 2 cups sugar 5 eggs 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour 1 cup milk  7 oz. (2 2/3 loosely packed) cups shredded coconut 3 oz. (1 cup) unblanched almonds, thinly sliced Preheat the oven to 325. Use a 10-inch tube pan (a deeper pan is okay too). Either nonstick or regular pans are okay - if using regular, butter the bottom and sides with butter and place pieces of ...

Neiman Marcus $250 Cookie Recipe Source:  Maida Heatter's Brand-New Book of Great Cookies (Random House, 1995 ed.) , pg. 148 . You have probably heard the urban legend about this cookie recipe. A lady has lunch at a Neiman Marcus restaurant and has some delicious cookies for dessert. She asks the waiter if he can get her the recipe from the chef and he says "no problem". A few weeks later, the lady is looking over her credit card bill and finds a $250 charge for the cookie recipe. She calls the restaurant and demands a refund, they refuse, and in retaliation she distributes the recipe to as many people as she can.  A columnist at the New York Times got to the bottom of the story by calling the restaurant and they assured her that they have never charged anyone for the recipe. Of course it makes a great story and perks your curiosity to want to try one. I can attest that they are quite good. Michael says that these are his second favorite (his first being the Oatm...