Every once in a while, a cookbook comes along that is so charming and fascinating that it makes me feel, at least for a deluded moment, like I could put all others aside and focus faithfully on just one. Pure Dessert is that kind of cookbook.
Here's the thing: I was a child of suburbia. Once, when I was around 12, I decided to try to make some bread. So, I mixed together all purpose flour, water, salt and oil. And nuked it. As you can imagine, the results were not pretty and tasted really, really bad. I like to think that my perspective on food has changed since then, but I still do not consider myself to have the pastry-chef temperament -- I don't know, I guess I'm too impulsive, disorganized, unable to follow directions, etc. So I have a special place in my heart for any dessert cookbook that can make me feel like I can pick up a canister of pastry flour without turning out something that is doughy, spongy or tough.
Every single recipe I have made from this cookbook has been astonishingly, soulfully flavorful, beautiful in texture, and gently sophisticated in its own special way. These are not recipes of the triple chocolate ganache, multilayer, outdo-the-Joneses type. As the title implies, the recipes are simple, but intensely focused in flavor and texture. The chapters, which are organized by flavor, are (i) milk; (ii) grains, nuts and seeds; (iii) fruit; (iv) chocolate; (v) honey and sugar; (vi) herbs and spices, flowers and leaves; and (vii) wine, beer and spirits. Also, although this is in no way whatsoever a health food, light or whole grain cookbook, she does incorporate various interesting grain flours (e.g., Kamut, buckwheat) -- but in a way that celebrates texture and incorporates loads of butter.
Take the buckwheat corn flour scones. Although they tasted like grains and had the slightest hint of a "grainy" texture, they were also more buttery, lighter and flakier than any scone I have made before (they have about a stick of butter, as well as whole milk and cream). My husband, who does not like "crunchy" foods of any variety, thought the texture was perfect but the taste a little too "healthy." I though they were the platonic perfect breakfast food.
The coffee-walnut cookies, which are made with freshly ground coffee beans and walnuts, were the most intensely flavored cookies I have ever eaten. They were also buttery and crumbly and delicious.
The olive oil and sherry pound cake was a revelation. It had a heady, floral fragrance and a lovely crumb. The sherry was a perfect match for the olive oil, bringing fruity notes to the front as the dominant taste and fragrance.
The salt and pepper corn tuiles, which were admittedly a bit of a nightmare to spread and remove from the baking trays, were ethereal, crunchy disks that tasted like the essence of corn and butter and had a lingering spiciness from the black pepper cracked on top. We couldn't decide if we thought they were a little too sweet, but I also couldn't stop eating them.
Although I have other cookbooks that I need to review, I am excited to try out some of the more sophisticated desserts, like the saffron and cardamom panna cotta, quark souffle, lavender caramel sauce, sour cream ice cream and various chocolate concoctions. My obsession with this cookbook is not going away any time soon.
Wow Susie! Love the blog! and the coffee-walnut cookies sound great! (and I couldn't help but notice how lovely those espresso cups look!)
Posted by: Ben | January 13, 2008 at 08:27 PM
TCA made the buckwheat linzer heart cookie recipe from this book and the cookies were truly exceptional.
I would argue this is one of my favorite cookies of all time. Very nuanced and complex flavors. I am not a buckwheat fan, but it is used in an innovative fashion here.
Posted by: Mr. Addict | February 17, 2008 at 09:32 PM
I'm with you on this one. Got the book recently, and every single recipe I've tried so far, has been exceptional.
Posted by: Y | June 02, 2008 at 01:38 AM