Cookbook Spotlight Roundup: Seasonal Fruit Desserts

Whenever I gather a group of passionate cooks around this event, I am always amazed and inspired by what our participants choose to make.  I'm also awed by the stunning food styling and compositions.  Our latest entry in Cookbook Spotlight is Deborah Madison's gorgeous new book, Seasonal Fruit Desserts.  Her Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone was a watershed addition to my collection of cookbooks - before this book, I'd never really considered how fantastic vegetarian cooking could actually be.  Likewise, her latest book focuses on the luscious bounty of fruits straight from farms, orchards and fresh markets; but she doesn't stop there:  she has recipes that give a nod to fruits but are not themselves fruit-based desserts.  As always, I was so fortunate to have enthusiastic, imaginative and very gifted participants who produced some mouth-wateringly beautiful desserts!

Claudia at Honey from Rock lives in Hawaii (lucky!) where fresh fruit is abundant (more reason to be jealous) - but, as she notes, everything is between seasons so she made the Almond Corn Cake and dried fruits; but couldn't resist trying the Souffléed Pancakes -- batter over carmelized mangoes, which substituted in a pinch for apples that are no longer in season.

Rachel, the Crispy Cook went the same route as Claudia, electing to use dried fruit, nuts and preserves to make this beautiful Walnut Torte with Blackberry Preserves.  Her blog is a lovely repository of gluten free dishes; this recipe called for potato starch and egg for the torte, along with blackberry preserves.  Violets from her garden finished off this lovely cake.

Beth Anne, like many participants, was swept away by the book and made seven (yes, seven!) desserts, including the Broken Jellied Wine with Summer Fruit.  Quite apropos as her blog is The Seventh Level of Boredom.  Seriously, how do I get an invitation to her table?  Seven desserts!  I can totally get behind that.

Jamie's life is about her Adventures in SF - the latest of which is a broken oven which has been a nightmare of epic proportions, particularly for as avid a cook as she; but she is determined to overcome this obstacle and has already decided on a list of dishes to be made once her kitchen is back in working order.  On the list, I'm particularly interested in showing up to try to the Persimmon Pudding with her...(hint, hint, Jamie!).

Bake, says Joanne at Eats Well with Others.  That is her life lesson #246.  And bake she does, in defiance of an upcoming exam and in exemplary daughterhood for Mother's Day.  She made the Coconut Rice Pudding Cake with Raspberry Compote.

Deb is another lucky lady who lives in Hawaii.  From her Kahakai Kitchen, she made the Yogurt Swedish Cream with Warm Berry Sauce.  This wasn't her first choice:  she started thinking about Right Side Up Cake before healthy choices made her consider Quinoa Pudding with dried fruit; but the warming days in Hawaii persuaded her that something "cool, smooth and creamy" was needed - and this panna cotta-like yogurt based dessert was the right way to go.

Emily at Tomato Kumato tried two recipes - simple desserts that nevertheless managed to be phenomenal with their flavor combinations, including the Pineapples with Basil Syrup.  Her sister helpfully marked other recipes to try with Post-It Notes; it sounds like more testing is needed, Emily!

I love Peabody and her fabulous Culinary Concoctions.  Living in Western Washington, there are plenty of farmer's markets and road stores from which to choose a plethora of fresh fruits.  For this event, she decided on a tart - and in this case, the Cream Tart with Black Raspberries.

Holly is the Phe/Mom/enon.  Look at this ridiculously beautiful Huckleberry Cream Tart!  Why this recipe?  Well, the tart dough was apparently like nothing she had ever read or heard about - processed into a thick batter that somehow coalesced into the silky tart you see before you...

Barbara Bakes; and she decided to make two desserts - the Mangoes with Minced Strawberries, and the Quinoa Pudding with Dried Cherries and Cranberries; this isn't just for dessert - consider, as Barbara does, this a great way to start the morning.  Dessert for breakfast?  Sign me up.

So the book isn't all about fruit based desserts - and here is vivid sugary goodness for proof.  Susan, Ms. Doughmesstic - made these Hazelnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies - all butter and hazelnut oil.  This is perfect for those in-between weeks of waiting for the fruit season to really kick into gear...

Over in the Daring Kitchen, Becky at Thirty Dirty Fingers, got a produce box from her local CSA laden with rhubarb and tart storage apples.  Three dishes emerged from her daring kitchen including this No Worries Apple Galette...

I'm so grateful that Ivonne, Cream Puffs in Venice, never turns me down when I come running to her with the latest cookbook I'm reading through for which I must absolutely throw a Cookbook Spotlight or an Edible Word.  She's as much in love with cookbooks as I am; and she never fails to astonish me with her choices.  They're far more exciting than anything I'd choose to make - witness this Baked Rhubarb with Vanilla, Orange and Clove.  I hope you heed the call forever Ivonne!

Steph was skeptical about the organic agenda - but even she concurs that the recipes are simple and scrumptious.  See the Berry Galette she made for her in-laws - which they polished off in two days!  And in a brilliant bit of synchronicity, they got a copy of Deborah's book as a gift from a family member!

A great big thank you to all the lovely and passionate participants in this round of Cookbook Spotlight! 

And the winner of our giveaway book - Barbara at Winos and Foodies!  Barbara, Pug drew your name from the box so he will expect a kiss when he sees you next year.  :-)  Thanks to everyone who submitted their names - I'll have some more books to give away soon!

Comments

[barbara]

OMG. Really? That is fabulous. Thank you Pug.Thank you Cath. Perhaps he and I will cook from it together.

[Rachel]

What a breathtaking roundup! And we all made recipes from every chapter of this lovely fruit cookbook. I too have lots of Post it notes in my copy. Thanks for this lovely opportunity, Cath!

[Beth Anne]

Wow! Everyone made such absolutely gorgeous dishes! I had a ton of fun on this and I was obviously in great company. Love all your posts!

[DebinHawaii]

Wonderful round-up--I love the variety of desserts we all made. Everything looks wonderful. Mahalo Cath for this fun opportunity to read and review a wonderful book!

[DebinHawaii]

Wow and could I just say wonderful one more time! lol! ;-)

[Ivonne]

What a fabulous round-up! So worthy of the book! Thanks again for including me and the DK!

[Joanne]

Thank you so much for including me in this! I had so much fun doing it. What a lovely round-up!