Member Reviews

Sweeter Off the Vine Fruit Desserts for Every Season by Yossy Arefi

9781607748588


256 Pages
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Release Date: March 22, 2016

Cooking, Food & Wine, Fruit Cooking, Dessert, Baking, Organic Cooking

The book is divided by the seasons. For the spring, herbs are used in a panna cotta, ice cream and olive oil cake. In the summer there are apricots, rhubarb, strawberries, mixed berries, melons, cherries, stone fruits, raspberries, and figs. For the fall there are grapes in a pie and a butter. In the winter there are cranberries, persimmons with pomegranates, apples, pears, citrus, quince, dates, and squash with pumpkins.

Each recipe has a photo and easy to follow directions. Also, most recipes have readily available ingredients. What I like about the recipes is that they not only include the measurements in cups but also by grams.

These are a few of my favorite recipes in the book (so far):
sticky toffee pudding with dates and cranberries (great with or without the cranberries and the brandied toffee sauce is also great over bananas or sweet potatoes)
caramel swirled roasted squash ice cream (it’s like butternut squash bisque but frozen with caramel)
caramelized apple fritters (so much better than the ones in the grocery store)
small batch apricot jam (so easy and small batches are easier to handle)
chamomile honey panna cotta (light and delicate)
pistachio pound cake with strawberries in lavender sugar (who doesn’t like pistachios and strawberries. Great combination!)
blueberry skillet cobbler with whole wheat biscuits (can be made with a variety of fruits)
watermelon granita with chile and lime (So easy to make and tastes great!)


If you like fruit, I highly recommend this book. The pictures alone will make you hungry.

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There are not enough stars to give it to this book. I loved the writing, the fine photography but first and foremost, the incredible mixture of ingredients suggested to create unique desserts. Organised based on seasonal fruits, it creates incredible combinations. For example: chocolate sesame tart with grapefuit, sticky toffee pudding with cranberries, butternut squash tea cake, pear-packed chestnut cake, persimmon sorbet with ginger and vanilla. Those are only some of the most appealing examples.
Should I add that I've read it more than once, which is a one in a lifetime experience for me. I simply enjoyed to let my imagination run through exotic ingredients, mysterious flavours and amazing desserts.
Even though I've found that the search for some of the ingredients is a challenge in itself, the overall preparation is relatively not problematic and can be reproduced on your plate. Good for your sweet tooth and your palate, but equally when you want some tasty experience out of your foodie comfort zone.

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