Summertime Sweets
Reviews by Kristina Sepetys
The lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer make people think sweets, whether those of the chilly, frozen variety or shaped and baked. Even better if the ingredients can come from your garden!
Sweeter off the Vine: Fruit Desserts for Every Season
By Yossy Arefi
(Ten Speed Press, 2016)
Food writer, photographer, and creator of the award-winning blog Apt. 2B Baking Co., Yossy Arefi writes a regular column for Food52. Her cookbook assembles recipes for pies, cakes, tarts, ice cream, preserves, and other sweet treats to celebrate the fruits of each season. Inspired by her Iranian heritage, Arefi’s recipes showcase seasonal fruits enhanced with flavors like rose and orange flower water, bittersweet chocolate and cacao nibs, and whole-grain flours like rye and spelt. Beautiful from-the-garden recipes like Lemon Verbena Olive Oil Cake, Rhubarb and Rose Galettes, Pistachio Pound Cake with Strawberries in Lavender Sugar, and Fresh Mint Ice Cream with Cacao Nibs are just a few you’ll want to try. The book’s gorgeous photography is a confection unto itself!
Icy, Creamy, Healthy, Sweet: 75 Recipes for Dairy-Free Ice Cream,
Fruit-Forward Ice Pops, Frozen Yogurt, Granitas, Slushies, Shakes, and More
By Christine Chitnis
(Roost Books, 2016)
Food writer, photographer, home cook, and coauthor of Little Bites, Christine Chitnis in her latest book presents 75 recipes for frozen desserts—ice pops, shaved ice, granitas, frozen yogurt, slushies, shakes, sorbet, and dairy-free ice cream—using natural sweeteners or at least reduced sugar. Made with fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs, the recipes are free of refined sugars and include vegan and dairy-free options. Maple-Sweetened Chocolate, Strawberry and Sweet Basil Cream Pops, Black Forest Pops with Homemade Cherry Compote, Strawberry Rhubarb Granita, Blackberry Tarragon Sorbet, and Roasted Fig and Cinnamon Ice Cream are just a few examples of the mixtures to sweeten a warm afternoon.
The Southern Cookie Book
By the Editors of Southern Living
(Oxmoor House, 2016)
From the test kitchens of Southern Living magazine, a new collection of over 120 sweet and rich cookies. Like The Southern Cake Book and The Southern Pie Book, the two previous bestselling books in the series, The Southern Cookie Book presents reliable, tested recipes that run the gamut of cookies, bars, and confections, with photographs to match each recipe. Experiment with classic recipes like Linzer Cookies, Tea Cakes, and Snickerdoodles, or new favorites like Cherry Pistachio Bark, Peppermint Wedding Cookies, and Bourbon Pecan Gingerbread Cookies. The book also includes 10 Tips for “Cookie Rookies,” Recipe and Equipment Basics, and tips for decorating.
