As a lover of all fruity desserts, I am of the opinion that there is no wrong time to make them. I’ll use frozen berries in the winter and apples all year round, if I’m in the mood. That said, fruits always taste their best when they are both fresh and in season, so I’ll definitely favor seasonal recipes when I’m baking. In Sweeter off the Vine: Fruit Desserts for Every Season, you’ll find dozens of delicious fruit desserts that are all divided up by season. You’re sure to find plenty of inspiration to get you through the whole year!
While the book is divided by season, the seasons are further divided by fruit type. Spring features recipes with rhubarb, strawberries and cherries, for instance, while summer will see recipes for stone fruits berries, melons and figs. Each recipe is designed to really showcase the fruit and they range from very straightforward to more multi-layered. The recipes are clearly written and easy to follow along with, and the book gives you tips for choosing the best fruits to work with. The seasonal recipes are followed by a chapter of basic recipes that include pie crust, puff pastry, pastry cream and a few other essentials that you will use again and again, as well as some seasonal recipes for not-quite-desserts that you might want to try, including homemade cranberry juice.
There are plenty of gorgeous pictures throughout the book that illustrate the finished products. If you plan to take pictures of your food (and why wouldn’t you?), you might want to take a cue from the book and set aside any fruits that are especially photogenic for the pictures that you’ll shoot before you dig into your freshly made desserts.
What do you think?