Fresh Fruit Desserts

Nation's Restaurant News, Sept 24, 1990 by Michael Schrader

FRESH FRUIT DESSERTS,

Sheryland Mel London, Prentice Hall Press, 15 Columbus Circle, New York, N.Y. 10023, (212) 373-8500, 367 pages, $24.95.

The Londons have come up with a delightful cookbook that shows desserts need not be indulgences to be regretted a day later when we confront the scale or mirror. These treats are right on target with the current interest in fresh fruits and healthful eating.

There is something appealingly nostalgic about these recipes, many of which have been culled from America's rich heritage of traditional desserts - flummeries, pandowdies, fools, brambles and buckles, to name a few - and the culinary legacy of other countries, such as France, which has provided melanges, gratinees, mousses and tarts.

Nevertheless, this is much more than a collection of timehonored recipes; the authors have adapted and altered, subjecting recipes to the magical sea changes of contemporary needs and their own creativity. Furthermore, they were involved in filmmaking, and the book's typography reflects their keen eye for design.

Many of these desserts would easily be the highlight of the dinners to which they are a conclusion. That of course is fitting, since a dessert is intended to be the coda of a culinary symphony. The 175 recipes include Persian fruit tumble, baked apple porcupines, fresh fig trifle with Marsala and orange creme Anglaise, brandy pear charlotte and gooseberry fool with orange flower water. There is even a remarkable concoction of various fruits flavored with a rose geranium leaf.

This book opens up a many-hued world of dessert possibilities. Although it will be savored by all who appreciate good food, it will be especially useful for operators who are selecting health-oriented desserts for their menus.