Luscious Berry Desserts

By Lori Longbotham

This delightful cookbook from the author of Luscious Lemon Desserts and Luscious Chocolate Desserts is for anyone who has ever snuck just the plumpest, ripest strawberry straight from the basket; believed raspberries should have their own special food group; and never met a blueberry they didn't like. Each recipe is bursting with ideas for buying and trying every wonderful variety, be it sticky-sweet heart-shaped strawberries, deep purple boysenberries, or juicy ripe blackberries. Whether it's creamy layers of brightly colored raspberry curd that transform a classic lemon cake into a visual masterpiece almost too gorgeous to eat (almost), a simple spoonful of cool and custardy blueberry pudding (with the added bonus of those healthy antioxidants), or a traditional and irresistible strawberry shortcake topped with a scoop of strawberry-orange sorbet, this is the ultimate ode to the berry. Tips, tricks, and other techniques of the trade, such as pureeing berries and cutting out biscuits, ensure that the pound cake, tart, sauce, or ice cream comes out perfectly every time. For desserts at the berry top of their game, look no further than Luscious Berry Desserts .

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0811844145
• ISBN13: 9780811844147
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: Chronicle Books
• Length: 168 Pages
• Weight: 1.48 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.6" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

A great gift

I've given all Lori Longbotham's Luscious books to my sister in North Carolina, who really likes to bake (and she's mad about lemons, so that's how our tradition got started). She made the blueberry cheescake first, and her whole family loves it. The berry title really appealed to me too because I love fruit, and berries seem to be the only kind of fruit I can really depend on anymore to be consistently tasty. I was glad to see this book includes recipes for frozen berries, too, which I have found to be quite good, easy to come by, and inexpensive. I tried the Strawberry crumble first, which uses fresh strawberries and hazelnuts--it was so easy to make and so good. Anybody, of any age, would love it. Next time I'm going to try adding the crystallized ginger Lori suggests. That's a great idea. The book is full of great ideas. (The banana whipped cream IS great on fresh strawberries.) This Luscious Berries book and the Luscious Chocolate book pair very well--MY two favorite dessert choices.

Razzle Dazzle

Lori has done it again! I had to rush out to the farm stand and buy all the berries I could find. The fresh light blueberry pie is so perfect with a touch of lemon and my favorite cinnamon. It's not cloying or glue-y, a real classic. The 2-ingredient biscuit is my favorite new discovery. Worth buying the book for! As for the elegant and glistening terrine, any hostess will want this one in her repertoire. Thank you Lori for another class act. Well written and beautiful to boot.

Me Too!

As I glance at the other reviews to date, I realize that there is a strong loyalty to this author. Count me in. I received Ms. Longbotham's lemon dessert book as a gift and loved it. When this one came out it sounded so good, and I knew it would be. There is something so honest about the tone of the book--like it was written to include seekers like me who may not be advanced cooks, or who are time-challenged. I suppose these great recepies are eagerly used by gourmet cooks too, but they also work for less motivated cooks like me--inviitng but still easy to follow. That's the key for me. The book is clearly written by someone who loves her work. I made the Lemon Layer Cake with Raspberry Curd. It was a smash hit at my book club dinner. There's lot's more to look forward to. I'm hooked. Thanks.

yum

What I like most about this book is the recipes tend to be modern classics with flavors that make sense. It's obviously not written by a pastry chef whose lost touch with how people bake at home and you're not forced to run around looking for some exotic ingredient. From what I've tried so far, the recipes are very reliable. I like to cook and find that I often tweak recipes to make them work, but not the ones I've tried from this book. I've made the Strawberry Panna Cotta twice and what could possibly be better than strawberries and cream. It's a divine combo. I don't get "wild" blueberries so I used nice fat ones to make the Blueberry Marzipan Custard and it was fantastic. I get a lot of cookbooks and have to cull them sometimes to make room for those I actually USE. This one's a keeper. I'll go back to it many times if only for that unbelievable Raspberry Curd. Holy cow. That's good.

A Wonderful Dessert Cookbook

Happily, we have a new dessert cookbook from Lori Longbotham. Now Luscious Berry Desserts joins Luscious Lemon Desserts and Luscious Chocolate Desserts on our cookbook shelf. The more than 50 recipes are fantastic; and, as always, well tested. I am especially fond of the Lime & Thyme Blueberry Pound Cake. To me this gem is perfect with a beverage in the sun, as an afternoon treat. Given her sense of the savory, Ms. Longbotham's recipes often include an unanticipated combination of flavors like lime, thyme and blueberry - that are surprising and taste wonderful. There are equally enticing recipes in a chapter dedicated to flummeries, grunts, buckles, betties, crisps and cobblers. Ms. Longbotham encourages cooks to substitute available fresh berries, grown close to home whenever possible. The range of recipes in Luscious Berry Desserts is also impressive. Marie's Blueberry Tart and the Raspberry Truffle Tart are perfect desserts for a formal dinner party; while Strawberries and Crème Fraîche and the Strawberry - Rhubarb Lattice Pie are already family favorites. As she has done in other volumes, Ms. Longbotham infuses the book with her very readable prose and includes a thorough discussion of the subject material - berries, as well as insightful techniques and hints that help the less experienced cook. Finally, there is an excellent chapter on Sauces, Toppings, Creams and a Truffle each recipe designed to expertly feature your favorite local berry treats. At our house, salmonberries and blueberries ripen at the same time. These, coupled with home-grown raspberries we have frozen, form the basis for our version of Ms. Longbotham's Easiest Berry Terrine. Served by the slice with Crème Fraîche and topped with a drizzle of homemade raspberry cordial, this is an exquisite dessert to accompany any summer dinner. As my wife says, spooning up a bite, "you can taste the sun."