Desserts from an Herb Garden [Hardcover]

Sharon Kebschull Barrett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1999

Still in her 20s and the owner/operator of a successful catering business called Dessert First, Sharon Barrett loves her garden almost as much as her kitchen. She brings the two together in this fresh, sophisticated cookbook, which collects recipes for desserts made with garden herbs.
These are delicious, beautiful desserts that will delight bakers and gardeners (though you needn't grow the herbs yourself), and bring something truly new to the cook's table. Because of its unique subject and excellent quality, this book will stand out on the cookbook shelves. Recipes include Lemon-Rosemary Cream Cake * Chocolate Mint Biscotti * Berry Thyme Cobbler * Lemon Blueberry Sorbet * Maple Walnut Cookies * Apricot-Savor Cookie Cups * and many more. This dazzling collection by a smart, successful, young baker will bring renewed joy to those who love to bake.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If you are tired of the same old desserts, and if you have ready access to a wide variety of fresh, sweet herbs (various basils, lemon thyme, tarragon, lavender, anise hyssop, and the like), Desserts from an Herb Garden will have you experimenting away in the kitchen in no time. The trick is the herbs. Author Sharon Kebschull Barrett says right up front that except for lavender, all the herbs she uses in her recipes are fresh, and there's no point in trying to substitute dried. Fortunately, there are a number of recipes that call for sweet basil and for mint, two herbs that most stores carry fresh. Try the Apple-Basil Cake or the Blueberry-Mint Layer Cake. Or the Mint Julep Truffles.

If those recipes catch your attention, you may find yourself putting in a small herb garden, or investing in window boxes and pots big enough to hold several herbs. Barrett gives her thoughts on the growing and cultivation of herbs. She notes that any herbs she grows indoors are always milder that the those she grows outdoors. And this leads to a basic rule of thumb: taste your herbs before you use them.

The book is divided into sections on Cookies and Candies; Cakes of All Kinds; Pies, Tarts, and Tortes; Crisps, Cobblers, Custards, and Puddings; Frozen Desserts; and Plated Desserts. The flavors Barrett combines may challenge your previous conceptions of dessert--look inside for Cinnamon Basil Polenta Cookies, Cilantro Peach Cobbler, Chocolate-Lime Bread Pudding, and more. Desserts from an Herb Garden may well be a portal to a whole new world, where the garden and the kitchen meet to spin fantasies of flavor. --Schuyler Ingle

From Booklist

Desserts flavored with rosemary, lemon balm, mint, or lavender are often a source of great delight to avid gardeners as well as enthusiastic cooks, who find they must frequent the local supermarket to stock up on fresh herbs. Barrett provides an excellent assortment of dessert offerings to highlight the so-called sweet herbs. Biscotti and cream cake, chocolate truffles, and sorbets and ice creams are discussed here, along with helpful hints and practical advice to assist with all stages of preparation and baking. Plenty of easy-to-prepare cookie recipes should please cooks with too little time; such spectacular sweets as white chocolate-lavender napoleons and blueberry Bavarian torte with lemon thyme sauce deserve to top off special meals. Alice Joyce

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312205813
• ISBN-13: 978-0312205812
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #209,569 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #90 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Cooking by Ingredient > Herbs, Spices & Condiments

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Give me your tired taste buds, your poor palate..., September 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Desserts from an Herb Garden (Hardcover)

This collection of recipes is more than a "cookbook." Ms Barrett is also a gentle teacher whose knowledge of the garden as well as the kitchen makes her book interesting and eminently readable. Oh, and do fresh herbs make a more exciting dessert? Cilantro Peach Cobbler! Ole, ya'll!!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to read, unique recipes using available garden herbs., June 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Desserts from an Herb Garden (Hardcover)

This book is a treasure of unusual tastes and ideas in simple, well written recipes that even a beginning chef can master. Each recipe is described in mouth-watering language inviting the reader to venture on into its production. The recipes that I have tried have been simple to follow and have turned out as I expected. These are really different tastes for your palate - a welcome change from standard dessert fare, and a delight to everyone. If you are not currently growing herbs, this book will spur you on to consider this possibility - even in a window garden - yet the book takes into account what herbs are available routinely in the supermarket for readers who are not ready to grow their food. If you are looking for some unique desserts to try, this book is a MUST! We can only hope the author is working on other "courses" using herbs for her future offerings.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wishes granted--check out her other book, March 6, 2001

By 

"chsrecat" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Desserts from an Herb Garden (Hardcover)

Ms. Barrett's other cookbook "Morning Glories" expands into the realm of breakfast, brunch and beverages with the same style and grace as Desserts from an Herb Garden--add them to your cookbook collection, and you'll definitely be inspired to add some sort of container or window garden to take advantage of all her yummy recipes. Keep it up! More more more!