Diner Desserts [Paperback]

Tish Boyle (Author), Clark Irey (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2000

Wrap your hands around a cuppa joe, slip a quarter in the jukebox, and dig into a sweet, satisfying slice of Sky-High Lemon Meringue Pie or Chocolate Marble Cheesecake. With Diner Desserts, you don't have to hit the highway to indulge in the favorite desserts of America's roadside eateries. From a Really Rich Double-Chocolate Milk Shake to Creamy Tapioca Pudding and Sour Cream Blueberry Crumbcake, author Tish Boyle has assembled much more than a baker's dozen of scrumptious treats. These are the desserts that no one turns down, ever. This book is a warm slice of nostalgic Americana, with wholesome, easy-to-follow recipes enhanced by black and white photographs of classic diners. Perfect for home cooks and diner aficionados alike, Diner Desserts is sure to remind you that a slice of homemade pie is always a real good way to start the day.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Diner fare has become mythic. Though much of this food is best left to nostalgic recollection, the desserts served at places with names like the Silver Top or Miss Albany's were often choice. Tish Boyle's Diner Desserts celebrates this fact with its collection of more than 60 favorite recipes that includes old favorites like Banana Cream Pie and newer enticements like Chocolate Cheesecake Bars. In such evocatively titled chapters as "Under the Cake Keeper," "From the Soda Fountain," and "Dunkables--Doughnuts, Muffins, and Pastries," Boyle presents a wide range of tempting recipes. Standouts include the Sky-High Lemon Meringue Pie, Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake with a gingersnap crust, Apple-Raspberry Crisp with Pecan Crunch Topping, and, of course, that Banana Cream Pie. There's a nice collection, too, of cookie, bar, and brownie recipes, as well as a section devoted to the likes of the Root Beer Float, Hot Fudge Walnut Sundae, and a Triple-Threat Banana Split. Photo-illustrated throughout and laced with diner anecdotes (the sundae began in reaction to the Sunday prohibition of soda drinks), Diner Desserts offers both browsing fun and cooking satisfaction. --Arthur Boehm

From Publishers Weekly

This fun collection celebrates exactly the desserts you'd expect from America's diners: fluffy Chocolate Cream Pie, three-layer High and Mighty White Cake and chewy Old-Time Peanut Butter Cookies. Although Boyle waxes nostalgic about the diners in her life, most of the recipes don't hail from specific eateries so much as they represent a kind of ur-diner cuisine. There are a few exceptions--mostly regional treats such as Southern Sweet Potato Spice Pie and New York City's famous Classic Black and White Cookies. The book's design, though a tad busy, keeps up the retro style with page numbers in the form of prices and black-and-white photos of typical diners from San Francisco to the diner's birthplace in Worcester, Mass. A chapter on sweets from the soda fountain includes a Really Rich Double Chocolate Milk Shake and a S'more Sundae with marshmallow spread and chocolate sauce, and another on "dunkables" offers Diner-Style Powdered Buttermilk Donuts and Raspberry Twists. There's nothing revolutionary here (the fanciest item is probably a Blueberry-Lemon Cheesecake with a Gingersnap Crust), simply reliable recipes for the desserts Americans still crave with a dollop of whipped cream and a strong cup of coffee.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811824497
• ISBN-13: 978-0811824491
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,082,716 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tish Boyle is a graduate of La Varenne École de Cuisine in Paris and has been in the food business for over 20 years. She is currently the editor of Dessert Professional magazine (formerly Chocolatier magazine), a bi-monthly publication for the pastry and dessert industry. Tish was previously an editor at Good Housekeeping magazine and has worked as a recipe developer for many large food corporations and national magazines. She is the author of Diner Desserts (Chronicle Books, 2000), The Good Cookie (John Wiley, 2002) and The Cake Book (John Wiley, 2006), and the co-author of five other cookbooks. Visit her website at www.tishboyle.com and her blog at www.tishboyle.blogspot.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hanging out at the diner..., May 18, 2000

By 

Wes F. (Cleveland, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diner Desserts (Paperback)

The recipes in this book-mile-high cakes and drippy cakes and puddings and cookies-take you back to the good old days when we were bad, hanging out at the diner, insulting each other and flirting and watching the muscle cars in the parking lot. The photos are great black and white shots of diners from across the country. The short-order cooks, the counters, the menus, the cakes under glass. The recipes are well written and work (so far!). I haven't got out of the pudding chapter yet (you have to try the Banana Caramel pudding) but I have my eye on the cakes, especially the Chocolate fudge Layer Cake. This is a really unusual book, and even if you have a big cookbook collection, you won't have anything like this.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Top Recipes for all Bakers, May 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Diner Desserts (Paperback)

As executive pastry chef at the Reno Hilton, I'm always on the lookout for dessert recipes that work great at home and at work. The recipes in Diner Desserts do just that. This cookbook includes the best desserts from every diner you've ever eaten in. At the high end, you get Toasted Almond Crunch cake. At the other end of the scale, the author devotes a whole chapter to puddings. In either case, her detailed and accurate recipes meet the needs of bakers at every level - this is a book that I'll use again and again.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Book and Fun to Read, Too!, October 27, 2001

By 

J Keistler "[e-mail]" (Lake Jackson, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Diner Desserts (Paperback)

I bought this book from amazon based on reviews.

When it arrived I was delighted by the beautiful design of the book. Through a combination of photography, graphics and printing, it succeeds in conveying the 'feel' of a diner to the reader. For those, like me, who buy cookbooks to read as well as cook from, this one will be a treat.

The recipes are well laid out and detailed, with each receiving a short introduction. The recipes are well-written and complete; after making about ten of the recipes I haven't noticed any missing ingredients or steps.

The difficulty factor changes quite a bit from recipe to recipe. None are difficult to make, but some are more involved and require more time than others. However, everyone will find items suited to their abilities, and may use the book for trying new techniques and more complicated recipes.

My personal favorite in the book is the recipe for 'High and Mighty White Cake'. This recipe produces a beautiful cake suitable for any occasion. I have used this cake, with various frostings, for a number of occasions and it has always gotten complements. Her carrot cake recipe is also excellent. The 'Old Time Peanut Butter Cookies' are also a great option, with just the right balance between sweet and salty. The 'Classic Diner Cheesecake' is nothing unusual, but it does make an excellent cake. As stated in the book, the 'Devil's Food Cake' is intensely chocolate for people into that, and I've had great results with her accompanying white frosting, and with chocolate frosting on it. The 'Lemon Layer Cake' has become another favorite of mine and a hit with those for whom I've baked it, giving plenty of lemon flavor accompanied by a lemon-y frosting.

I haven't tried any of the puddings, etc., because they aren't what I like to make.

This book is an excellent buy for the money. Though softback, the binding and cover are of particularly high quality, with the cover being a heavy plasticized paper. It will make a much-appreciated gift for any bakers on a gift list!