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What this mysterious person did not know was that during the past couple of decades, I had become a dessert addict, tasting and, mostly, enjoying their flavors.
What we need today is a book that gives precise and stylish instructions for making sweets our ancestors made and enjoyed. I am happy to say that Gail Monaghan's volume, Lost Desserts, is a brilliant collection. She brings to us practical and contemporary versions of great sweets of yesterday made with today's ingredients and techniques.
Reading her book reminded me that I learned quite a bit about this sweet subject in Hungary, the country of my birth, where some of the experts claim that the Aztecs shamelessly stole the secret of making chocolate from a Budapest housewife. Even though Hungarian housewives and pastry chefs make memorable desserts, I have a bit of a problem with this Danubian statement.
A few weeks ago, five friends of ours from the world of restaurants were enjoying our coffee when one of the guests asked us to mention desserts that are truly close to us. I have to admit that dessert names were thrown around without rules to follow, but I recall a few of the names that each of us declared during this session. Here is a list: Charlotte Russe, Chocolate Angel Torte, Dobos Torte, Escoffier's Peach Melba, and Schrafft's Coffee Milkshake.
The most engaging power of an author or a cook is to make new things familiar and--surprise--familiar things new. When James Beard was asked, "What is the best part of a dessert?" he said, "It is the anticipation." You might start anticipating by reading this great book of Gail Monaghan's recipes.....
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