Customer Reviews

Sorbets and Granitas: Icy Delights, Cookies and Sauces from Duane Park Cafe

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In lower Manhattan, one will find Duane Park Cafe. This happy little book contains nothing but recipes for sorbets (which must be made in an ice cream machine) and granitas (which can be made in a home freezer) from this cafe. I have never been there, but I am glad to have their recipes for these icy, fruity, delightful treats (especially the coffee/chocolate one).

Basically, these things are nothing more than fruit juice/puree, sugar, ice, and maybe a bit of flavoring (liqueur, vanilla, etc.). They have no fat, although they are rather caloric due to the sugar.

There are 15 sorbet recipes, 14 for granitas, 11 for matching sauces, 10 for matching cookies, and 3 garnishes. It is a classic example of single subject cookbook that covers its subject extremely well; it is quite unique, as I do not know of another one that is exclusively devoted this subject.

The granita and sauce recipes I tried were all very good. I cannot tell you about sorbet, because I do not have an ice cream machine. Some of the granitas are a little too sweet for me, so I had to cut back the sugar a couple of times. The section that reviews ice cream machines is too brief. The sabayon recipes are not the traditional, but ones containing whipped cream; they are rich and delicious, but also very high in calories and fat. One of author's names is misspelled on page 9.