Sweet Seasons: Fabulous Restaurant Desserts Made Simple [Hardcover]

Richard Leach (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 18, 2001

"Richard Leach has inspired an entire generation of pastry chefs. He's widely imitated . . . he has single-handedly changed the way desserts look around the country in a lot of restaurants." --Alfred Portale, Gotham Bar & Grill
"The first time I encountered Richard Leach's desserts, I became absolutely incoherent. My notes from that meal are garbled and filled with exclamation points."--Ruth Reichl, New York Times
"Richard Leach, the pastry chef, should have his hands licensed as deadly weapons, like boxers." --Bryan Miller, New York Times
Food critics, nationwide, have exalted him. Food Arts magazine dubbed him the "Pythagoras of pastry," in recognition of his revolutionary genius as a pastry chef. Master pastry chefs, everywhere, have tried to imitate him and failed. Now, at last, in this beautifully illustrated guide, Richard Leach reveals the secrets behind his fabulous talent to inspire home bakers as he has professional pastry chefs.
In Sweet Seasons, Chef Richard Leach shares 400 of his building block recipes that can be combined to create 100 of his favorite, original desserts, organized by the seasons--so bakers can take advantage of the freshest available ingredients--and richly supplemented with 113 color photographs illustrating the plated desserts and their assembly. Each recipe is structured so as to allow readers to prepare all or any part of the dessert, based on level of expertise and availability of ingredients. For example, a summer dessert of Warm Peach Strudel with Sweet Corn Panna Cotta breaks down the recipe into its components (e.g., roasted peaches, vanilla crepes, corn panna cotta, peach sauce, honey tuille garnish, etc.) to allow the reader to "mix and match." Throughout, Chef Leach provides useful substitution tips and plating directions, and includes a complete Resource List, which provides sources for ingredients and equipment.
Richard Leach (New York, NY) is Executive Pastry Chef at Park Avenue Cafe. He was named 1997 Pastry Chef of the Year by the James Beard Foundation and one of the Top Ten Pastry Chefs in America by Pastry Art and Design.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The delectable treats turned out by Richard Leach--executive pastry chef of the Park Avenue Café and a James Beard Foundation Pastry Chef of the Year--are inspired, distinctive, and daring. In Sweet Seasons, he aims to bring his masterful recipes to home kitchens everywhere.

Known for his striking presentations, Leach states in the book's introduction that he would never be able to make his phenomenal desserts without the help of his staff, yet here he claims to make it possible for home cooks to re-create these masterpieces in their own kitchens. Truth be told, one would be hard pressed to find many home cooks who have the time, the patience, or the chutzpah to attempt dishes like Leach's Citrus Panna Cotta with Warm Poppyseed Cake and Citrus Sorbet. The dish, in its entirety, includes: Poppyseed Cake, Lemon Curd, Citrus Panna Cotta, Sour Lemon Meringues, Citrus Sorbet, Honey Tuiles, Orange Sections, Grapefruit Sections, Citrus Sauce, Cotton Candy, and Sugar Garnish, all of which are prepared from scratch. The good news is that many of the desserts are quite lovely--not to mention impressive--with most of the garnishes left off. For instance, in the above example, the Citrus Panna Cotta--delicately flavored with chamomile tea and lemongrass--is lovely served with a simple garnish of fresh fruit and a drizzle of the warm citrus sauce. If you're in the mood for extra flourish, you could add either the Honey Tuiles or the Sour Lemon Meringues for a little crunch.

A chapter on "Basic Recipes" offers sauces and syrups, cookies, and other garnishes that are delicious enough to turn any cake, pastry, or scoop of ice cream into a dessert worthy of serving to even the most honored guests. Mix and match these with Leach's sophisticated cakes, tarts, ice creams, and fritters, and you'll be sure to impress your guests. Boyd Hagen's lovely photographs are both inspiring and appetizing. If they move you to attempt Leach's presentations in full, more power to you. --Robin Donovan

From Publishers Weekly

Leach, executive pastry chef at the Park Avenue Cafe, creates architecturally heady and refined desserts. Organized by season, each recipe in this treasure trove actually contains several sub-recipes: Roasted Pecan Napoleon with Chilled Pecan Terrine is a two-for-one deal, for example, and Caramelized Banana and Milk Chocolate Custard with Banana-Praline Terrine and Banana Fritters has three recipes that can be used separately. Each recipe contains assembly directions that include suggestions for piping sauces and placing garnishes. Unusual ingredients (such as jicama in Frozen Banana Timbale with Jicama, Lime, and Mint and chamomile in Warm Blueberries in a Strudel Shell with Chamomile Sauce) elevate dessert, so it is just as important as the entr‚e. Professional techniques and equipment are called for here, but home patissiers who are not afraid to experiment may be inspired by the meticulously thoughtful combinations such as Roasted Pineapple Tart with Basil Ice Cream or Fresh Figs with Crisp Corn Pudding and Frozen Fig Torte. There is no guidance on ingredients where to find tamarind paste, for example, so novices beware: much assembly required. However, the dessert titles alone could stand as poetry, with the added plus that results are delicate and innovative.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (September 18, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047138738X
• ISBN-13: 978-0471387381
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 10.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #94,523 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous indeed, May 27, 2002

By 

P. Eifel "beleif" (Bellaire, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sweet Seasons: Fabulous Restaurant Desserts Made Simple (Hardcover)

This sumptuous book succeeds for me on several levels. The artistry of the creations and beautiful photography are worth enjoying on their own merit. However, the greatest pleasure certainly comes from actually experiencing the creation, presentation, and deconstruction of these wonderful recipes. I disagree entirely with the remarks of some earlier reviewers who may be confusing 'complex' with 'time consuming.' I am an amateur cook but had little difficulty reproducing one of the more involved recipes using the author's directions. It did require 5 or 6 hours to prepare the 10 parts needed for the final construction, but the descriptions of the individual elements were so clear that they were indeed simple to make. Nearly all of them could be prepared one or two days ahead (the author clearly specifies which parts should be made at the last minute -- very few). The final constructions are well described and illustrated and the process seemed as entertaining to my guests as the eating. These desserts do take time -- but the final result is definitely worth it; and though the visual effect and interplay of different textures, flavors, and temperatures make it most rewarding to make the whole dessert, portions of each hold up well on their own. Last night, I impressed guests with the "Cherry and spice custard with warm financier" but the custard alone would have made an excellent dessert that would have taken less than an hour to prepare.
I also found the process of making one of these desserts to be a cooking lesson in itself. By the time I finished one, I realized I had made spun sugar, a frozen souffle, perfect honey tuiles (with homemade stencils) a sabayon sauce, creme brule -- all for the first time. The author guides you through the steps in a way that makes organization natural- and the final construction straightforward.
A final recommedation to readers-- The web sites in the back of the book have all the ingredients, molds, etc. used for the recipes. A little advance planning on the web can save considerable time driving around searching for a savarin mold (although a muffin tin worked nearly as well) or some other special item.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth The Time, November 16, 2001

By 

Seeking Health "baker95" (CALIFORNIA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sweet Seasons: Fabulous Restaurant Desserts Made Simple (Hardcover)

My husband purchased this book as a gift for me. I was totally suprised. He said all of my other dessert books were very much the same. This book is not the same. It is wonderful. I have made 5 of the desserts. Roasted Pineapple Tart with Basil Ice Cream is to die for. With the building block this book gives, it is a new dessert world opening up. It is not for the novice baker. But, you don't need to be a pastry chef either. It is time consuming. But, it is so interesting and tasty it doesn't matter. I work so I make the desserts on the weekend. This book will inspire you.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the *BEST* Dessert books I have ever seen!!!, November 28, 2002

By 

Scott Raisch "cutter1019" (Toms River, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sweet Seasons: Fabulous Restaurant Desserts Made Simple (Hardcover)

A truly awesome book, with beautiful photography, inspiring recipes and easy to understand and reproduce recipes. However, I will say this clearly, this book was not intended for the 'Sunday Afternoon Easy-Bake-Oven Gourmet.' Many of the recipes in this book are the kind you'd expect to spend twenty dollars or more for at a fine-dining restaurant! I believe the author intended this book for the enormous army of professional chefs and pastry chefs that are out there these days, and not solely for the home cook.

However, do not let this disuade you from trying this book! Many of the recipes in here oculd be simplified by removing a few non-essential components to a dish, while some of them could be made partially in advance and then completed at the last moment before serving!

Bon Appetit!