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Pure Dessert Hardcover – September 5, 2007

by Alice Medrich (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 67 ratings
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A refreshing change in every respect

When you are working with great ingredients, you want to keep it simple. You don’t want to blur flavor by overcomplicating. This is why Pure Dessert, from the beloved Alice Medrich, offers the simplest of recipes, using the fewest ingredients in the most interesting ways. There are no glazes, fillings, or frostings—just dessert at its purest, most elemental, and most flavorful.

Alice deftly takes us places we haven’t been, using, for example, whole grains, usually reserved for breads, to bring a lovely nutty quality to cookies and strawberry shortcake. Pound cake takes on a new identity with a touch of olive oil and sherry. Unexpected cheeses make divine soufflés. Chestnut flour and walnuts virtually transform meringue. Varietal honeys and raw sugars infuse ice creams and sherbets with delectable new flavor.

Inspired choices of ingredients are at the heart of this collection of entirely new recipes: sesame brittle ice cream, corn-flour tuiles with tangy sea salt and a warming bite of black pepper, honey caramels, strawberries with single-malt sabayon.

To witness Alice’s idea-stream as she describes how she arrived at each combination is to instantly understand why three of her books have won Best Cookbook of the Year. She’s an experimenter, tinkerer, and sleuth, fascinated with trial and error, with the effects of small changes in recipes, exploring combinations tirelessly and making remarkable discoveries. Does cold cream or hot cream do a better job coaxing out the flavor of mint leaves or rose petals? Why is it that dusting a warm brownie with spices gives it an enticing aromatic nose, whereas putting the spice in the batter blurs the chocolate flavor? Do cooked strawberries or raw make for the better sorbet?

Loaded with advice and novel suggestions, with great recipes and eye-catching, full-color photographs that show off these simple, straightforward desserts, Pure Dessert is an education and a revelation. Thank you, Alice!
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    272 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Artisan
  4. Publication date
    September 5, 2007
  5. Dimensions
    7.75 x 1 x 10.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1579652115
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1579652111
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

If vanilla is your idea of plain, Medrich will revolutionize your thinking. In her vocabulary, vanilla is a flavor; she distinguishes among the nuances of Bourbon, Mexican, and Tahitian extracts, powders, and beans. Plain means tasting the milk, butter, flour or fresh cheese that defines a cake or custard. She describes 10 different sugars, from "neutral" granulated white to slightly "smoky" dark brown piloncillo. Her three previous cookbooks (including BitterSweet) won awards from the International Association of Culinary Professionals, and her new book is sure to attract the new generation of cooks devoted to elaborate simplicity. Readers should be aware, however, that the brevity of ingredient lists may mislead; some gardens and markets may lack such nonfungible items as lemon verbena, chestnut flour and muscovado sugar. But all will welcome the ultimate summer pudding recipe-berries, bread, sugar, whipped cream-and the liberating range of frozen desserts.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"Sure to attract the new generation of cooks devoted to elaborate simplicity"—Publishers Weekly

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Artisan (September 5, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1579652115
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1579652111
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.45 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.75 x 1 x 10.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 67 ratings

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Alice Medrich

Alice Medrich

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
67 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Roy B.
5.0 out of 5 stars beautiful condition, safely wrapped
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2023
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Beautiful condition, safely wrapped
One person found this helpful
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Heidi Sabnani
4.0 out of 5 stars Wicked Good!
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2011
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I have all of Alice's books (even the old out of print ones!). I love this book for it's focus on ingredients. My family LOVED the Almond Cake and I can't get enough of it! My only issue was trying to do it with the crunchy almond crust. Even though I diligently buttered the pan and followed all directions to the letter the cake stuck to the pan and ended up breaking into pieces. I still ate it, just made another without the crust to serve as a second dessert for Thanksgiving. The Chocolate Wafer cookies (with dried cherries and chocolate chuncks varation) are sublime! My major issues is that I'm trying to lose weight so cooking desserts everyday is out of the question :)
10 people found this helpful
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Rebekah E. S. Kuk
5.0 out of 5 stars Love, love, love this book
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2011
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Alice Medrich is a genius. Every dessert recipe I've tried from her book "Pure Dessert" has been incredible and delicious (and so far I've tried close to 10 recipes). She gives great instruction for how to make particular desserts, as well as instruction for why not to do things a certain way. For example, I made Ginger Florentines. She cautioned against using more than a level teaspoon of dough for each cookie, writing that it would spread out and make a gooey mess. I was skeptical, but followed her advice. Sure enough, the cookies spread out considerably, making me glad I used the recommended amount.

Her take on dessert is that it should have simple, clear flavors and be delicious, with the best ingredients you can find. Many desserts today are cloyingly sweet or have too much going on with them. In "Pure Dessert" the title tells you exactly what you get. It's a celebration of wonderful ingredients, transformed into amazing desserts.
12 people found this helpful
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Kathleen Valentine
5.0 out of 5 stars Pink grapefruit granita--yum.
Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2015
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Oh my, where to begin? I am one of those people who enjoys reading cookbooks even if I never actually make anything from them but this cookbook may actually send me to the kitchen. Such great ideas using fresh and unique ingredients. There is a section on just honey including a recipe for honey ice cream. There are also chapters on desserts with alcohol or fruits or herbs, spices, flowers and leaves. The recipe for pink grapefruit granita had me drooling, and there is a fruit and nut cake I cannot wait to try. Whether you read cookbooks for pleasure or to get new ideas or to actually make the recipes, this is not to be missed! Pink grapefruit granita--yum.
8 people found this helpful
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Rita Felski
5.0 out of 5 stars totally reliable recipes, fantastic results
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2008
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I love baking and making desserts and have collected lots of great recipes by Dorie Greenspan, Nigella Lawson, Maida Heatter and others. I only discovered Alice Medrich's books about six months ago but she's now become my absolute favorite. Out of all these authors, she's the only one whose recipes are absolutely reliable and always turn out perfectly. The almond cake and the Italian chocolate-almond torte in this book are amazing and I can't wait to try the rest. Inventive, well-designed recipes that taste wonderful and are not excessively complicated. Thanks, Alice!
16 people found this helpful
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Laura Stokes-Gray
4.0 out of 5 stars Nothing Between You and the Flavors
Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2007
There are those who may be in a "New York State of Mind" when it comes to desserts (and there are some fine east coast sweets). This is a dessert book for those in a "Northern California" state of mind. If Chez Panisse and the French Laundry sound appealing, you'll find this volume very exciting. If you'd like to forego heavy cheesecakes, frostings, three-layer cakes, and toothachingly sweet confections, this book is for you. If you appreciate elegant simplicity combined with eating seasonally and locally, you'll find plenty to enjoy in this delightful volume.

First and foremost, with these recipes, there is absolutely nothing to get in the way of pure flavor. Like Lisa Yockelson's "Baking by Flavor" and Carole Bloom's "The Essential Baker", this book is organized by ingredients rather than type of dessert. Medrich begins with "The Flavors of Milk". Right off the bat, I discovered two ethereal renditions: "Sour Cream Ice Cream" and "Carmelized Crepes Filled with Fresh Cheese". Both recipes are exceedingly simple and deceptively spectacular. Medrich cautions against using even vanilla in the ice cream, letting the "rich nutty flavor and pleasant edge of the sour cream" shine. The crepes are designated as "minimalist revamped cheese blintzes" made without benefit of eggs or much sugar - so as not to interfere with the extraordinary flavor and purity of fresh artisan cheese. Both desserts will knock your socks off, providing you don't change a thing (and you'll be tempted to do so). Paging through "The Flavors of Chocolate", you'll find a serene "Chocolate Pudding" and an equally comforting "Nutella Bread Pudding". My favorite is the "Mexican Chocolate Soup with Cinnamon Toasts": hot chocolate "soup" with a scoop of coffee ice cream in the center, accompanied by fresh, hot cinnamon toast. Now there's a replacement for the usual flourless chocolate cake or lava cake on Valentine's Day! Is there anyone who doesn't like warm cinnamon and chocolate served with ice cream?

Medrich does a great service by providing 31 introductory pages of information on techniques, ingredients, and equipment. You'll learn about using chestnuts, lavender, and jasmine tea; why it's better to infuse herbs in cold cream rather than hot; and the properties of European-style versus American-style butter (you'll be surprised!). Medrich also lists 20 sources for ingredients and equipment.

Most of the recipes are simple to prepare and don't have long lists of ingredients. The ice creams (with the exception of the "Crema Ice Cream") are "Philadelphia" style - made without eggs. The "Heavenly Honey Ice Cream" has just four ingredients!

Most of all, the writing in this work is superb - fluid and informative - but always approachable. The only flaws have to do with the book design itself. Some of the pages are lavender with grey type - and I found those pages not quite as easy on the eyes. The book is also a bit heavy for its size. There are a good number of color photographs - some deliberately out of focus - but not to the point of distraction.

If you're tired of gooey sugar-laden finales, complex plated architecture that is more about pastry chef competitions than flavor, or fusion that has transformed into confusion, you'll find "Pure Dessert" a refreshing change of pace.
117 people found this helpful
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Sumer Mishue
5.0 out of 5 stars I love that the desserts aren't over sweet and that she's ...
Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2017
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These recipes are well tested and work every time, provided you read the intro and understand her measurements and take her suggestions. I love that the desserts aren't over sweet and that she's mixed in different flours. Couldn't be happier.
6 people found this helpful
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janefromjax
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful dessert book
Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2012
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Easy and delicious recipes. From tart lemon bars to Nutella bread pudding, there's a good mix of desserts to choose from. Recipes can be made "healthier" by using half and half intead of heavy whipping cream without noticable difference. I have purchased three of these books so far, one for me and two as gifts. Highly recommended.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

SirFrancisDashwood
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 10, 2017
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Great Seller. Very helpful. Good price and quick delivery.
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Mylène Bergeron Francoeur
5.0 out of 5 stars Great back to basics book, with a twist
Reviewed in Canada on July 4, 2014
Verified Purchase
This book's title couldn't be more accurate; it focuses on freshness, simpleness and bold flavors.

The presentation is clear, clean and airy, with beautiful photography. I found many daring recipes, like quark soufflés, mexican chocolate soup or saffron and cardamom panna cotta, but there are as well lots of improved delicious classic pairings.

There is a lot of potential here for the cook who wants to impress, as well as lots of inspiration. My personal coup de coeur is the vin santo chiffon cake. Light and airy, they suggest serving it with ripe fruit splashed with the same wine, which just is perfect summer fare.

Even if the book is a little expensive in my opinion, it's hardcover and well constructed, which will make it last, and the number of recipes proposed is fair and adequate.
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jim
5.0 out of 5 stars great book, great condition
Reviewed in Canada on January 28, 2022
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this classic yet hard to find book was in awesome shape
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