Synopses & Reviews
Using fresh, seasonal ingredients captured at the peak of their flavor, Claudia Fleming creates highly satisfying desserts without pretention. She smartly matches contrasting textures, flavors, and temperatures to achieve a perfect end result–something brittle and crunchy next to something satiny and smooth, stretching the definition of sweet and savory while retaining an elemental simplicity.
The desserts in The Last Course speak to everyone, as do the 175 easy-to-use recipes. The book is broken down seasonally by fruits, vegetables, nuts, herbs and flowers, spices, sweet essences, dairy, and chocolate. The final chapter is made up of composed deserts. Claudia gives suggestions on how to combine recipes from previous chapters to create the ultimate desserts of the restaurant.
Each chapter and each composed dessert is paired with a selection of wines recommended by Gramercy Tavern’s sommelier. Recipes include: Warm Raspberry Verbena Meringue Cake, Blueberry Graham Cracker Tarts, Apple Tarte Tatin, Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Sauternes Gelee, Warm Chocolate Ganache Cakes, and more.
Beautifully illustrated, with more than eighty-five full-color photos, The Last Course is the last word on dessert.
Synopsis
A beautiful new edition of "the greatest dessert book in the history of the world" (Bon App tit), featuring 175 timeless recipes from Gramercy Tavern's James Beard Award-winning pastry chef. Claudia Fleming is a renowned name in the pastry world, acclaimed for having set an industrywide standard at New York City's Gramercy Tavern with her James Beard Award-winning desserts. With The Last Course, dessert lovers everywhere will be able to re-create and savor her impressive repertoire at home.
Fleming's desserts have won a range of awards because they embody her philosophy of highly satisfying food without pretension, a perfect balance for home cooks. Using fresh, seasonal ingredients at the peak of their flavor, Fleming creates straightforward yet enchanting desserts that are somehow equal to much more than the sum of their parts. She has an uncanny ability to match contrasting textures, flavors, and temperatures to achieve a perfect result--placing something brittle and crunchy next to something satiny and smooth, and stretching the definition of sweet and savory while retaining an elemental simplicity.
The Last Course contains 175 mouthwatering recipes that are organized seasonally by fruits, vegetables, nuts, herbs and flowers, spices, sweet essences, dairy, and chocolate. In the final chapter, Fleming suggests how to combine and assemble desserts from the previous chapters to create the ultimate composed desserts. And each chapter and each composed dessert is paired with a selection of wines.
Recipes include Raspberry-Lemon Verbena Meringue Cake, Blueberry-Cream Cheese Tarts with Graham Cracker Crust, Cherry Cheesecake Tart with a Red Wine Glaze, Concord Grape Sorbet, Apple Tarte Tatin, Chestnut Souffl s with Armagnac-Nutmeg Custard Sauce, Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Sauternes Gel e, Warm Chocolate Ganache Cakes, and more.
Beautifully illustrated with more than eighty color photographs throughout, The Last Course is a timeless, one-of-a-kind collection filled with original recipes that will inspire dessert enthusiasts for years to come.
Praise for The Last Course
"While I must admit to being particularly partial to Claudia's Buttermilk Panna Cotta, every dessert in The Last Course made me salivate. Claudia's inspired recipes are so beautifully transcribed that even the most nervous of home cooks will feel comfortable trying them and will be a four-star chef for the day."--Daniel Boulud
"The Goddess of New American Pastry."--Elle
About the Author
Claudia Fleming is the pastry chef of Gramercy Tavern in New York City. She is the recipient of the 2000 James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef. Her work has been celebrated in publications such as The New York Times, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Saveur, Vogue, and Time.
Melissa Clark is a regular contributor to The New York Times, among other publications. She is the author of eleven cookbooks.