Paper Palate

I love desserts. They are the perfect end to a good meal and a great pick me up at the end of a tough day. I’ve shared many wonderful conversations over delicious desserts and had many excellent conversations about desserts themselves.

In short, desserts are fun. So Hump Day Horizons is looking at a few new upcoming releases in the desserts realm this week.

Buttercup Bakes at Home: More Than 75 New Recipes from Manhattan’s Premier Bake Shop for Tempting Homemade Sweets
by Jennifer Appel – Simon & Schuster/$26.00

There are some bake shops in New York that are just legendary. Their silky smooth buttercreams and springy cakes can draw a drool a mile away. Buttercup is one of those bakeries.

Owner and operator Jennifer Appel has penned 75 delicious desserts, including ones appropriate for making with children and ones for those watching their waistlines.

Family and friends will swoon over the Lemon Coconut-Filled White Buttermilk Cake, Buttercup Golden Layer Cake with Chocolate or Vanilla Buttercream, and Banana Oatmeal Crumb Cake. A wide variety of cookies, bars, and other goodies, such as Dried Cranberry Pumpkin Bars, Marshmallow Crunch Brownie Bars, Pear Nectarine Crisp, Mixed Berry Trifle, and Chocolate Sandwich Cookie Bread Pudding will tempt any palate.

This book is due out in October.

Heirloom Baking With The Brass Sisters
by Marilynn Brass, Sheila Brass - Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc./$29.95

Comfort foods. That’s what this book is about – the time honored desserts that have been passed down through generations and made by grandmothers and mothers for their little ones. These are the things memories are made of.

The Brass Sisters have been collecting recipes forever. In this cookbook they present 150 recipes, some dating back as far as the late 1800s, updated for modern kitchens. And the best part? There are 150 photos too. I love photos.

This book is due out in October.

The New York Times Dessert Cookbook
by Florence Fabricant (Editor) – St Martin’s Press/$29.95

400 recipes. From the New York Times. Just read this from the inside flap:

THE NEW YORK TIMES DESSERT COOKBOOK is the first major, comprehensive dessert cookbook from The New York Times. It features over 400 recipes, from the simplest and homiest sweets to more dazzling finales from dessert chefs whose creations have appeared in the “Chefs” column in the Wednesday food section. The recipes were selected and compiled by the newspaper’s most seasoned food writer, Florence Fabricant, whose eye, voice and kitchen knowledge shines through on every page.

THE NEW YORK TIMES DESSERT COOKBOOK compiles favorites from Times staffers—such as Marion Burros’ Plum Torte in both its original and low-fat versions—and name chefs—from Nigella Lawson to Francois Payard. Every type of dessert is included here, with full, rich sections on:

–CAKES, from Vanilla Cake with Roasted Peaches & Blueberries to Intense Chocolate Mousse Cake
–YEAST CAKES & PASTRIES, from Baha au Rhum to Savarin
–CRISPS, CRUMBLES, COBBLERS AND SHORTCAKES, from Plum and Ginger Crumble to Strawberry Sour Cream Shortcake
–FANCY PASTRIES, from Banana Turnovers to Red Raspberry Napoleons
–COOKIES, BISCOTTI, BROWNIES & BARS, from the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies to Orange Mocha Brownies
–SOUFFLES & CREPES, from Apple Caramel Calvados Crepes to Prune Clafouti
–FRUIT DESSERTS, from Grappa-Soused Summer Fruit to Strawberries with Pink Peppercorn Sauce
–CUSTARDS, PUDDINGS & MOUSSES, from Baked Butterscotch Pudding to Choco-Hot-Pots
–FROZEN DESSERTS, from Goat’s Milk Ice Cream to Chocolate Sorbet
–BASICS, from Pie crusts to Puff pastry to Ganaches and Sauces

This book is due out in October.