Melissa Murphy owns Sweet Melissa’s Patisserie in Brooklyn. She is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute who has appeared on the Food Network. I had the opportunity to ask Melissa some questions and as my son often says, here ‘a goes!

Why did you decide to write The Sweet Melissa Baking Book?

MM: A literary agent from Regal Literary’s Culinary Cooperative approached me in my Cobble Hill store. I tried to write this book 8 years ago, but I wound up too busy baking for Sweet Melissa’s, and had no time to do the book the way I really wanted, so we decided to wait a while. I am glad I did, I had that much more experience 8 years later when it was finally the right time.

How did you go about writing the cookbook?

MM: That was the hard part. Like most chefs, writing did not come naturally to me! There was so much to do, between choosing the recipes, deciding how to break down the chapters, defining my audience, and writing about memories that I had attached to different desserts. Once I had a clear idea of what the book would be, my literary agent, Michael Psaltis, really helped me to put a proposal together. He went above and beyond his call of duty as an agent, and helped me edit and put my thoughts together in a way that worked. Once it was together, he sent the proposal to different publishers, and we met with those that were interested. We decided to go with Viking Studio, a division of Penguin, because they only do a few books a year, and I thought they would treat the project as “special,” and they did. After we had a deal with Viking, it was time to write the book, and break down my recipes.

There is a bee theme throughout the cookbook, your website, and even the storefront. What’s the story behind that?

MM: The honeybee is the logo of Sweet Melissa Patisserie; Melissa means honeybee in Greek. So I thought it was a very cute idea for the logo. I love the little dotted bee trail that follows behind him, it gives him personality, it’s a kind of a loop-dee loop. It reminds me of the path I’m on, sometimes filled with unplanned detours, but always knowing where I’m headed!

How does writing enter into your career? Would you like to write another cookbook?

MM: I would love to write another cookbook and fill it with tons and tons of pictures! The hardest part of writing a book for me was the fact that I couldn’t just stay home and write it, leisurely testing recipes, and jotting down notes. In the year that I wrote this book, I also opened a new store, settled my divorce, bought out my partner, managed my 2 stores and production kitchen and 45 employees! Not to mention preparation for the Food Network Challenge and some unplanned emergency surgery which laid me up for 6 weeks- it was some year! So now, I have organized things so that I will be able to do what I love most, which is thinking up new recipes for my customers that can go into my next book.

When did you know that you wanted to go to culinary school and pursue a food career?

MM: I had worked in restaurants while putting myself through college. I was a Psych major, and liked it well enough, but didn’t love the idea of treating patients as a career. One night at the restaurant, I stepped into the kitchen, as I had always wanted to learn to brulee the custards. That was it, I was hooked! I looked into culinary schools and I was accepted by the French Culinary Institute. Going to school there was the best thing I ever did!

What’s been the biggest surprise in the past 10 years since you opened Sweet Melissa Patisserie?

MM: I was surprised to see how much my customers love the bread pudding! I thought it would be too simple for them, but I think that’s exactly why they like it.

Were you surprised by the Patisserie’s success?

MM: I am a strong-willed Sagittarian, and for me, failure is not an option. I strive to make everyone’s favorite desserts, better than they’ve had them before. So as long as that remains my goal, I think Sweet Melissa’s will continue to be appreciated and successful.

You also have a television show in development. Can you tell us about it and where and when we might see it hitting our TVs?

MM: As soon as I find the right production company to film it! I have had some interest from people who would like to do a reality type show on the bakeries, and the ups and downs of day to day. But my heart really lies with teaching how to bake, to bring the cookbook to life!- and I think it can be fun - not boring, like some shows in the past. I think that all of the cooking shows out now have done a great job of teaching America how to cook, now I want to teach everyone how to bake! I just have to find the right people to work with, it will happen when the time is right. So right now, I am continuing to hone my on camera skills by doing baking videos for the podcastGo! network - and coming up with more recipes!

What are your plans for the future?

MM: I am currently renovating and expanding my original Court Street store. Thank goodness, because it is soo tiny! In the additional space, I am building a dessert and ice cream fountain, and I am going to make my own ice cream! I am so excited to do my Butterscotch Banana Sundaes with Salted Almonds, and Hot Fudge Peanut Brittle Sundaes for my customers. So at this moment I am focusing on that.

What inspires you?

MM: My family, my customers, and the seasons inspire me. I know I can make anything lemon for my mom, and she’ll love it. My sister loves, loves, loves peaches. My customers always have special requests, and I love rising to the challenge of making them their favorite dessert, better than they’ve had it before. I get very excited with the changing of the seasons, and the different fruits that become available.

Final question: what’s the secret to perfect cookies (ones that don’t fall flat or get dark brown around the edges)?

MM: Follow the instructions from a trustworthy cookbook with proven recipes - like mine!!

The latest issue of Bon Appetit came in the mail on the same day that I happened to buy a bottle of POM (you know, that pomegranate juice that everyone seemed to be talking about and using, um, yesterday — yes, I am a little behind on that trend). So anyway, it just seemed like fate when I flipped open the magazine and the first thing I saw was a recipe for Pom-Ade, or Pomegranate Lemonade. Totally freaky.

Both of those things happened a few weeks ago. But I didn’t end up cracking open the POM or trying the lemonade until my old partner in crime, Sonja, came to visit recently for lunch. (You’ve already read about several other things on the lunch menu - the delicious sandwich with sun-dried tomato pesto and the yummy baby spinach salad with candied almonds.) This seemed like it would be a tasty mocktail for our lunch . . . and it was.

So, we sipped at this delicious, slightly bubbly and antioxidant rich drink while we caught up on life and career (did I mention that we met while working together at a newspaper and bonded over a horse assignment? It’s quite the story - but I’ll leave you guessing).

I will, however, share the drink recipe. Enjoy!

Pomegranate Lemonade
serves 4
recipe from Bon Appetit - February 2008

2 cups lemonade (I prefer Stew Leonard’s brand here in Connecticut, or Simply Lemonade)
1 cup club soda
1/2 cup pomegranate juice (I used POM brand)
ice

Pour lemonade, club soda and pomegranate juice into a nice pitcher. Stir lightly. Add ice. Pour into nice, clear glasses.

NOTE: Bon Appetit suggests adding a tablespoon of vodka per glass for an adult version of this tasty drink. We had it virgin though … 

Christopher Woods, 29, a Manhattan, NY, resident is suing the maker of Boost energy drinks. Why? Because after drinking Boost to gain weight in June 2004, Woods sustained a severe erection that lasted for days and required surgery to correct (insert clever “he should have just …” statement here). Oh and the surgery? It left him partially impotent, says the Post.

Newspapers, television shows and online media couldn’t resist the story either, coming up with such clever headlines as the Post’s “Real Stiff Drink” and Gothamist’s “Too Much of a ‘Boost.’”

What is Boost, besides the bain of Woods’ existence? It’s a drink rich in vitamins and minerals as well as added antioxidants intended to be used as a nutritional supplement. It’s also supposed to naturally give you an energy boost. As for the other ‘boost’ . . .

Woods told the Post: “It was unbearable and embarrassing.”

Yea, I’ll bet.

Photo courtesy of Boost website.

This week we are looking at those for the baker. Check it out . . . you might find something you want to give!

Artisan Patisserie for the Home Baker
by Avner Laskin, Photographs by Danya Weiner - Sterling/$24.95

This book is by a professional pastry chef who was trained in France. The recipes, so say the descriptions, are simple and foolproof methods for creating some delicious and wonderful pastries like Eclairs and Napoleons. Don’t worry, the pastries aren’t all French. There’s ones from Spain, Italy and Portugal as well.

This book is due out on Nov. 28.

Click here to order it from Amazon in the U.K. Click the title to order from Amazon in the U.S. 

Potpies: Yumminess in a Dish
by Elinor Klivans, Photographs by Scott Peterson - Chronicle Books/$18.95

Oh, the pot pie. It’s simple, hearty food. Well, not always that simple, but in terms of presentation - you have your veggies, sometimes meats, sauce and bread (or maybe potatoes, or something similar) all in once place. Yum (gee, I wonder if that’s a hint of the name).

This book offers a variety of fillings, toppings, directions on how to make, how to save and how to freeze. It’s the essential catch-all of pot pie making.

This book is due out Dec. 14.

This book is not currently available from the U.K.’s Amazon. Click the title to order it from Amazon in the U.S.

Baking: From My Home To Yours
by Dorie Greenspan, Photographs by Alan Richardson - Houghton Mifflin/$40.00

300 recipes from the so-called Queen of Desserts. Dorie Greenspan worked with Julia Child and Pierre Herme. She knows what’s she’s talking about and tells you how to do it while feeding you tidbits about her life. Sweets and life . . . mmmm, what a great combination.

This book was released in the fall.

Click here to order from Amazon in the U.K. Click the title to order it from Amazon in the U.S. 

These could also make great holiday gifts.

Champagne: How the World’s Most Glamorous Wine Triumphed over War and Hard Times
by Don Kladstrup, Petie Kladstrup, Petie Kladstrup - HarperCollins/$13.95

I am a sucker for the wonderful sparkling wine from the Champagne area of France. There is something about sipping the bubbly goodness from a delicate flute that just creates a feeling of sexy elegance. With the holidays and New Years Eve right around the corner, what a better time is there for learning a bit about the history of the famous party sipper?

This book is due in late November.

Ancient Wine: The Search for the Origins of Viniculture
by Patrick E. McGovern - Princeton University Press/$19.95

If you feel about wine, the way I feel about champagne then this is the book for you. For some, wine is the perfect day ender . . . something to sip casually with a good book by a warm fire in the frigid winter months. This book delves into the history of wine making.

This book is due out in December.

Napa Wine: A History from Mission Days to Present
by Charles L. Sullivan, Earl Thollander - Wine Appreciation Guild/$39.95

Also for the wine lover, this revised book explores the history of wine from the Napa Valley. California’s famed Napa Valley is a mecca of wine in the United States. This follows the area’s more than 100 year history of grapes, fermentation and human labor.

This book is due out in late December.

There’s even a recipe for pumpkin pudding (basically the pie without the crust, in a low fat version).

Click here to see all the stories.

Hump Day Horizons is contemplating entertaining this week. Why? Hello! Look at the statement above! With the American Thanksgiving right around the corner, and Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza and New Years shortly following, this is a popular time of year for entertaining. Holiday party invites will be hitting your inbox and crashing into your mailbox in no time.

These books aren’t so much about being a good hostess so much as it’s a deep look at hospitality. They sound like some interesting reads that look beyond napkin folds and tapas. Check them out.

Hostess: Hospitality, Femininity, and the Expropriation of Identity
by Tracy McNulty - University of Minnesota Press/$24.00

There isn’t a whole lot of information out there on this yet. However the table of contents at the Library of Congress peaked my interest. It seems to take a very philosophical look at hostessing.

This book is due out in December.

Hospitality: A Social Lens
edited by Conrad Lashley - Elsevier Science Publishing Company/$99.95

Okay, so this book is more about the sociology of hospitality. But it could be a very interesting read, nonetheless. Check it out:

Hospitality: A Social Lens follows on from the unique contribution made by In Search of Hospitality: Theoretical Perspectives and Debates. It progresses debate, challenges the boundaries of ways of knowing hospitality, and offers intellectual insights stimulated by the study of hospitality. The contributing authors provide tangible evidence of continuing advancement and development of knowledge pertaining to the phenomenon of hospitality. They draw on the richness of the social sciences, taking host and guest relations as a means of studying in-group and out-group relations with and between societies. The chapter contributors represent a multi-disciplinary, international grouping of leading academics with expertise in hospitality management and education, human resource management, linguistics, modern languages, gastronomy, history, human geography, art, architecture, anthropology, and sociology. Each lends their expertise to apply as a social lens through which to view, analyse, and explore hospitality within a range of contexts. Through this process novel ways of interpreting, knowing and sense-making emerge that are captured in the final chapter of the book, and have informed future research themes which are explored.

This book is due out later this month.

Anyway, there are scores of fantastic food bloggers out there whom I look up to. This article from the South Florida Sun Sentinel appeared in the Hartford Courant this week, highlights an array of awe-inspiring vegetarian-based bloggers and websites. I noticed quite a few that were familiar to me . . . check it out, you might find something you hadn’t known about or maybe you’ll just get a kick out of recognizing sites you like. I sure did.

It wasn’t that long ago that gluten was a strangely unfamiliar word for many people. But these days research, publicity and word-of-mouth has helped spread news of this thing that negatively impacts more people than you’d expect.

There are two books coming out in the near future - a cookbook and a reference book. Check them out.

The Gluten Connection: How Gluten Sensitivity May Be Sabotaging Your Weight and Your Health–And What You Can Do to Take Control Now by Shari Lieberman - Rodale Press, Incorporated/$16.95

Shari Lieberman is a clinical nutritionist who has spent much of her career (more than 20 years, in fact) studying gluten sensitivity. Her research has led her to advise people that eliminating gluten from diets can help relieve common but barely treatable conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, and lupus.

Or at least that’s what the description says.

This book gives a 14-day plan for treatment and reversing sensitivity to gluten. There are also recommendations for nutritional supplements to go with a gluten free diet.

This book is due out Nov. 28.

The No-Gluten Cookbook: Delicious Recipes to Make Your Mouth Water - All Gluten-Free! by Richard Marx - Adams Media Corporation/$12.95

If gluten-free is your goal, this is a cookbook for you. It has more than 200 recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacking. I unfortunately can’t tell you much more than that it’s 336 pages long.

This book is due out in January.