• Eat Your Books

  Read Chef Talk's review of this book and sample recipe for Raspberry Cream Brown Betty.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Lemon buttermilk rhubarb bundt cake

  • Laurendmck on May 23, 2022

    This is my very favorite cake. I make this every year. I use homemade yogurt instead of buttermilk, and I never have lemon oil. Still very lemony with the glaze and the zest!

  • TrishaCP on May 04, 2015

    I love this cake. It is moist and quite lemony (I used 1 tsp of lemon extract to replace the 1/2 tsp of lemon oil since I didn't have the oil.) My only quibble is that the recipe calls for 3 cups of rhubarb or 1 lb of rhubarb. However, when I weighed my rhubarb, 3 cups totaled only 12 oz. I went with the 3 cups because I didn't want to use too much rhubarb and turn the whole cake sour, but next time I would weigh out the pound of rhubarb because only 3 cups in such a big cake got a bit lost. ETA in July 2015: @Hillsboroks- I checked and my version is the same as yours regarding the amount of rhubarb- I guess I didn't read the recipe carefully and got confused between prepped and pre-prep rhubarb amounts. Thanks for figuring this out!

  • zorra on September 10, 2015

    Didn't love this cake, but others really liked it. Nearly overflows a 10-cup Bundt when baked, so I'd remove a little to a small baking pan next time. Used only 3/4 cups sugar in glaze, as the prospect of 2 cups made our teeth ache. Recipe is online here: http://www.food.com/recipe/lemon-buttermilk-rhubarb-bundt-cake-462275

  • Astrid5555 on April 23, 2019

    Made with the first rhubarb from my garden - exceptionally good!!! Incredibly moist and tender crumb, would have liked to have more rhubarb flavor. Maybe next time do not slice rhubarb that thin but cut into bigger pieces. Did not add lemon zest, lemon oil or lemon glaze, because I do not like lemon in combination with other fruit. Still lovely flavor. I can see myself baking this cake again and again.

  • hirsheys on June 28, 2019

    My only changes were to 1) mix all of the rhubarb directly into the cake 2) I used pure lemon extract instead of the oil because that's what I had. 3) I left the cake in 5 extra minutes 4) I only used a little of the glaze - the pan I used made the glaze slide down gorgeously as it melted, but I didn't want to layer it on too thickly on top. Anyway, this cake is absolutely delicious and relatively easy to put together. (I baked it while on the phone with a friend!) As I said, I brought it in to work yesterday and it was universally loved. Four people took seconds! I highly recommend it.

  • hillsboroks on May 10, 2015

    Zing is the perfect flavor description for this cake. The tart rhubarb plus lemon really add up to a flavor punch in a good way. The cake itself is lovely with a moist tender crumb and then little pieces of tender rhubarb studded throughout. Based on TrishaCP's note I weighed my sliced rhubarb to exactly what the recipe called for and it was perfect. My version of the book calls for 1 lb rhubarb to start out with but only 3 cups or 12 oz. prepped rhubarb so I think TrishaCP ended up with the right amount of rhubarb after all. I had lemon oil on hand and used it. I think lemon oil really gives baked goods a nice lemon flavor. I hated to see all the excess glaze on the cookie sheet under the cake rack after I had glazed the cake so I scooped it up and drizzled it over the cake again. It may not have turned out as pretty as it should have doing this but the taste results were worth it.

• Cherry almond bars

  • gastronom on April 22, 2015

    Agree that these are a tasty combination. Used full 18 ozs of already pitted, frozen organic cherries, so the filling was a little tart, which I liked, but others might want to increase the amount of sugar slightly. Seemed even better on 2nd day.

  • TrishaCP on April 07, 2013

    Cherries and almonds are a classic combination for a reason- they taste amazing together. These bars come together quite quickly once you have the cherries pitted and it is nice to have a bar cookie recipe using fresh fruit. And given how short cherry season is, I like that you can pit and freeze fresh cherries to make this recipe later in the summer.

  • PatriciaScarpin on December 07, 2011

    Delicious - I would never have thought of making bars with fresh cherries and these are fabulous. Easy to put together. The cherry filling is worth trying, so good on its own too - great with vanilla ice cream and I bet it would taste amazing with pancakes and waffles, too.

  • eliza on July 04, 2016

    I found these to be very good. I used frozen cherries and made half the recipe in my 14 x 4 inch tart pan. The baking time for this size was 30 to 35 minutes, and the cooling time was less too. I wasn't as enthusiastic about these as the other reviewers, however. Perhaps a bit of spice in the base would help, for example ginger, cardamom, or nutmeg?

  • bching on July 04, 2016

    Really good and easy recipe once you have the cherries pitted. I added a bit of concentrated cherry juice to the filling and boiled it a little longer--and am glad of it. The filling i s just the right consistency. Next time a will sprinkle a little vanilla salt on the top layer.

• Apple crisp with brandy-soaked currants

  • jzanger on November 19, 2020

    Delicious, and worth the short wait to allow the currants to soak in the liquor. I added the juice of a lemon and an extra Tbs of flour to the filling and it was just right.

  • TrishaCP on October 03, 2020

    Good. Like Christinalego, I usually prefer crisp toppings with nuts but this one got really crisp without the normal sogginess that I associate with many past (bad) apple crisps. (Though I do like the suggestion of pecans.) I also really liked the flavor added by the boozy currants.

  • Christinalego on June 05, 2020

    I added chopped pecans to the filling. But I like crisps better with oatmeal and other crunchy things in them.

• Cranberry buckle with vanilla crumb

  • kari500 on November 15, 2020

    This is an absolutely unassumingly lovely cake. The sweetness of the vanilla with the sour pop of cranberry is so good, and then the crunchy vanilla topping really takes it over the top. Nice and tender with a hint of orange. C said "this is one of the best things I've ever eaten."

  • TrishaCP on April 07, 2014

    This is a perfect choice for a holiday brunch. Once the vanilla crumb recipe is made, this comes together quickly. It has the barest hint of orange from the zest, which melds beautifully with the floral notes of the vanilla and the sharp tartness of the cranberries. Watch the cake carefully towards the end of baking, as it has a tendency to burn at the edges of the pan.

  • nadiam1000 on June 06, 2016

    Nice moist crumb, not too sweet with the tartness of the cranberries and the hint of orange contrasting against the sweet vanilla crumb topping. I doubled the recipe for a 13x9 pan and it is a big thick cake.

  • hillsboroks on December 10, 2018

    This cake perfumed my whole house with the lovely smells of orange, vanilla and cranberry. It is perfect for a holiday season brunch or casual dinner but I think I will be making it for any time I can get my hands on fresh cranberries. It is lovely while still a bit warm from the oven and best on the first day so don't hesitate to cut large pieces and enjoy it all at once.

  • bching on February 01, 2021

    Maybe I did something wrong? All the previous comments are positive but I found this a bland doughy cake. 3 stars--means I didn't toss it but I won't make it again.

  • lkgrover on March 26, 2015

    This is an excellent brunch style coffee cake. I took it to work, and received many compliments.

  • jhallen on February 21, 2021

    This was super delicious and also very easy. Yum.

• Stone fruit tea cake

  • Christine on July 30, 2014

    I was able to salvage this recipe, but it was very nearly a complete disaster. The directions state to bake for 30-40 minutes until golden and firm. At 35 minutes it was golden and my tester was somehow coming out clean, so I set it on a rack to cool. When I went to cut a piece, I discovered the middle was still completely raw. It wasn't ideal that it had cooled so much, but to have any chance of being able to eat it, it had to go back in the oven. I lightly covered the top with a piece of foil to keep the top from burning and ended up baking it for another hour. As I kept adding 15 minute increments to the timer, I was getting increasingly frustrated. Even after all this, the middle is just barely cooked which I think can be attributed to the juiciness of the fruit (particularly the plums) I used. If I muster the courage to try again, I will not be using plums -- just about any other stone fruit including apricots (which I used a few of mixed in), seem like better options.

  • TrishaCP on August 23, 2014

    I used peaches and had the same issue as Christine- I just couldn't get the cake to bake all the way through in the middle without overbaking the edges. (Weirdly, my tester also came out clean in the middle.) The part that was baked through was wonderful, and I haven't had problems with other recipes from this book, so I am assuming there is an error here. (No corrections on the author's website though.)

• Apricot raspberry cobbler

  • TrishaCP on April 07, 2013

    Another winner from this cookbook. I had a mental lapse and doubled the amount of milk in the cobbler base by mistake- good thing cobbler dough is forgiving -a bit of extra flour and a longer cooking time helped the recovery and it was fine. I really like the combination of fruits, but you can definitely cut the sugar in the fruit by a lot (I think you really only need 1/4 cup depending on sweetness of the fruit), particularly if you keep the cobbler base sweet per the recipe. (I think you can cut the sugar in the cobbler dough too- maybe 1/4 cup less.)

  • hillsboroks on August 14, 2014

    Great zingy flavor combination. The raspberries and apricots really click here. I agree with Geminichef that you should use a bit bigger dish. I made a half recipe in a one quart dish and it ran over the side but was still delicious. Maybe my raspberries were a bit tart but this was just right and not too sweet.

  • Geminichef on May 29, 2013

    A 2-quart dish was too small for this recipe, in my experience.

  • lkgrover on June 12, 2017

    Excellent! I should have checked EYB before baking, so I would know to use less fruit. My fruit overflowed; fortunately I put a cookie sheet on the oven rack below. For future baking, I would use 9 apricots (not 10), and 1 3/4 cups raspberries (not 2 cups=1 pint).

• Strawberry shortcake

  • TrishaCP on May 29, 2016

    This is a great shortcake recipe. The zest really does add a nice lightness to it as the recipe notes specify. I didn't bother with melting butter to get the sugar to adhere. Instead, I just used a bit of extra cream, which worked well but maybe didn't let the tops brown as much as intended. (I would still probably do the same next time though.) We used more berries than specified.

• Raspberry red currant cobbler

  • TrishaCP on July 21, 2014

    This is really the first recipe from this book that I only felt just ok about- mainly because I didn't love the prominence of the currants. I made a half recipe with a mixture of raspberries (2 cups), red and white currants (1 cup), and blueberries (1 cup, subbed out of necessity since I didn't have enough raspberries). The currants that I was able to obtain were VERY tart- I think maybe more than the recipe intended. The cobbler dough was great the day I baked, but was really hard the following day. It is the same as other recipes which were successful, so I suspect that I either overworked the dough (or may need new baking powder).

• Double-crusted pluot crisp

  • TrishaCP on July 20, 2020

    This was a flavorful crisp- pluots are a dream to bake with, and taste great with the oatmeal-based topping. Did I like the double crust? Not sure. I’m usually a more is more type with dessert, but it felt like there was more crisp topping than fruit in the ratio called for in the recipe, and I didn’t like it like I thought I would. Also, the bottom stuck to the pan (I should have greased it, though the recipe omits that step.)

• Raspberry cream brown betty

  • TrishaCP on July 06, 2020

    Who knew stale bread could taste so good? The pastry cream takes a while to pull together, but came out exactly as it should. The vanilla flavor was great with the black raspberries that I used. The amount of raspberries called for was a bit stingy in my opinion- and I definitely would have liked more.

• Apple and rhubarb pandowdy

  • TrishaCP on January 10, 2016

    This was my first pandowdy recipe, and it was pretty successful- much easier than dealing with a two-crust fruit pie since all you do is put a top crust on the fruit. I had pre-made and rolled pie dough and pre-chopped frozen rhubarb to use up, so this came together very quickly. (Though you will need more time to bake using frozen rhubarb.) I liked the rhubarb and apple combination together with the cinnamon, so will look out for more of that combination in the future.

• Rhubarb and Bing cherry brown betty

  • TrishaCP on July 06, 2013

    A good dessert to pull together in a hurry if you use store-bought cookies. I reduced the sugar to 3/4 cup, and that amount was sufficient for me. Cherries and rhubarb taste great together- this was a rare year that they were available at my farmer's market simultaneously, but per the recipe you can also use frozen cherries.

  • apattin on June 27, 2019

    Quick dessert, very flavorful. A bit too sweet.

• Sour cherry cobbler

  • TrishaCP on July 04, 2014

    Can substitute vanilla extract for cherry liqueur.

  • TrishaCP on July 05, 2014

    This was a great not-too-sweet dessert. (Unlike in other recipes from this book, I didn't reduce the sugar at all. The recipe as it was written was perfect for me.) The biscuit topping is really rich and pairs well with the tart cherries.

  • hirsheys on July 19, 2021

    Tasty and quite easy use for sour cherries, though I found it a touch sweet. (That said, I had to use some brown sugar in the recipe because my cousins ran out of normal sugar.)

  • ebs on July 05, 2021

    Really good dessert that I had to alter a bit. I had only sweet frozen cherries, so used them and added some frozen blueberries because I didn't have enough cherries. I probably had a cup or so more fruit than specified in the recipe. And since the cherries were sweet rather than sour, I added only about a third of the sugar called for. I had to bake the cobbler about 7 minutes extra. Also, I used vanilla rather than the liqueur. It was delicious.

• Rhubarb cream cheese pie with fresh strawberries

  • TrishaCP on June 21, 2013

    A nicely decadent dessert and a good option if you want the classic rhubarb- strawberry combo but don't want to cook your strawberries. A pre-baked pie shell (I used my own recipe) is filled with rhubarb tossed with sugar and cornstarch (I sometimes find the recipes in this book erring a bit on the sweet side, but I thought 1/2 cup here with the 1lb of rhubarb was just enough). The rhubarb is baked in the crust for about 15 minutes-enough to soften it slightly but not enough for it to break down. A lightly sweetened cream cheese-based custard is then added and baked until set. The pie is finished by topping with fresh strawberries- I didn't garnish with powdered sugar as my berries were very sweet. The rhubarb custard base is interesting- the rhubarb pieces stayed intact through baking so you get nice bites of the fruit with the tangy cream cheese - you could actually omit the strawberries and have a decent rhubarb cream cheese pie, but it is really pretty with the strawberry topping.

• Fresh strawberry and ricotta tart

  • TrishaCP on June 04, 2017

    This dessert looks stunning and I adored the combination of nutmeg with strawberries. I had some technical challenges, but I still say bake this now! The recipe calls for a pre-baked pastry case, but since you still must bake the custard 30 minutes, the pastry came very close to burning. (I used the book's recipe.) I definitely think par-baking is the way to go here, and would use that approach in the future. Also, even though I baked the tart with the filling for the recommended time, including cooling and refrigeration, the custard is just a bit soft. I'll be curious to see if it firms up overnight. Finally, I used the recommended fluted 10 inch tart pan, but it seemed too large for the tart ingredients. (And in fact doesn't look like the book photo, as my berries were inside the tart shell, but in the picture they are heaped on top and over it.) I'm not sure if I have a solution for a better option, but definitely a shallower pan than what I used would be preferred.

• Rhubarb, oat, and pecan crumble

  • TrishaCP on December 07, 2014

    This recipe caught my eye as I am in the midst of a freezer/pantry purge. While not groundbreaking, it was delicious. I made this with frozen rhubarb and frozen strawberries (about half each) that I let thaw prior to baking. (Didn't have enough rhubarb and I had strawberries to use up.) I reduced the sugar in the fruit from 1 cup to 1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons, since it was no longer an all rhubarb crumble. That was the right decision- it was mildly sweet. The topping with the oats and pecans was delicious with the fruit.

  • lkgrover on July 19, 2015

    Made with 1 lb, 12 oz of fresh rhubarb, in a 9 x 13 baking pan. Used the amounts specified in the cookbook for all the other ingredients. Delicious!

• Rhubarb buckle with ginger crumb

  • TrishaCP on June 10, 2014

    Great great recipe. The ginger flavor is a subtle counterpoint to the rhubarb rather than being dominant. The cake itself is incredibly moist - I did find it took a bit to get the middle cooked through so just watch that part.

  • eliza on March 25, 2014

    I love this dish. It's a little more work than the average dessert, but worth it since the rhubarb and ginger go really well together. Made it several times and my guests loved it too.

  • rstuart on June 08, 2014

    Really enjoyed this: it worked even though I forgot the baking soda! Very moist, and I will definitely try again...

  • julesamomof2 on April 13, 2020

    We didn't like this, but can see why others did. The recipe is easy to put together, and can be baked while dinner is served. I found it best served warm, but at the end of the day felt that the spiciness of the ginger intensified the tartness of the rhubarb rather than tempering it. I will keep trying other rhubarb recipes from the book but this one is just not a personal win for me.

• Upside-down sweet cherry cake

  • TrishaCP on May 08, 2016

    The cake is absolutely delicious, but I was unable to release it from the pan due to the caramel base, which turned into glue. The recipe really requires a parchment paper shield to work, or maybe it needs to be released from the pan much earlier than specified.

• Caramel peach grunt

  • TrishaCP on July 28, 2020

    This was really good and a nice recipe to have in the repertoire of peach desserts. The biscuits are rich and taste great with the peaches. Caramel is a baking nemesis of mine, and this wasn’t the recipe to turn things around for me. I ended up cheating by adding a spoonful of jarred caramel sauce to fix the texture after my caramel started crystallizing. I sized down the recipe in half, but still needed the full baking time to get the biscuits sufficiently cooked.

• Vanilla-spiked plum galette

  • TrishaCP on August 07, 2017

    This is quite flavorful, though I had construction issues making the galette and as a result, most of the plum juice leaked and began burning. I rescued the galette because I was able to slip it off the burned parchment onto a new pan and continue cooking it. I think the construction issues were down to the difficulty that I had in rolling out the galette dough, which was drier than I expected (but also flakier than I expected).

• Gingered peach and blackberry pandowdy

  • TrishaCP on July 29, 2016

    I made the pandowdy using a pre-made pie crust. It was a bit loose as I didn't have cornstarch and subbed flour instead, but was tasty. I really liked the combination of peaches and blackberries. I did feel like I couldn't really taste the ginger though- the crystallized ginger was surprisingly subtle.

  • hillsboroks on August 19, 2014

    Great flavor combination! I did not make the Pan Dowdy but put the fruit filling into an all butter double-crust pie. Not only was it delicious but it was beautiful too.

• Stone fruit slump

  • TrishaCP on January 18, 2015

    I have never made a slump before, and wasn't sure what to expect, but this is definitely not like a cobbler with dry and flaky biscuits. Because it was steamed, the topping was quite soft and there is no browning or flakiness. I would say that the photo in the book is really key here so you can exactly see what the texture is supposed to look like, particularly because I had to keep cooking my slump about 15 minutes longer than the recipe indicated. Anyway, I really liked this, but I am not sure this will be everyone's cup of tea due to the texture. I used all peaches that I had frozen last summer and they tasted great. Be careful with the fruit filling though, because the bottom of the pot burns easily because of the sugar.

  • hashi on August 14, 2020

    Threw this together because I had some peaches and nectarines that weren’t going to last much longer...what a pleasant surprise! The biscuits are soft and steamed and don’t really brown and the cardamom and cinnamon go so nicely with the stone fruity flavors. I love this cookbook and every recipe I’ve tried, including this one.

• Lemon blueberry buckle

  • TrishaCP on April 07, 2013

    I've made several versions of blueberry buckle previously, and I like the tart acid hit from the lemon and buttermilk in this version. The crumb topping is different from most buckles too. Per the recipe, I left it in the freezer while preparing the rest of the cake. Where I deviated from the recipe is that I completely forgot about the crumb topping until after the cake was baked and consumed, so I can't comment on that portion of the recipe. But I'll look forward to trying that part next time!

  • trudys_person on July 30, 2020

    Excellent! This came out so well - nice texture, nicely tart and fruity flavour. Will definitely make again!

• Stone fruit upside-down cornmeal cake

  • TrishaCP on August 26, 2018

    I thought this cake was good- it's not my favorite recipe from the book, but we liked it. I used four (rather large) peaches, so perhaps we had a better fruit to cake ratio than other reviewers. I think it's probably best served warm.

  • stockholm28 on September 15, 2018

    I made this again with finely ground cornmeal (Bob’s Red Mill Corn Flour) and peaches and liked it much better than the first time I made it. It is best the day made.

  • stockholm28 on July 15, 2017

    I used apricots and 4 was not enough. The fruit was barely noticeable. I liked the cornmeal cake as it balanced out the supersweet brown sugar and butter topping. I'd make this again, but with more fruit.

  • mamacrumbcake on August 09, 2016

    This was ok, but not what I had hoped for. The cake base is more like cornbread than cake. I didn't love the topping, but maybe a different fruit would have been better (I used pluots.) The topping was fruity and sweet but lacked the buttery, caramely flavor I look for in upside down cakes. Maybe it needed a little salt...

  • HalfSmoke on July 22, 2018

    A family favorite during summer peach season. Use one half of a fresh, local, freestone peach in each ramekin. The peach juices combine with the sugar to create a terrific caramel glaze. Simple dessert that highlights the wonder that is a fresh summer peach.

• Apple blackberry pie

  • TrishaCP on May 21, 2021

    I made this pie due to a large amount of CSA apples and frozen blackberries that needed using. I used my own crust for this pie, so I’m only commenting on the filling. Apples and blackberries go well together- but I guess I’m not a fan of blackberry seeds in pies (personal preference). The ginger taste to me was negligible- I think I would have preferred cinnamon.

• Maple apple dumpling

  • TrishaCP on November 15, 2018

    The flavor of these dumplings was delicious-I did have the B grade maple syrup that was specified. I had user error in rolling out the dough-could not get it thin enough for six apples, only four. (Maybe my apples were too large? Definitely a good idea to get the smallest apples you can find.) As such, my wrapping was awkward, and I had to bake my apple side-down to keep the seam/fold towards the bottom. The dough that was in the maple marinade was pillowy and soft- the dough that baked on top was crispy but not flaky- I preferred the pillowy dough but I have no idea if either was the intended texture as the recipe didn't say. (I see the adapted recipe used by the attached review from EYB tweaked it to be more like pie dough to presumably get a flakier result.) I used suncrisp apples and the texture of the baked apples was perfect.

• Apple and black currant brown betty

  • TrishaCP on October 02, 2017

    Another delicious dessert from this book. We used vanilla wafers instead of the graham crackers, and they worked well with the tart punch of the black currants. The recipe calls for mixing apple juice (or cider) along with lemons and spices into the fruit mix before assembly- but the amount of the juice made it way too watery so I used a slotted spoon to drain the fruit before assembling it. (I would skip the juice next time and use all of the other components.) You are warned that this is best eaten day of, and it is definitely best eaten day of to avoid sogginess.

  • Beebopalulu on December 02, 2019

    Love the combination of the currants and apples, needs to cook longer though to bring out the caramel flavours in the apple. Also, not certain that the bread crumbs need to be layered - they are really just best on top where they are crunchy. The bottom and middle layers just get soggy.

• Quince and apple brown butter tart

  • TrishaCP on November 04, 2015

    This was a big winner for me in terms of the combination of flavors with the apples, quinces, and brown butter. I found it difficult to brown the butter following the recipe's instructions without getting the milk solids a touch too browned, so I poured off the rest of the butter and left the very dark solids behind in the pot. I didn't have the 10 inch tart pan called for, just a nine inch, and that required only 2 quinces and 2 apples to fill it completely. Baked for 35 minutes and it came out perfectly. See my note on the short dough recipe- if you want a flaky crust with this I suggest using a different tart recipe.

• Pear sauce bundt cake with pear brandy butter glaze

  • TrishaCP on December 26, 2015

    This cake is like an intriguing, pear-flavored gingerbread-so good! The depth of flavor to this cake is nothing short of amazing. I was particularly surprised at how strongly the pear flavor comes through from the pear sauce, in a good way. Thanks to Hillsboroks' note, I made extra glaze for serving-this is a good call because the glaze is so delicious (I used cognac in mine). It isn't necessary though, as the cake is very moist with a tender crumb.

  • hillsboroks on November 22, 2014

    What an amazing, wonderful cake! The bit of cocoa in the recipe does not make it a chocolate cake but rather just adds mystery and depth of flavor. The caramel sauce is a must! I folded the foil with excess caramel that ran off the cake into a funnel shape and poured it over the cake on the cake plate. After slicing chunks to share with neighbors and friends I cut myself a sliver to taste. It fell over into the caramel sauce on the plate and one cut side got covered with the sauce. Yum! I would be tempted to make extra caramel sauce next time to have some to drizzle over each slice. It was definitely worth the time and effort to make multiple batches of the spiced pear sauce with my excess pears last summer. This would be a perfect cake for Thanksgiving and for serving all winter long.

  • fultre on January 18, 2022

    In contrast to others, I didn't find that the lovely flavor of the homemade pear sauce held up in the cake, and was lost in the other flavors. For me, not worth the extra effort. Will not make again.

  • foodgloriousfood on March 29, 2022

    We enjoyed this, but the cake itself was lighter and fluffier than I thought it would be. I expected a heavier texture due to the pear butter in the cake, and like Fultre, I also couldn't taste the pear butter in the cake. I would perhaps add a bit more nutmeg and cinnamon to the cake and make extra pear butter to serve alongside the cake. I had a couple of Tbs leftover so served the cake with cream and a spoon of the pear butter which accentuated the flavor. I recommend making 1.5 qty of the butter so there is some for serving. You could also make more glaze, but I found it sweet enough. I couldnt find pear brandy for the glaze so used apple brandy. The glaze only contains 2tbs of brandy so I am not sure it would have made much of a difference. I might be tempted to add extra brandy for flavor next time and reduce for a bit longer. Important: The glaze needs making first at it needs to rest for an hour, and it needs to be put on the cake while the cake is still warm.

• Cranberry upside-down almond cake

  • TrishaCP on April 29, 2014

    I needed to use up frozen cranberries and leftover almond paste, so came across this recipe. It is beautiful to look at and tastes just fine, but I did find that many of the almonds got stuck and left behind on the pan when I inverted the cake. The basic cake itself is similar to the basic vanilla cake used in several recipes from this book- I didn't get much almond flavor from the paste. Bottom line, if I am looking for a rustic cranberry dessert next fall, I will most likely go with the buckle version from this book, or will pick something else.

• Deep-dish winter fruit pie with walnut crumb

  • TrishaCP on April 05, 2017

    This pie is excellent. I made two shallow pies with my own crust (not the recipe's) with the same amount of filling and crumb, each divided evenly among both pies. The only part that didn't work so well for me was the figs- I think I would cut them smaller or omit them next time, but that's just a personal preference kind of thing.

  • goodfruit on August 11, 2015

    This dish is wonderfully flexible! I've made it using up various fresh and dried fruits, it takes substitutes easily, figs, apricots, cherries, zante currants, several kinds of apples, walnuts and hazelnuts. Even some frozen blueberries were tossed in, just to fill up my pie crust. Its a very "Once-Around-the-Kitchen" sort of pie.

  • julesamomof2 on November 20, 2018

    This was outstanding-a showstopper of a dessert that was so much better, in my opinion, then a typical apple pie. I made this exactly as written with the apples, pears, figs and cranberries and the combination was fantastic.

  • stacymarkow on December 29, 2019

    My favorite pie to serve at Thanksgiving. Pie crust was a dream.

• Grandma Freeman's jam cake with brown sugar rum glaze

  • TrishaCP on August 19, 2014

    From the author's website: It came to my attention that there is an error in the Brown Sugar Rum Glaze recipe-pp 143. It calls for 4 cups of confectioner’s sugar, but should be 4 OZ (or approx 1cup). If you’ve attempted this recipe and ended up with a bowl of thick paste, be assured that it isn’t you! Give it a shot, it’s a super yummy glaze. Happy Baking!

• Vanilla crumb

  • TrishaCP on April 07, 2014

    A crumble topping with a strong flavor and scent of vanilla. This is a component of the Cranberry Buckle recipe but I could see it working well with the more tart summer fruits as well. I used the stand mixer method when making the Cranberry Buckle to avoid dirtying another appliance, but it didn't do the best job of forming the crumbs, so I would definitely use a food processor in the future.

• Short dough

  • TrishaCP on November 04, 2015

    I used this dough for the apple and quince brown butter tart. I found that it made more of a crumbly, sandy texture than a flaky one- I didn't mind it and I "think" that was the intent due to the egg and sugar in the tart but it would have been helpful if the authors specified the texture they were aiming to achieve. It was fairly easy to work with, and there wasn't a lot of shrinkage, so depending on the application I would consider using this recipe again.

• Olive oil citrus cake

  • TrishaCP on February 26, 2017

    This makes a flavorful and dairy-free (thought not egg-free) cake. While a good cake, I'm not sure that it's a repeater for me on two points. While the zest was fragrant, I prefer citrus cakes to be more punchy (I did use the optional lemon oil, but I think I would have preferred lemon juice in the glaze rather than grapefruit, as the grapefruit has a slight acrid aftertaste). And I have other olive oil cakes that I find tastier (I'm thinking of the one with spelt, chocolate, and rosemary from Good to the Grain). Also, the cake is fairly flat- I would use an 8 inch pan if you want it a bit higher.

• Raspberry fool

  • Astrid5555 on January 04, 2015

    Excellent way to use up any heavy cream, mascarpone and berry Christmas leftovers. Very quick to make and really delicious!

• Pear sauce

  • eliza on August 23, 2014

    I make this pear sauce each year with foraged pears. I really like it because of the added spices. I've never made the cake that comes next in the book, but I have used it in many recipes that call for applesauce with great results. In the slow cooker, you can cook it so easily; I omit the cider and the sugar when I do it this way, and double or even triple it. Also freezes very well to be used in recipes later.

  • hillsboroks on August 26, 2014

    Thanks to Eliza's note I went out and gathered all the windfall pears from our little pear tree this morning and made three batches of this pear sauce. It has a lovely flavor with the spices and vanilla added to the pears. I did not do the reduced cider but rather cooked the pears like I do applesauce. I added 1 Tbls. lemon juice to each batch of pears to help prevent browning. I also added 2 Tbls. water and the 2 Tbls. sugar before cooking. I put the whole spices into a little cloth spice bag and added them to the pot. I simmered it all in a heavy pot on medium low heat for 20-25 minutes. I used my potato masher to help mush up the cooked pears. I am planning to freeze it in 2 cup containers to use this winter so I can try the bundt cake that calls for this pear sauce.

  • fultre on January 18, 2022

    Delicious, and worth harvesting extra pears to make. Used boiled cider in place of reducing cider.

• Pumpkin custard with cookie crumb crust

  • julesamomof2 on February 11, 2017

    My cookie crumbs wouldn't stay put on the bottom and ended up floating throughout the custard. Tasted ok and nobody seemed to care but I wouldn't make again

  • FoodieOne on October 22, 2016

    Cookie crumb crust gets lost. Would suggest cookie crumbs on top and could sub gingerbread snap crust.

• Pear cobbler with shingled hazelnut biscuits

  • bching on October 17, 2018

    This tasted fine but there are easier recipes that taste better. I would not make this again,

• Fig and honey cream galette

  • stacymarkow on December 29, 2019

    Amazing combination of flavors.

• Apple cranberry oat crumble

  • Christinalego on May 20, 2020

    05/20 at 375 degrees this was done in 35 minutes. Maybe reduce temp to 350 and bake a little longer... Delicious, though. And I like the addition of the corn starch.

• Fine Cooking

  They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but I took one look at...the front of this slim volume and pretty much made up my mind. Happily, my intuition was spot on. This book is a pleasure.

  Full review