cover image SWEET STUFF: Karen Barker's American Desserts

SWEET STUFF: Karen Barker's American Desserts

Karen Barker, . . Univ. of North Carolina, $29.95 (320pp) ISBN 978-0-8078-2858-8

An award-winning pastry chef, Barker—coauthor (with her husband) of Not Afraid of Flavor , a cookbook from their restaurant, Magnolia Grill, in Durham, N.C.—presents a diverse and balanced selection of her favorite American desserts. She enthusiastically introduces home cooks to the basics of pies, fruit desserts, custards, ice cream, cookies, cakes, waffles and other breakfastlike desserts with clear, unintimidating directions and copious suggestions for variations. Every recipe includes a personal introduction, succinct directions, elaborate baker's notes with additional hints and advice, and serving suggestions that sometimes refer to other recipes in the book. By altering just a few ingredients or adding an unusual spice, Barker creates out-of-the-ordinary twists on classics, such as Apple Rhubarb Cardamom Crumb Pie, Buttermilk Vanilla Bean Custard Pie and Coffee Anise Crème Caramel, as well as more obscure tastes like Blackberry Slump with Sweet Potato Dumplings or Peanut Butter Cheesecake. Full-page photographs illustrate the dishes in mouth-watering detail. Although the book will satisfy any sweet tooth, lovers of fruit desserts will especially appreciate the abundance of recipes for pies, cobblers, crumbles, crunches, crisps, buckles, grunts, slumps and betties, as well as Barker's tutorial on how to tell the difference between them. (Apr. 19)

Forecast: Although Barker's restaurant is in North Carolina and her book is being published by a university press , Sweet Stuff could have national appeal. Barker has received coverage in major magazines like More, Bon Appétit and Fine Cooking, and the publisher plans a 20,000-copy first printing and a national media campaign.