Diner Desserts

From Barnes & Noble

Wrap your hands around a cuppa joe, slip a quarter in the jukebox, and dig into a sweet, satisfying slice of Sky-High Lemon Meringue Pie or Chocolate Marble Cheesecake. With Diner Desserts, you don't have to hit the highway to indulge in the favorite desserts of America's roadside eateries. From a Really Rich Double-Chocolate Milk Shake to Creamy Tapioca Pudding and Sour Cream Blueberry Crumbcake, author Tish Boyle has assembled much more than a baker's dozen of scrumptious treats. These are the desserts that no one turns down, ever. This book is a warm slice of nostalgic Americana, with wholesome, easy-to-follow recipes enhanced by black and white photographs of classic diners. Perfect for home cooks and diner aficionados alike, Diner Desserts is sure to remind you that a slice of homemade pie is always a real good way to start the day.

Eve with a Lid On

Tish Boyle, in her latest book, Diner Desserts, tells us that she has learned some of life's most important lessons in diners. I don't know if I've ever learned anything of substance in a diner, but I sure have had some of my greatest heart-to-heart talks over a cup of "Joe" and some "Eve with a lid on" (coffee and apple pie in diner parlance). Food editor of Chocolatier and Pastry Art & Design and author of numerous dessert books for pastry professionals—such as Grand Finales, A Neoclassical View of Plated Desserts, A Grand Finales: A Modernist View of Plated Desserts, and Chocolate Passion—Tish Boyle has, in her latest effort, taken us back to simpler days with a marvelous selection of home-cook accessible, memory-evoking desserts. Taking a bit of the atmosphere from the book, Tish and I had a great dessert heart-to-heart over "sinkers and suds" (doughnuts and coffee) in a New York City diner.

I asked Tish want prompted Diner Desserts, since she is most well-known for her books for professionals. "I have found that there is a whole generation that has missed out on home-spun desserts having been raised on confections made from mixes. I wanted to present to them the ideal of a diner dessert—unpretentious, well-made, richly flavored, and fresh. And, of course, a bit over-the-top with lots of cream, butter, chocolate, and farm-fresh fruit. What I have tried to do in Diner Desserts is capture the memory of what we think diner food was."

I noted that although many of today's diners look as warm and friendly as they have always looked, the food frequently isn't as welcoming and homemade tasting as I remember. In fact, I am always suckered in by those mile-high desserts that greet you in the entranceway of many diners, only to be miserably disappointed when I put the first forkful into my mouth. "For Diner Desserts, I didn't use current diner recipes. What I did was go back to the ideal in both taste and presentation—simple, great-tasting desserts made from real ingredients served in a warm, friendly atmosphere." Both Tish and I commiserated about how difficult it is to purchase a great home-style two-crust pie, layer cake, or simple pudding—even from the most highly recommended bakery. Tish said, "More and more home cooks are becoming home bakers. Not every day but once in awhile just so they can capture the memory of great homemade sweets. And, they really have to learn how to do this from cookbooks, because very few young cooks come from households where baking was an everyday (or even anytime) occurrence."

I asked Tish what her favorite dessert was in Diner Desserts. "Well, I do love simple puddings—you know, it doesn't take much longer to make a pudding from scratch than it does to stir up a mix. I also love the Boston Creme Donuts—which are a bit awesome to prepare—and the Apple Turnovers and Toasted Almond Cake." "What about novice cooks?" I asked, "Any advice?" "Begin with Butterscotch Pudding or Baked Fudge Pudding—they are both very simple to prepare. Brownies, too, are easy," answered Tish. "However, most of the recipes in Diner Desserts are relatively easy to do—I've tried to take all of the guesswork out of dessert making and let the homecook put easy-to-prepare, great-tasting, memory-provoking desserts on the everyday table." I can only say that after an hour's chat, I was longing for a piece of my Mom's Lemon Meringue Pie. Get your copy of Diner Desserts and begin baking. You will soon have friends saying, "Your desserts taste just like I remember my Mom's tasting. When are you going to open a diner?"

—Judith Choate