"In general, I favor deserts that don't depend on exacting conditions or considerable manual dexterity to succeed. In fact, the desserts I like most depend not on our skill as pastry chefs as much as on the materials we start with, which is why this collection of fruit desserts is so closely linked to orchards, farm stands, farmers' markets, and backyard gardens - places where you'll find good fruit that will ensure your success. After all, you don't want to go to the trouble of making a peach pie and then discover it has no taste."
- Deborah Madison, Seasonal Fruit Desserts: From Orchard, Farm and Market
Deborah Madison, founding chef of Greens Restaurant in San Francisco, and the award-winning author of eleven cookbooks, has changed the way millions of home cooks choose, prepare and enjoy fresh produce. You can tell how we feel about Deborah by the well-used, dog-eared pages of our Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America's Farmers' Markets cookbook, just to name one!
Now Deborah has introduced a cookbook sharing her spectacular fruit desserts - more than 175 easy recipes that are as delicious as they are healthy. And - we are ecstatic to announce that she has so very graciously offered to sign two copies of Seasonal Fruit Desserts for us to give away.
"Deborah Madison is all about trust ... the places she takes us beyond the recipe are what make her work so vital. Here, she is in all her glory telling us how to sort through the confounding variety of fruits for the best flavors and how to understand what we’re buying from the ground up. And she makes no bones about what she believes—taste and sustainability above all, local if at all possible, and in season always. Bravo!"
—Lynne Rossetto Kasper, host of The Splendid Table® from American Public Media
Raised in Davis, CA, Deborah is a local icon having spent years in the San Francisco Bay Area where she worked at Chez Panisse and was the founding chef of world-renowned vegetarian restaurant Greens - both important Bay Area restaurants to have established local, farm-driven menus. She now resides just outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico where she is still writing cookbooks and is very involved in the local farmers' market.
Her passion for the sustainable and local food movement follows her wherever she goes and is expressed in an array of endeavors such as cooking, writing and teaching. That's the thing about Deborah - her passion is inspiring and can't help but be transferred to your cooking and eating!
Here's How to Enter –
To win one of two copies of Deborah Madison's Seasonal Fruit Desserts: From Orchard, Farm and Market cookbook, simply leave a comment below answering this question by Monday, January 30th (one entry per person, please) -
What sort of cooking has been inspiring you lately?
What type of recipes do you enjoy cooking more - sweet or savory?
Thank you to everyone who particpated.
There are so many delightful and inspiring comments!
We have chosen TWO winners:
The first winner chosen at random is: Heather who wrote:
Lately savory. Getting more creative with Winter veggies and using fruit as naturally sweet toppers and dessert. It's fun!
The second winner chosen at random is: Ida who wrote:
Savory - It finally is cooler and I love to make stews and braises. There is nothing like turnips braised with pork in a clay pot. The FFTY turnips have been wonderful and my kids now even like them because they are so SWEET. I guess you could say I am doing a bit of both!
A big thank you to Deborah Madison!
Be sure to check out: Seasonal Fruit Desserts: From Orchard, Farm and Market and our next post featuring some of her scrumptious recipes.
Be sure to check out: Seasonal Fruit Desserts: From Orchard, Farm and Market and our next post featuring some of her scrumptious recipes.
