Cookbook Spotlight: Seasonal Fruit Desserts

I was invited to participate in a Cookbook Spotlight this weekend with several other food bloggers. We were sent a free copy of a gorgeous new cookbook, Seasonal Fruit Desserts: From Orchard, Farm, and Market, by Deborah Madison to review and try one of the recipes.

Have you ever bitten into a ripe, fragrant strawberry? Or a luscious peach, its juice dripping down your chin? Or a pear that explodes with flavor? Sometimes fruit, all by itself, just seems like the perfect end to a meal. Now, In Seasonal Fruit Desserts: From Orchard, Farm, and Market, Deborah Madison manages to improve on perfection, turning all of your favorite seasonal fruits into a cornucopia of decadent tarts, pies, puddings, and cakes.

This cookbook is perfect for me because I love fresh fruit. I have fond memories of eating sweet, juicy, fresh-from-the tree Utah peaches and cherries sold at fruit stands along the side of the road. I’ve traveled hours to go to Bear Lake just to buy a flat of unbelievably luscious Bear Lake raspberries.

The cookbook has great ideas on which fruits to use during which season to make the fruit the star of the dessert. Since California mangoes and strawberries are in season now, it is seemed only fitting that I choose the Mangoes with Minced Strawberries recipe. This colorful, four ingredient dessert, really was a perfect way to end a meal. It was sweet and refreshing, but the addition of key lime juice, gave it just the twist it needed to make you say ohhhhh yum.

I also made a second recipe from the cookbook – Quinoa Pudding with Dried Cherries and Cranberries. Although it is a dessert recipe, Deborah said it makes a great breakfast too, and I agree. Quinoa is loaded with fiber and protein, and I always have dried fruit on hand, so this is an easy breakfast to make any morning. It isn’t creamy like rice pudding, but has a wonderful slightly crunchy texture sweetened with honey. A perfect way to start the day.

Along with the terrific recipes that highlight fruits for every season, Deborah also gives lots of great tips about choosing great produce. Did you know that when buying nectarines you should look for sugar spots to tell you if it’s going to be sweet.

This Cookbook Spotlight was organized by Cath at  A Blithe Palate and she will be posting a roundup of the recipes the bloggers spotlighted later in the week. Stop by to see some of the other scrumptious recipes from the cookbook.