Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts: Quicker Smarter Recipes
Author: Alice Medrich
Publisher: Artisan Publishing (2012)
Now that the school year is in full swing once more, many
PTAs and fundraising groups are going to be pushing bake sale participation
onto parents and children alike. Unfortunately, the story of the child who
comes home from school claiming they "need something for the bakesale...
tomorrow" is all too real and parents are hesitant to use a packaged mix
or swing by the bakery the next morning can find themselves up till 2AM mixing
and decorating something sellable. Even if bake sales are not an issue,
impromptu dinner guests and holiday parties tax the already busy individual
looking to impress, and sometimes simply having a sweet treat after a Saturday
night dinner is desired! Dessert guru Alice Medrich has compiled a book of
recipes that are just what the doctor ordered for the harried sweet tooth. From
packable, individual cookies and cupcakes to standout pies and bread puddings, Sinfully
Easy Delicious Desserts: Quicker Smarter Recipes has something to savour.
Medrich follows the philosophy of keeping things simple
in the sweet kitchen, and like her previous Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy
Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies the square book is easy to read, clear and concise,
with full colour photos of many recipes. Beginning with an incredibly useful
listing of "basic dessert pantry" items and helpful kitchen tools (p. 9-13), novice bakers are given a
perfect go-to guide for their first shopping trip, including a list of treats
in the book that can be made with bare-bones essentials. An extra glossary of
both ingredients (p. 270) and
equipment (p. 274) prefaces the American
resource listing (p. 277) and a
well-organized complete index. The recipes in Sinfully Easy are also interspersed
with "un-recipes" for basics like meringue
(both crunchy and crisp-chewy, my personal favourite) (p. 160), yogurt cheese (p.
114), crostini (p. 16), vanilla sugar (p. 53) and toasted nuts (p. 256). Medrich ups the
approachability factor of this book by including "generalized" tutorials
as well. Whether the occasion calls for cake (p. 170), chocolate and cocoa
(p. 97), cookies (p. 236) or nuts (p. 256), help is offered in a simple to understand and apply
format that doesn't preach to nor bore the reader. 
True to it's title, offerings in Sinfully Easy are
fairly quick and uncomplicated which makes it a boon for parents with fledgling
cooks in the kitchen. While I question the need for actual recipes like Cinnamon Toast (p. 28), Lightly Sweetened Whipped Cream (p. 130),
Chocolate Shards (p. 232), Grilled Chocolate Sandwiches (p. 254)
and Chocolate-Dipped Fruit (p. 264)
rather than simply including them as "ideas" in one of the many other
sections, most are gems that are simple without being inane. Go-to items like
the The Best One-Bowl Chocolate Cake (p. 174)
and Bill's Food Processor Chocolate
Mousse (p. 90) can be prepared by older children or used as measurement and
preparation teaching opportunities for parents, and with the options for many
frostings, compotes, and other garnish recipes Medrich includes even the most
basic of items can be made into a showstopping dessert. For those with a posher
palate, items such as Carrot Almond Torte
(p. 206) and custards (including a decadent Bittersweet Cocoa Souffle (p. 126) and French Chocolate Mousse (p. 93)) are more complex alternatives to
the Classic Carrot Cake (p. 209) and Chocolate Pudding (p. 88).
I had the pleasure of making several of the items in Sinfully
Easy over the Summer, and not a single one disappointed in the flavour
department. While the cupcakes I made using the One-Bowl Vanilla Cake (p. 222) recipe sunk horribly in the middle
(despite being cooked through), I used it as an opportunity to fill them with
thick, rich Mocha Fudge Frosting (p. 180)
and cap things off with the lighter but still indulgent Extra-Good Vanilla Bean Frosting (p. 181, sidebar). The result was
incredibly well received by those I served them to and no one ever suspected
the cake portion had a problem at all. For my bread-pudding (and banana) loving
dad, I made a variation of the Salted
Caramel Banana Bread Puddings (p. 118) in coffee mugs (as I did not have,
nor could I find, any 6-ounce ramekins) using Medrich's Butterscotch Toffee Sauce (p. 25). A word to the wise regarding the
toffee sauce: ensure the cream (or coconut milk in my case) is warm before
stirring into the sugar, or it will separate and curdle. I found that this step
allowed me to use even a lower-fat dairy product (whole milk) than the heavy
cream called for without separation problems.
Probably the two most valuable portions of Sinfully
Easy are Medrich's "[T]hings to do with..." sections and her
wealth of variations for a set basic recipe. Not only does the book include the
chapters Starting with Ice Cream (p. 15)
and Starting with Fruit (p. 47), but ideas
for using vanilla ice cream, ripe strawberries, yogurt, gingerbread, and chocolate
bars are included as well - allowing even the most rushed person to enjoy a
sweet treat. Almost every recipe includes variations for flavour, texture or
application, from 10 Ways to Flavour
Whipped Cream (p. 131) to turning the dense mousse of the Chocolate Marquise (p. 95) into a pie.
These variations raise the economic value of this book immensely while keeping
the reader interested by providing several recipes in one, and in times where
budgets are tight it can be an excuse to justify an otherwise frivolous
sounding dessert cookbook.Whether you are baking for your family, a special occasion or those sudden fundraisers, Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts: Quicker Smarter Recipes can fit the bill. It is a good first "sweet kitchen" book for teenagers and adult baking neophytes alike and is so rich in variety that it is virtually impossible to make the same thing twice in a year. Even if you normally take a pass on the sweet table, this book by Alice Medrich will convert you at first taste.
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