Scan barcode
A review by athravan
Sweeter off the Vine: Fruit Desserts for Every Season by Yossy Arefi
5.0
4.5 stars
Sweeter off the Vine by Yossy Arefi is a cookery book that focuses on fruit desserts - my favourite type of dessert. The recipes are broken up into season, highlighting the most suitable fresh ingredients for that time of year, although of course, you can still make them all year around. It ensures that there are a good selection of recipes for spring, summer, fall (autumn for us in the UK!) and winter, with an additional "seasonal larder" for basic supplies. Full page, high quality photographs pop out on you - focusing on vivid colours, unusual textures and of course, the finished product. The photos are very artistic, as well as being demonstrative, so make this a lovely book to flick through or have on the coffee table.
Each recipe contains a full list of ingredients, and then very easy to follow instructions. Measurements are provided both in metric and imperial, those who like me get very tired of books only giving you "cups" will be very glad to know the exact grams and ml are provided. The recipes are unique and interesting, focusing on complimentary flavours as well as a dessert that looks amazing, with some fantastic ideas I've never considered. They vary from simple to complex, but I think that they all seemed viable for me to replicate at home. I've already tried out a few, and look forward to getting through many more, but my waist line limits how fast I can try them out!
Between recipes, you get a sense of the author's personality, with little personal snippets of information, tips and stories about the fruit you're going to be using.
If I was going to criticize, it's a shame that no nutritional information was provided and with our health-conscious society, it would have been handy to have a quick overview of the calories, carbs, fat and fiber. That being said, sometimes nutritional data isn't the most useful, since different countries and brands will vary, and these days with apps that scan the exact items we use, it's easy enough to calculate the intake ourselves. Some of these recipes are far more healthy than others, and it would have been nice to see this at a quick glance.
Overall I think this is a wonderful recipe book full of great ideas for desserts made with fruit, highlighted with amazing photography. A book for the kitchen, for the coffee table, or to discuss with friends. 4.5 stars from me!
Sweeter off the Vine by Yossy Arefi is a cookery book that focuses on fruit desserts - my favourite type of dessert. The recipes are broken up into season, highlighting the most suitable fresh ingredients for that time of year, although of course, you can still make them all year around. It ensures that there are a good selection of recipes for spring, summer, fall (autumn for us in the UK!) and winter, with an additional "seasonal larder" for basic supplies. Full page, high quality photographs pop out on you - focusing on vivid colours, unusual textures and of course, the finished product. The photos are very artistic, as well as being demonstrative, so make this a lovely book to flick through or have on the coffee table.
Each recipe contains a full list of ingredients, and then very easy to follow instructions. Measurements are provided both in metric and imperial, those who like me get very tired of books only giving you "cups" will be very glad to know the exact grams and ml are provided. The recipes are unique and interesting, focusing on complimentary flavours as well as a dessert that looks amazing, with some fantastic ideas I've never considered. They vary from simple to complex, but I think that they all seemed viable for me to replicate at home. I've already tried out a few, and look forward to getting through many more, but my waist line limits how fast I can try them out!
Between recipes, you get a sense of the author's personality, with little personal snippets of information, tips and stories about the fruit you're going to be using.
If I was going to criticize, it's a shame that no nutritional information was provided and with our health-conscious society, it would have been handy to have a quick overview of the calories, carbs, fat and fiber. That being said, sometimes nutritional data isn't the most useful, since different countries and brands will vary, and these days with apps that scan the exact items we use, it's easy enough to calculate the intake ourselves. Some of these recipes are far more healthy than others, and it would have been nice to see this at a quick glance.
Overall I think this is a wonderful recipe book full of great ideas for desserts made with fruit, highlighted with amazing photography. A book for the kitchen, for the coffee table, or to discuss with friends. 4.5 stars from me!