‘Farmers Market Desserts’ lets fruit, not sugar, be the star

from Grist:



‘Farmers Market Desserts’ lets fruit, not sugar, be the star
by Bonnie Azab Powell

28 May 2010 12:20 PM


Summer fruits from the farmers market are the supermodels of the produce world. Just like Heidi Klum doesn't need makeup to be beautiful, a super-fresh White Lady peach or Seascape strawberry doesn't need extra sweetening or seasoning to shine. But given the right recipe—one designed expressly for fruit and vegetables at their peak ripeness and flavor, not for their wooden supermarket facsimiles—they can really wow your tastebuds.

Just in time for June's bounty of stone fruits and berries comes Farmers' Market Desserts. Author Jennie Schacht and photographer Leo Gong visited dozens of farmers markets as well as farms in the San Francisco Bay Area, where Schacht lives; New York City and the Hudson Valley; Wisconsin; Maui; and elsewhere to compile this visually appetizing collection. Grouped according to the season, the recipes hit all the right dessert notes, from familiar ones like sorbets and tarts to more exotic granitas and parfaits. And it's not all strawberry fields forever—there's a section for in-between seasons, using dried fruits and nuts and even winter vegetables like squash. Suggestions for substitutions abound, and "Farm Journal" boxes share tidbits from farms Schacht visited, such as Weston's Antique Apple Orchard, where a Wisconsin family grows some of the last remaining examples of certain apple varieties.

Grist quizzed Schacht by phone this week about how she got into food writing, why she prefers shopping at farmers markets to Safeway, and why the buzzword "organic" rates hardly a mention in her book. And in case you feel inspired to bake over this holiday weekend, she's also shared her recipes for Strawberries & Cream Cake Roll and Chilled Plum Soup with Sour Cream after the jump.

How do you pronounce your name?

"Shacked," like shacked up. Or "Shaq attack," with a "t" at the end and without the "attack" part.

In addition to writing about food, you also consult for food and hunger nonprofits and government agencies. Which came first? Cookbooks or grant proposals?

My background is actually in social welfare—I am a licensed clinical social worker, though currently on inactive status. I worked in community-based health care, for example running a prenatal care program at a Native American health center. In January 1991, I started Schacht & Associates, which helps nonprofit and public organizations to develop health care programs and get them funded.

Author photoAuthor Jennie SchachtAt some point I realized I had raised around $20 million in grants, and that obviously my third-grade teacher was wrong—I could write! I grew up being told I was a terrible writer. Even my parents, who were extraordinarily supportive, said it wasn't my strong suit.

When I realized I was able to persuade funders to give these groups large amounts of money, I decided to try and do some food writing, which I had always wanted to do. I've always loved to cook. At a young age I'd tackle stuff from Mastering the Art of French Cooking or from the Julia Child TV show. Looking back now, I had a predisposition toward math and science. One of the things I love about baking and pastry are the marriage of art and science. It's creative and artistic, so many scientific principles involved.

So I went to Cornell for a summer and got a certificate in food and beverage management, because I thought it was good to have some academia behind me. I wrote a few food articles, and then one day I went to a chocolate tasting with chef Mary Cech, who developed the pastry program at Greystone . I handed her my business card and said, "If you ever want to do a book, call me." And she did! And that book was The Wine Lover's Dessert Cookbook. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.grist.org/article/2010-05-28-farmers-market-desserts/

Thanks so much for posting it. That book is now on my must have list.

..... I've got to get that book and get busy making these.