I have just returned from a trip to delicious Thailand. There were curries, refreshing and spiced salads, and noodles aplenty. There were also desserts, and these were, for the most part, made of vegetables. Seems like we in Europe are a bit behind the wave of that particular culinary classification. Vegetable Cakes: The most fun way to five a day! Scrumptious sweets where the veggie is the star, to give the book its full title, introduces us to the concept.
We have long embraced a small selection of vegetables and transformed them into desserts. Both courgette cake and carrot cake have become bakery standards around the world, and that indicates that other vegetables might also be introduced without too much of a fight.
Vegetable Cakes is a beautifully presented volume and at only £10.00 it’s a great extra gift for any lover of good food. No, you don’t have to be a vegetarian to appreciate these unique dishes. They will likely have broad appeal, as meat eaters seldom have a problem with dessert. Kids will love these colourful cakes, but don’t tell them they are healthy.
Delightful as part of an afternoon tea spread
Beetroot is a naturally sweet vegetable and its colour has been prized in Indian desserts for a long time. Here in this book we find beetroot, rose and chocolate brownies, which would be delightful as part of an afternoon tea spread. Beetroot Cheesecake looks stunning, and how pretty it would be simply decorated with pink rose petals.
Sweet Potato Fudge Brownies are bound to be a hit with all the family. They make a healthy and child-friendly snack and would be a welcome addition to a lunch box. It’s that time of year when every supermarket is getting ready for Halloween, and that means pumpkins. Don’t just carve them but eat them. Vegetable Cakes offers a recipe for Pumpkin Coffee Blondie Brownies. These are more of an adult treat, with crunch from the scatter of pumpkin seeds.
There is a dish in Vegetable Cakes which is a show-stopper. Courgette Rosette Tart is a stunner of vegetable flowers which are each carefully curled from ribbons of courgette. A pastry base is filled with a courgette and coconut cream and the top is dressed with those rosettes. Perhaps a few carrots could be substituted, and one could use both yellow and green courgettes.
Vegetable Cakes: The most fun way to five a day! Scrumptious sweets where the veggie is the star is one of the most fascinating cookbooks I have seen in a very long time. Its unusual approach to the humble veg certainly fills a gap in the market. Some of the ingredients are less than common, but these can be sourced online.
Vegetable Cakes: The most fun way to five a day! Scrumptious sweets where the veggie is the star
Author: Ysanne Spevack
Published by: Lorenz Books
Price: £10.00
ISBN-13: 978-0754833246