Sweet On Texas: Lovable Confections From The Lone Star State
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From the writer of southern cocktails and porch parties, Denise Gee, comes another collection of heavenly and delectable recipes. Only in this instance, Denise has taken on the task of unraveling the Lone Star State; one confection at a time.
Sweet on Texas: Lovable confections from the Lone Star State is all about mouthwatering treats and their tales. It is a compilation of desserts the writer has tasted traveling around Texas. This book came out in 2012, so it's been a while, of course and I had my reservations Before I picked it up, but I'm so glad I did. Many times you will be surprised to experience recipes from older cookbooks to be more uncomplicated and easier to bring together.
The book begins with Denise expressing how she feels that Texan desserts donât get that attention and focus as the other elements of our cuisine. I whole heartedly agree with this observation. She wants to give Texan sweets their âmoment in the sunâ, hence, Sweet on Texas.
About Denise Gee
Denise grew up in Mississippi and later moved to Texas, living in Galveston, Austin and finally settling in Dallas. Working as a Texas living editor and home design editor for leading publications, her experiences gave her access to some of the best bakeries and restaurants. It made her fall in love with the myriad of desserts the Lone Star State has to offer.
The Recipes
According to Gee, it took more than 7 months of recipe testing and researching to format them for her book. As the book includes some dishes from commercial kitchens, there was the issue of scaling down the ingredient quantities to make them suitable for home cooks. The book itself is categorized based on region: East Texas, South Texas, The Hill Country, and the plains of West Texas. Dallas and Houston come under the East Texas section.
Central Texas
This is my personal favorite section, as it features recipes that would be lapped up by my children. The sizzling peach cobbler is a family regular in my home, the almond flan is going to be my next since I have only done the flan on its own. I can already see the kids jumping with excitement at the very berry trifle in a jar and the chocolate âI Screamâ sandwiches.
East Texas
There is a recipe for Lemon bars from the Blue-plate Kitchen in Dallas, a coconut dream pie inspired by the author's favorite dessert at the Bygone Kitchen 1924, the righteous red velvet cake and the sweetest tea. This section focuses more on cakes (how long do cakes last?) and I love it!
South Texas
Here the book features the Texan pink cake that gets its color from strawberry flavored gelatin. The Poteet strawberry cake recipe created by Denise in Sweet on Texas is made with fresh strawberries and not Jell-O. Naturally, it doesn't exude the princess party pink hue, but it is so much more delicious than the previous version. There is also an amazingly simple but inviting chili and avocado ice cream, a familiar pumpkin empanada and a warm caramel apple cake recipe by the Strange family.
West Texas
This section is a lot about scrumptious and chewy cookies. There is a spicy chocolate pepita number, almond lace cookies and Laura Bushâs cowboy cookies. The kolaches recipe that comes from Czech Stop had to be cut down repeatedly for a dozen testing batches, until Denise arrived at one that really tasted like the juicy apricot kolaches from West Texas.
All-time favorites like the Texas sheet cake-a recipe make an appearance as well. Lots of food discussions among Gee and her friends, quotes and tidbits of which she has included in the book under âSweet Talkâ. I found a quick quote from former first lady, Laura Bush which was quite a surprise!
Sweet on Texas showcases the fusion of cultures across Texas, like Dulce the leche bread pudding that marries South flavors with Cajun-Creole influences. You will find plenty of whimsical desserts in here as well; Deep fried coke and big red granita to name a couple.
The cookbook has a hint of nostalgia too, with its featured black and white family photos and pictures of people who have contributed to the content of Sweet on Texas.
Sweet on Texas is a simply written book, with very doable recipes that do not take up too much time (a big plus IMO!) and are a wonderful representation of what sweet treats mean for Texans!
