Luscious Lemon Desserts

So far, I have made the Lemon Pound Cake and the Lemon Mousse, and both were absolutely scrumptious! I froze the leftover pound cake in individually wrapped slices, and it is delightful, thawed in the microwave oven, with my morning coffee. I topped each serving of the mousse with a bit of sweetened whipped cream and a fanned-out sliced strawberry, and it looked like an elegant restaurant dessert. My guests were tremendously impressed, as was my husband! I can't wait to try the Perfect Lemon Tart recipe and the different cookie recipes. Lori has really done her homework; the recipes are not only delicious, but carefully documented and easy to follow. One caveat: In the lemon mousse recipe, the gelatin never becomes completely clear--it stays translucent--so just stir it until it is completely dissolved, and then leave it in the bowl of hot water until you are ready to use it. If you take it out of the hot water bath and set it on the counter, it will jell surprisingly quickly, and you will have to rewarm it in order to liquify it again. (Learn from my mistake--please!!) ;^)

Between the terrific recipes, gorgeous photos, and very entertaining prose, this is one of those cookbooks that you read from cover to cover. And then, you run out to buy lemons. I've made the Perfect Lemon Tart, the Old-Fashioned Lemon Sugar Cookies, and the Lemon and Anise Biscotti and they were all perfect. It's a great dessert book to cook from (very clear instructions) and would make a wonderful gift as well.

This delightful book was sent to me as a gift and at first I thought, "Who needs it?" Thumbing through it I was immediately drawn in by its beauty and excellent good sense. Shortly thereafter I was asked to bring a dessert to a party for five and choose to prepare Ms Longbotham's Lemon Souffle with Raspberry Sauce. Wow. In more than fifty years of cooking I do not recall getting such raves for anything. It would easily have served eight, but the only thing left were the demands for the recipe! This book is high on my gift list. Thank you, Lori Longbotham.

I love this book and not simply because lemon desserts are heaven to me. The recipes in this book seem to me to have been worked until perfection was achieved. The balance of flavors and textures is superb, and the recipe writing is clear and precise. I love the look of the book too--like lemons, bright and fresh. I have only tried 3 recipes so far (the lemon meringue pie is the best I have ever tasted), but have ordered lemon oil and plan to exhaust this book until I can bake no more.

Is it fair for a cookbook author to present too many temptations, to put forth such an enticing array of recipes that a hapless and hungry reader simply does not know where to begin? Apparently, Lori Longbotham was not bothered by such conundrums as she set about writing "Luscious Lemon Desserts." The lemon tart that graces the cover practically commands the user to quickly find the formula for making it. But that means fast-forwarding past other pictures and recipes that are every bit as gorgeous. Lemon meringue ice cream cake. Ethereal lemon angel pie. Lemon upside-down cake. Such sweet indecision eventually will give way to a test run in the kitchen and that is where the real value of this book becomes apparent. Cookbooks ask from their readers a sense of trust in return for the promise of recipes that work. Few have carried through on the pact better or more appealingly than this one. Each recipe I've tried-nine and counting fast-has worked like a dream, the short ingredient lists and straightforward instructions gently leading the way to sugar-coated bliss. The buttery lemon shortbread is phenomenal while the panna cotta is a dream come true. Lemon mousse is simple and sublime and has made me the most in-demand dessert maker among my friends. Long ago, I decided that a cookbook had paid for itself if it yielded one great recipe. In this case, Luscious has paid for itself tenfold and still counting. Anyone who revels in great desserts should put this one in their shopping cart and then into the kitchen.