Delectable - by Claudia Fleming & Catherine Young (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Claudia Fleming's The Last Course and her menus from Gramercy Tavern introduced us to her sophisticated, classically inspired seasonal desserts and pastries. Her distinctive dishes established a new standard in pastry kitchens across the country. Now, bakers in home kitchens everywhere, and at every level, can rejoice knowing that this all-new collection from an absolute master has been written specifically for them. Here they will find inspiration from the recipes Claudia developed, tweaked, and perfected in her very own kitchen. Each recipe reflects her signature style and skilled approach in an even more personal way. Recipe inspirations include those passed down from her mother (and reworked and improved upon), those from Claudia's travels, and those that truly brought her comfort or satisfied a craving. Claudia's incredible knowledge and techniques from a storied career in pastry and dessert inform these more comfortable, casual, delicious desserts and savory bites"--

Book Synopsis

In this "genius" (Claire Saffitz) cookbook, the "legendary pastry chef" (Eater) invites you into her home kitchen with 140+ sweet and savory recipes she perfected for friends and family.

"A home baker's fantasia . . . [Fans] have been waiting twenty-one years for a follow-up to her equally legendary first book, The Last Course. The wait was worth it."--Eater

ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, Saveur, Los Angeles Times

In Claudia's first cookbook, a culinary classic, she shared recipes from the menus at Gramercy Tavern that introduced home cooks to her sophisticated, classically inspired seasonal desserts and pastries and established a standard in pastry kitchens across the country. Now Claudia is offering a new collection of recipes all developed and tweaked in her own small kitchen. Baking at home, Claudia brings her characteristic style and skilled approach to every sweet and treat, along with an ease with culinary history, and a growing connection to her own family traditions. A mix of classic favorites and new explorations, including her first foray into savory recipes for savory baking, each delicious dish is the work of a master in her prime.

Claudia's knowledge and facility, refined over a storied career in pastry, mark these more casual, desserts and savory bites. Her thoughtful essays on subject ranging from working with yeast to a professional's approach to frosting a layer cake, reflect her intention to share all she knows. With more than 140 recipes, the book is organized into chapters including:

- Breakfast & Breads Blueberry Muffins; Rhubarb Scones
- Doughnuts & Cakes Cider Doughnuts; Devil's Food with Earl Grey Cream
- Cookies Grapefruit Rugelach; Pizzelles; Maple Shortbread
- Pies Nectarine and Fig Tart; Plum Cobbler; Kumquat Tatin
- Savories Eggplant Caponata Tart; Chickpea Crackers; Tomato Crostata

Making simple preparations truly delicious is a challenge Claudia Fleming has always embraced. With Delectable, she continues to set the standard for pastry chefs and home bakers alike.

Review Quotes

"Buy it, treasure it, stain the pages."--Food & Wine

"I couldn't be more excited. . . . [Fleming's] unfussily elegant sweets are interspersed with savory baking recipes as well--think cheddar-Stilton scones, sweet potato and miso rolls, pecan olive shortbread, kumquat tarte tatin. Delectable, indeed."--Saveur

"Fans of Claudia Fleming, the legendary pastry chef, have been waiting 21 years for a follow-up to her equally legendary first book, The Last Course. The wait was worth it: These recipes, the products of Fleming's time in pandemic isolation, are a home baker's fantasia."--Eater

"Fleming shifts her exacting attention from restaurant pastries to those she creates in her small home kitchen. . . . We're excited."--Epicurious

"Claudia Fleming's first cookbook, The Last Course, is a cult classic among pastry chefs. . . . But I loved Delectable because it brings her classic, cozy sensibility to family-style breads, cakes, tarts, and some savory baking--the olive-and anchovy-rich escarole pie is a marvel, with a particularly light and flaky crust."--Tejal Rao, The New York Times

"Delectable represents not just a new chapter in the pastry chef's life and career, but also a homecoming."--The Washington Post

"Delectable delivers a new suite of classics for the confident baker. . . . By combining a career's worth of wisdom with her truly delectable recipes, Fleming has created yet another ambitious collection that will inspire for decades to come."--Air Mail ("The Best Holiday Baking Books")

"With her show-stopping creations, this much-anticipated sophomore entry sees Fleming also bring her personal style and tendency toward seasonal ingredients to the table."--Tasting Table ("The 25 Best Cookbooks of 2022")

"Sweet and savory baking from one of my favorite bakers in America."--Andrew Zimmern

"Claudia is back . . . with a baking bang!"--David Lebovitz

"[The] baking book of the year."--Jenny Rosenstrach

"Wonderful."--Ruth Reichl, La Briffe

"Wave your whisks in celebration and fire up your mixers in joy, Claudia Fleming . . . is back!"--Dorie Greenspan, New York Times bestselling author of Baking with Dorie

"Claudia [Fleming] gives you the confidence that you can do it and that all will turn out well."--Danny Meyer, New York Times bestselling author of Setting the Table

"Claudia moves seamlessly from the restaurant kitchen to the home kitchen with this collection of gorgeous, simple desserts and savory bakes. Delectable will surely inspire legions of home bakers."--Claire Saffitz, New York Times bestselling author of Dessert Person

"Some heroes wear aprons and create magic with butter. Claudia Fleming . . . is a gift to every baker."--Zoë François, author of Zoë Bakes Cakes

About the Author

Claudia Fleming is a pastry chef, restaurateur, and author. She has worked in New York restaurants such as Union Square Cafe, Montrachet, TriBeCa Grill, and Gramercy Tavern, and at Fauchon in Paris. Fleming and her husband, chef Gerry Hayden, opened The North Fork Table & Inn in Southold, New York. She is currently the executive culinary director for Daily Provisions, Union Square Hospitality Group's collection of all-day neighborhood kitchens. Fleming has been named Outstanding Pastry Chef by the James Beard Foundation, and her recipes have appeared in publications such as Town & Country, Martha Stewart Living, and Vogue. Fleming has appeared on Barefoot Contessa and Beat Bobby Flay and served as a judge on Chopped and Top Chef: Just Desserts. She lives in New York City and Long Island's North Fork.

Catherine Young is an author who has collaborated on critically acclaimed and James Beard Foundation Award-winning cookbooks including The Beetlebung Farm Cookbook with Chris Fisher; Salt to Taste with Marco Canora; Anatomy of a Dish with Diane Forley; and Think Like a Chef and The Craft of Cooking, both with Tom Colicchio. Catherine started her culinary career after leaving the practice of law. She cooked at leading New York restaurants beginning at Tribeca Grill (where she first met Claudia Fleming) then at Union Square Café, Lespinasse, and Gramercy Tavern. She began food writing as an editor at Saveur. Catherine lives in New York City.