Sweet Gratitude

Book excerpt: Sweet Gratitude is a cookbook with a message: raw desserts aren’t only healthier for both people and the planet, they can also be every bit as tasty–indeed, sinfully so–as their mainstream counterparts. Tiziana Tamborra and Matthew Rogers, both master dessert chefs at the pioneering San Francisco-based Café Gratitude, present a tantalizing table of after-dinner or any-occasion delights. Illustrated with gorgeous color photographs, the recipes range from simple and quick to advanced and detailed, showing how versatile commonly used fruits and nuts are for whipping up innovative and beautiful desserts. Providing authoritative information on techniques and specialty ingredients, and emphasizing the seasonal and the regional, Sweet Gratitude contains fresh takes on old favorites like pumpkin pie and tiramisu, as well as ingenious new creations like Pomegranate Fig Tart, Brazil Nut Chocolate Ganache, and Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies with Goji Berry Jam. Ideal for anyone looking for healthier dessert choices as well as a valuable resource for people with special dietary needs including those who cannot consume dairy, gluten, or refined sugar, Sweet Gratitude shows readers how to craft what may be the most elusive item in the culinary canon: the guilt-free dessert!