The Burgeoning Bookshelf: Book Review: Just Desserts by Charlotte Ree

Just Desserts

Charlotte Ree

Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Imprint: Plum
Publication date: 29th October 2019
Genre: Cooking / Non Fiction / Lifestyle
Pages: 144
RRP: $29.99AUD
Format read: Hardcover
Source: Courtesy of the publisher

Instagram sensation Charlotte Ree is famous for her simple and delicious sweets ... and her love of puns. Her easy, user-friendly creations are designed to taste amazing, rather than just look pretty (though pretty they most certainly are!).

Just Desserts showcases 30 of Charlotte's most popular and delicious cake, biscuit, slice and dessert recipes in one outrageously gorgeous little package. Featuring essentials, such as chocolate brownies, shortbread caramel slice and chocolate-chip cookies through to show stoppers, such as layered berry pavlova and chocolate ganache & blackberry bundt, Just Desserts is the ideal gift for the baker and sweet-lover in your life - even if that's YOU!

I have a weakness for dessert books. Well, not only the books, I love cooking desserts! Cakes, slices, biscuits, tarts. I have a particular penchant for gorgeous covers and Just Desserts certainly falls into that category.

Charlotte’s book is split into two sections; biscuits, slices, sweets and cakes, bundts, tarts. Thirty of her favourite, no-fuss recipes. Desserts her Grandma made. Many taking less than 30 minutes so you can enjoy sharing your bakes with friends.

Ree includes a simple introduction with tips for cooking and a guide to the basic equipment and baking tins required. The book also includes a handy conversion chart in the back.

There are no fancy over-priced ingredients with most of them already in any well stocked pantry. I had a quick look through all the ingredients and there was only a very small list of items I would need to specially purchase for some of the recipes.

The beautiful and colourful illustrations of wattle, bottlebrush, banksia, waratah and gum leaves throughout the book give it a true Australian flavour. I would like to give a special shout out to Alice Oehr for these gorgeous illustrations. Go check out her website! http://www.aliceoehr.com/

I was already familiar with some recipes in the book and wanted to try something different. The honey madeleines looked easy and delicious. I had all the ingredients at home however I did need to buy a madeleine tin. They proved to be quick and easy. The perfect thing to make when friends drop in.

Charlotte suggests serving them with a dollop of cream but I thought if I left off the cream I could eat more. They certainly were irresistible!

My next bake will be Charlotte’s Chocolate Ganache & Blackberry Bundt Cake.

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Photo credit: Pan macmillan

Charlotte Ree is an avid baker and recipe developer with an impressive online following. Based in Sydney, Australia, she develops recipes and content for brands such as Marimekko, Kenwood and Williams-Sonoma. When she isn't baking, Charlotte is usually travelling as part of her day job as media and communications manager for a book publisher. Charlotte believes strongly in scratch baking, going back to basics with the classic flavours and techniques that our grandparents perfected. Just Desserts is her first book.