Diner Desserts

by Tish Boyle

Chronicle Books, 176 pp., $18.95 (paper)

In her position as food editor of both Chocolatier and Pastry Art & Design magazines, Tish Boyle sees lots of very fancy desserts. For this book, however, Boyle calls on the diner memories of her New England childhood, faithfully reproducing the plainly delicious time-honored standards from diner menus across the country. After an intro with some interesting diner history, Boyle takes us through the complete diner repertoire from fruit and cream pies under drifts of snowy meringue or whipped cream, to layer cakes slathered with frosting, and on to rich, homey puddings. (The Rum-Raisin Rice Pudding is marvelous.) There are breakfast pastries such as Apple Turnovers and Boston Cream Donuts (ah!) as well as coffee break treats in the form of cookies and bars and brownies. There’s a whole chapter on cheesecakes and another on soda fountain favorites that require no baking. This book made me pine for a little dessert shop all my own.

This article appears in December 15 • 2000.

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