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The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern
The desserts in "The Last Course" speak to everyone, as do the easy-to-make recipes, broken down seasonally by fruits, vegetables, nuts, herbs and flowers, spices, sweet essences, dairy, and chocolate. Among the 175 recipes featured are Blueberry-Cornmeal Cakes, Tamarind-Glazed Mango Napoleons, Truffled Rice Pudding, Chilled Rhubarb Soup, Earl Grey Ice Cream, Chocolate Espresso Terrine, and Goat-Cheese Cheesecake. 85 full-color photos.
280 pages, Hardcover
First published October 16, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 18, 2022
I didn't love this one quite as much as I expected. :/
I have a massive sweet tooth and I find baking quite soothing and enjoyable, so when I kept hearing great things about this dessert cookbook, I rushed to my library to pick up a copy!
What I liked:
-The desserts are divided into sections based on their primary flavor characteristic: chocolate, nuts, citrus, stone fruits, etc. It was a unique division that made a lot of sense!
-Each section has a little blurb on suggested wine pairings, which was also really fun!
-There's a final section on "composed desserts" which essentially gives you suggested ways to pair up some of the various desserts in the book, usually ~3, to create a more luxurious dessert experience, and each of these compositions has its own specific wine pairing. Another thing I felt was quite unique and super fun for a dinner party or a special event.
-A wide variety of dessert recipes ranging in flavor, texture, and difficulty. Generally felt like a nice balance
-The cookbook opens flat!!
What I didn't love:
-There are FAR fewer pictures in here than there should be. I want to say maybe 1/4 of the recipes have photos? I could be off there, but it feels like that's a generous estimate. Like most people, I eat with my eyes, and I bet I would have bookmarked a LOT more recipes to make had there been more photos to tempt me
-To that end, there just weren't a lot of recipes that grabbed me.
-There were a lot of sorbets/ice creams etc. Which I love, but I don't have an ice cream maker which was required for all of them, so that was well over a dozen recipes that just didn't apply. It felt like a really excessive amount of ice cream recipes
-I think this is really just a preference thing, but this book took inspiration from/is showing recipes used in the restaurant where the author worked as a pastry chef, and that felt really evident in the approach and the recipes. They *felt* like restaurant desserts, and I think I realized while flipping through this book that I'm not really a "make restaurant desserts at home" kind of girl. I would absolutely eat/order most of these recipes at a restaurant, but I'm not inclined to make them all myself.
Still, there were definitely recipes I bookmarked for later--the bay leaf flan and the pine nut tart are the two I'm the most excited about--but far fewer than I'd have expected from such a large collection of recipes. Fine, but I'm glad I got it from the library, as it's not one I feel would add much to my collection.
I have a massive sweet tooth and I find baking quite soothing and enjoyable, so when I kept hearing great things about this dessert cookbook, I rushed to my library to pick up a copy!
What I liked:
-The desserts are divided into sections based on their primary flavor characteristic: chocolate, nuts, citrus, stone fruits, etc. It was a unique division that made a lot of sense!
-Each section has a little blurb on suggested wine pairings, which was also really fun!
-There's a final section on "composed desserts" which essentially gives you suggested ways to pair up some of the various desserts in the book, usually ~3, to create a more luxurious dessert experience, and each of these compositions has its own specific wine pairing. Another thing I felt was quite unique and super fun for a dinner party or a special event.
-A wide variety of dessert recipes ranging in flavor, texture, and difficulty. Generally felt like a nice balance
-The cookbook opens flat!!
What I didn't love:
-There are FAR fewer pictures in here than there should be. I want to say maybe 1/4 of the recipes have photos? I could be off there, but it feels like that's a generous estimate. Like most people, I eat with my eyes, and I bet I would have bookmarked a LOT more recipes to make had there been more photos to tempt me
-To that end, there just weren't a lot of recipes that grabbed me.
-There were a lot of sorbets/ice creams etc. Which I love, but I don't have an ice cream maker which was required for all of them, so that was well over a dozen recipes that just didn't apply. It felt like a really excessive amount of ice cream recipes
-I think this is really just a preference thing, but this book took inspiration from/is showing recipes used in the restaurant where the author worked as a pastry chef, and that felt really evident in the approach and the recipes. They *felt* like restaurant desserts, and I think I realized while flipping through this book that I'm not really a "make restaurant desserts at home" kind of girl. I would absolutely eat/order most of these recipes at a restaurant, but I'm not inclined to make them all myself.
Still, there were definitely recipes I bookmarked for later--the bay leaf flan and the pine nut tart are the two I'm the most excited about--but far fewer than I'd have expected from such a large collection of recipes. Fine, but I'm glad I got it from the library, as it's not one I feel would add much to my collection.
August 11, 2017
You simply cannot believe this book. The delicate infusions, the bold caramels, the richness of whole cream and real sugar and general yum. Recipes I've made: Pine Nut-Rosemary Tart; grapefruit-Rosemary sorbet; Chocolate-Caramel Tarts; Bay Leaf Flan; Chocolate Sorbet; Guinness Ginger Cake and many more...every one is a winner and you simply cannot believe it.
May 14, 2009
A stunning compendium of sophisticated desserts and unique flavor combinations. I've checked this book out from the library at least four times. Sadly, it's out of print, so I'll just have to keep checking it out!
April 14, 2011
This is the most amazing dessert book ever! I *wish* I owned a copy. I keep checking this one out from the library. The recipes are so drool-worthy, the pictures are amazing...I don't know why they don't reprint it.
December 8, 2018
This gorgeous dessert book is out of print; that's ok, it just means I'm going to request it on repeat, forevermore, from the library. Magical and fantastical collection of recipes.
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April 28, 2020Claudia Fleming & Melissa Clark, The Last Course: Desserts of the Gramercy Tavern, New York: Random House, 2001.
Does the world need one more book about desserts? Were there not a market for them, the houses would not publish so many. The author of this book was hired by Tom Colicchio as pâtissier at the Gramercy Tavern in New York City. Her book is recommended by Thomas Keller, Nancy Silverton, and Daniel Boulud. In New Testament terms, that's like being endorsed by Saint Peter, Saint James and Saint John. I bought a used copy and I'm happy to add it to my culinary library. She divides her recipes in an interesting way. She devotes two hundred pages to individual desserts, sorted into categories: berries, stone fruits, figs, melons and grapes, apples, pears and quinces, citrus fruits, tropical fruits, vegetables, nuts, herbs and flowers, spices, sweet essences, cheese, milk and cream, and chocolate. Vegetables, you say? Her small collection of vegetable desserts utilizes corn, rhubarb, rice, tomatoes, pumpkin, and winter squash. One might fuss that not all of those ingredients are proper vegetables. One ought not be so fussy. Then, best of all, she reveals how she builds composed desserts at Gramercy Tavern. Her theory, shared by numerous other chefs, is that three provides the perfect symmetry for any composed dish. I think this has something to do with the Holy Trinity. She demonstrates the principles on which composed desserts are composed and then draws on the recipes provided in the first part of the book to create trios which work. I don't know whether to begin with waffles with maple-glazed bananas and maple flan, or the peach tart Tatin with black-pepper ice cream, white peach-rosé champagne gelée, and champagne peach sorbet.
Does the world need one more book about desserts? Were there not a market for them, the houses would not publish so many. The author of this book was hired by Tom Colicchio as pâtissier at the Gramercy Tavern in New York City. Her book is recommended by Thomas Keller, Nancy Silverton, and Daniel Boulud. In New Testament terms, that's like being endorsed by Saint Peter, Saint James and Saint John. I bought a used copy and I'm happy to add it to my culinary library. She divides her recipes in an interesting way. She devotes two hundred pages to individual desserts, sorted into categories: berries, stone fruits, figs, melons and grapes, apples, pears and quinces, citrus fruits, tropical fruits, vegetables, nuts, herbs and flowers, spices, sweet essences, cheese, milk and cream, and chocolate. Vegetables, you say? Her small collection of vegetable desserts utilizes corn, rhubarb, rice, tomatoes, pumpkin, and winter squash. One might fuss that not all of those ingredients are proper vegetables. One ought not be so fussy. Then, best of all, she reveals how she builds composed desserts at Gramercy Tavern. Her theory, shared by numerous other chefs, is that three provides the perfect symmetry for any composed dish. I think this has something to do with the Holy Trinity. She demonstrates the principles on which composed desserts are composed and then draws on the recipes provided in the first part of the book to create trios which work. I don't know whether to begin with waffles with maple-glazed bananas and maple flan, or the peach tart Tatin with black-pepper ice cream, white peach-rosé champagne gelée, and champagne peach sorbet.
January 23, 2020
Delicious exploration of Claudia Fleming’s approach to designing desserts. The recipes and instructions are clear and most of the ingredients easily obtainable. Some really original desserts in here, looking forward to making them!
January 12, 2021
This book is by the very influential longtime pastry chef of Gramercy Tavern, Claudia Fleming. I found it definitely inspiring. She has recipes that have made quite the impression on the culinary world as we know it today - her dessert soups, for instance, or using herbs like lavender, lemon verbena, and basil in sweet preparations. I very much appreciated this book. I did find that a majority of the recipes that I tried had some redeeming quality but did not turn out exactly how I wanted. Nothing was crazy complicated, but, for instance, I liked the Nectarine-blueberry cobbler (p. 31) but I prefer my own favorite biscuits recipe. The exception to this was the Apples Tartes tatins (p. 61) which were out of this world fantastic. I recommend this book to experienced home bakers and pastry chefs who will be able to appreciate it for the wonderful inspiration that it is.
I've posted some pics here if you're interested: https://mykitchenscratch.com
I've posted some pics here if you're interested: https://mykitchenscratch.com
January 4, 2020
This is a recipe book of desserts, including desserts made from vegetables. It has unusual recipes for food such as rhubarb chips and honey dew melon soup. Of course many, if not most of the recipes include relatively large volumes of sugar, and other potentially unhealthy ingredients such as egg yokes and butter. So be careful. But I'm sure they taste great.
March 8, 2021
I've only tried one of the these recipes so far, and I do like it. I think there is a lot of promise in the book and a lot of great information. The one drawback I have is the lack of photos. I know it sounds so cliche and millennial, but I really like to see at least one photo of every dessert. It just helps me visuals the flavors and know what I'm aiming for.
December 6, 2020
I need more time, but this book is amazing, the deserts are beauty. I had the pleasure of eating at GT during visits to NYC. One meal was so memorable I still remember the smoked trout and chocolate cake.
December 4, 2022
Mostly about very posh and fanciful desserts - not many things I would attempt to make without years of experience as a professional chef.
Talks a bit about how to combine flavors and textures to make interesting desserts in general, but I found it very hard to relate that with my real life of maybe serving dessert at a party or casual get-together once in a while, not a dinner party for 8.
Talks a bit about how to combine flavors and textures to make interesting desserts in general, but I found it very hard to relate that with my real life of maybe serving dessert at a party or casual get-together once in a while, not a dinner party for 8.
December 27, 2024
This is one of those cookbooks you want to own because it's so beautiful and looks like one could actually have success making them. The dessert recipes look delicious and are interesting takes on things we all know. Found this listed on the best cookbooks of all time and it truly belongs there!
January 30, 2025
Interlibrary loan ILL through NC Cardinal.
Maybe 25% of these things MIGHT be something I would order from a menu when eating out
But I didn’t come across much I would be willing to put in the effort to make myself.
Maybe 25% of these things MIGHT be something I would order from a menu when eating out
But I didn’t come across much I would be willing to put in the effort to make myself.
February 1, 2025
Interesting recipes
I’m sure this dessert cookbook would be great for most people and the recipes did look great. But, so many of the recipes used fruit with seeds, nuts, corn, or needed an ice cream machine that I can’t eat or don’t have.
I’m sure this dessert cookbook would be great for most people and the recipes did look great. But, so many of the recipes used fruit with seeds, nuts, corn, or needed an ice cream machine that I can’t eat or don’t have.
September 28, 2020
such a delightful book !
October 22, 2021
Want to try the Fig and Concord Grape Clafouti, Banana-Pecan Strudels, and the Cinnamon Crème Brûlée recipes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2021
Blueprint for simple and sophisticated desserts.
February 27, 2014
Everything sounded extremely delicious, and I wouldn't hesitate to order any of these items if I saw them on a menu. The pictures were gorgeous, though I wish there were more. However, I probably won't make anything from this one; many of the recipes are more time and dish intensive than I like to make at home.
November 4, 2008
The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern by Claudia Fleming (2001)
September 18, 2025
Stopping just short of opulent, these desserts are unique and elegant.
July 29, 2008
I learned how to bake at my first restaurant job with this book. Thank you, Claudia!
February 12, 2010
go to for ice cream recipes
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews