Note: We’re excited to introduce the Barbara Kafka Dessert Anthology, a new project we’re working on with one of our favorite cookbook authors. Check back here for Barbara’s regular updates about the last, best course. - Chip

One day, I looked at my recipe file—now, mainly on the computer—and realized that although I had written many books and articles and consulted with many restaurants, I had really done very little with all the dessert recipes I had developed. I hadn’t done a proper book on desserts.

Many of the dessert recipes I’ve written were meant to delight restaurant goers. Others were put together with the busy home cook in mind. Still others were meant to be festive, triumphant endings to a dinner or a party. Many involved baking, but there were also recipes for those who don’t like to bake, or even those on a diet.

In short, there was a little bit of everything.

Now, in Cookthink, I seem to have an ideal place to share all these recipes. They’re not all in the same format, because they were developed for different uses and media at different times. However, all of them have been thoroughly tested for the home cook.

Over time, this dessert anthology will grow. There will be a vast variety of desserts, from simple fruit dishes to sorbets, ice creams, custards cold and hot, steamed puddings and a host of baked goods. I’ll be taking a mostly seasonal approach—no strawberries in December. If you have any questions or suggestions, leave a comment at the Cookthink blog or visit bkafka.com and click on “Ask Barbara.” I promise I will answer.

I’m starting with a series of end-of-winter tarts. At least in my part of the world, spring fruits and summer berries are not yet available. However, citrus fruits are plentiful and desserts using them can make a salutary contrast to the somewhat rich foods we tend to indulge in in still cold weather. The last of the storage apples should be used up, and papaya is a current tropical import.

And so:

Recipe: Lemon Tart (The Barbara Kafka Dessert Anthology)
Recipe: Grapefruit Tart (The Barbara Kafka Dessert Anthology)
Recipe: Apple Crumb Tarts (The Barbara Kafka Dessert Anthology)
Recipe: Papaya Tart (The Barbara Kafka Dessert Anthology)

[Update: Read our Q&A with Barbara on what it means to take a “proper look” at desserts.]

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