My Sweet Mexico: Recipes for Authentic Pastries, Breads, Candies, Beverages, and Frozen Treats »

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Fany Gerson has worked in many kitchens—from the three-Michelin star Akelare in San Sebastian, Spain, to Eleven Madison Park and Rosa Mexicano in New York, where she developed the celebrated modern Mexican desserts. Fany’s work has been featured in the New York Times, Gourmet, Fine Cooking, Daily Candy, NY Daily News, Time Out Magazine, and New York Magazine. She splits her time between her native Mexico and New York City.

After years spent traveling and sampling sweets throughout her native Mexico, celebrated pastry chef Fany Gerson shares the secrets behind her beloved homeland’s signature desserts in this highly personal and authoritative cookbook. Skillfully weaving together the rich histories that inform the country’s diverse culinary traditions, My Sweet Mexico is a delicious journey into the soul of the cuisine.
 
From yeasted breads that scent the air with cinnamon, anise, sugar, fruit, and honey, to pushcarts that brighten plazas with paletas and ice creams made from watermelon, mango, and avocado, Mexican confections are like no other.
 
Stalwarts like Churros, Amaranth Alegrías, and Garibaldis—a type of buttery muffin with apricot jam and sprinkles—as well as Passion Fruit–Mezcal Trifle and Cheesecake with Tamarind Sauce demonstrate the layering of flavors unique to the world of dulces. In her typical warm and enthusiastic style, Gerson explains the significance of indigenous ingredients such as sweet maguey plants, mesquite, honeys, fruits, and cacao, and the happy results that occur when combined with Spanish troves of cinnamon, wheat, fresh cow’s milk, nuts, and sugar cane.
 
In chapters devoted to breads and pastries, candies and confections, frozen treats, beverages, and contemporary desserts, Fany places cherished recipes in context and stays true to the roots that shaped each treat, while ensuring they’ll yield successful results in your kitchen. With its blend of beloved standards from across Mexico and inventive, flavor-forward new twists, My Sweet Mexico is the only guide you need to explore the delightful universe of Mexican treats.

Library Journal

Pastry chef Gerson has been featured in Gourmet, the New York Times, and Fine Cooking, and her book of Mexican fare on the sweeter side is long overdue! She offers ingredient and equipment guides as well as recipes with detailed instructions, history on ingredients and customs, and colorful photographs. Recipes for beginning cooks include hot chocolate and Mexican wedding cookies; the more adventurous can try Mexican Opera Cake. Sources for locating ingredients are provided. For lovers of Mexican cooking, this is an essential cookbook destined to go hand in hand with Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen.

Acknowledgments  vi Introduction  1
Ingredients Guide  5
Equipment Guide  17
 
Bebidas / Beverages  22
Dulces de Convento / Sweets from the Convents  38
Maiz / Corn  60
Dulces de Antaño / Heirloom Sweets  72
Pan Dulce / Morning Sweet Breads  94
Fruta / Fruit  120
Postres / Desserts  140
Delicias Heladas / Frozen Treats  168
Mexico Moderno / Modern Mexico  186
 
Sources  207
Bibliography  209
Index  210