THE SWEETEST THERAPY is not a long book, only a little over 80 pages, but it manages to pack into those pages a lot of sweetness, some helpful advice and emotional support, and a bit of New Orleans history, along with some gorgeous photography which intersperses brilliant images of Mardi Gras color with still shots of tasty baked goods. Author Chase Cassine is a trained therapist and social worker who talks about his own experiences with grief and loss, and the way that baking helped him come to terms with it. He offers, among other things, a list of helpful affirmations to boost emotional morale and resilience, and also a list of handy baking tips to help ensure that the recipes come out perfectly every time, including such useful information as the difference between “one cup sifted flour” and “one cup flour, sifted”.
The recipes–including those for pecan pie, Chantilly cake, crème brulée and peach cobbler–are written in clear and readable style and should be reasonably simple and easy for a beginner to follow, but they promise a ready reward in the form of classic, delicious sweets that showcase their ingredients well and do not require a lot of extra elaboration to be both pretty and tasty. A reasonably capable preteen could, given these instructions, make most of these recipes, or at least do a lot of the work, and come out with results elegant enough for a dinner party or a fancy brunch. There are only a couple small missing bits of information which a beginner might want – like how to use fresh peaches in the peach cobbler (specifically, do you peel them, and if so, do you blanch them to make peeling easier?) or why the author specifies a “non-silicone” baking mat – and alas, despite teasing us with a mouthwatering description and picture, he does not include his pound cake recipe, but these are minor matters.
The book’s photographer, Dr. Devonte Williford, does an excellent job of capturing the light, life, and energy of Mardi Gras, with brilliantly colorful costumes, people dancing, and music you can almost hear through the page, while the photographs of the finished baked goods look tasty enough to tempt the strictest dieter. The lagniappe section (a New Orleans term he defines as “a bonus”) is short but rich with history and family memories passed down to him by his parents and grandmother – just enough to leave the historically-minded reader eager to go out and do some more research. This book packs an awful lot into its small size, and offers a worthwhile resource for those of us who find cooking and baking to be THE SWEETEST THERAPY.
THE SWEETEST THERAPY offers some useful counsel on dealing with grief and loss, supportive affirmations to improve self-talk, several delicious-looking recipes, and some fascinating living history of New Orleans and African-American culture, all in one compact, easy-to-read package.
~Catherine Langrehr for IndieReader