Ballymaloe Desserts

‘Ballymaloe Desserts is an extraordinary cookbook’ – David Tanis

A baking book - attainable, reliable, and inspirational recipes for the home baker for cakes, cookies, pastries, puddings, and other sensational sweets, from the acclaimed pastry chef at the iconic Ballymaloe House in Ireland

Ballymaloe House, in County Cork, Ireland, is heralded as the birthplace of modern Irish cuisine. There, visitors are treated to acclaimed pastry chef JR Ryall's daily array of seasonally inspired treats, wheeled through the dining room on a vintage dessert trolley. In Ballymaloe Desserts, Ryall presents 130 recipes for his award-winning confections, tested and perfected for the home baker.

Eye-catching, elegant, and a bit magical, these inspiring yet accessible recipes range from the delightfully retro Ice Cream Bomb to the showstopping Irish Coffee Meringue Gâteau to a Classic Strawberry Shortcake made modern with an edgy geometric presentation.

Ryall is an excellent teacher, providing clear, detailed instructions for each dish. Recipes are built to be adaptable, highlighting Ballymaloe's commitment to seasonality and fresh local ingredients. His thoughtful advice appears throughout the book, revealing the best method for whisking egg whites, serving tips for adding major & 'wow' factor, and more.

Chapters and recipes include:

• Fruit : Compote of Green Gooseberry and Elderflower; Sugared Peaches
• Meringues : Almond Meringue Gâteau with Chocolate and Rum Cream
• Mousses, Set Creams, Jellies and Fruit Fools : Orange Mousse with Chocolate Wafers
• Puddings : Old-Fashioned Rice Pudding
• Some Biscuits and Petit Fours : Strawberries Almandine
• Frozen Desserts : Blackcurrant Ice Cream; Blood Orange and Passion Fruit Sorbet
• Pastries : Rhubarb and Custard Tart
• Cakes : Irish Apple Cake; Chocolate Mousse Gâteau

JR Ryall is the pastry chef at Ballymaloe House in County Cork, Ireland. He has been working there since the age of fifteen and in 2010 took the reins to oversee the dessert menu. Each year, he travels for two months in search of new culinary ideas around the world. He has also staged at The River Cafe, Ottolenghi, Chez Panisse, and Tartine Bakery, among other esteemed restaurants.