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Interior and Designer: Carlos Esparza
Art Producer: Janice Ackerman
Editor: Rebecca Markley
Production Editor: Andrew Yackira
Production Manager: Martin Worthington
Photography 2021 Darren Muir; food styling by Yolanda Muir.
Interior Photography : Darren Muir
courtesy of Mast Photography
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-63878-204-9
eBook ISBN: 978-1-63878-506-4
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To Dave, who always makes it all work out.
CONTENTS
When I was growing up, our family dinners almost always ended with dessert, partly because thats just what homemakers did back then and partly because my dad had a sweet tooth. So my mother made sure to serve us a slice of pie or cake or even just cookies and ice cream.
But even though I was used to ending the meal with something rich and sweet, when I moved out I rarely made my own desserts. It wasnt that I didnt like them. Desserts just seemed like way too much work.
As I gained cooking experience and began my career as a food writer and recipe developer, I still shied away from making desserts. (I had no trouble eating them!) I made do with a few of my mothers standbys and a couple of easy no-bake recipes, but I concentrated my work on savory dishes.
Long before electric pressure cookers and multicookers like the Instant Pot were available, I was using a stove-top pressure cooker to speed up all kinds of savory dishes, from risotto to short ribs to pinto beans. Yet it never occurred to me to use it for desserts until I wrote my first pressure cooker cookbook. I had to include a chapter on desserts, and necessity (or pressure, no pun intended) being the mother of invention, I discovered a world of sweet treats that could be cooked in the appliance.
The first recipe I tried was for individual cheesecakes. Id tried making cheesecake the traditional way but never with much success. Imagine my surprise when my little cheesecake gems came out beautifully. Easy, quick, and deliciouseverything I wanted in a dessert recipe.
It turns out that the steamy environment of the Instant Pot is perfect for producing not only light and creamy cheesecakes but also perfectly smooth custards and rustic bread puddings. I started with those and then moved on to more challenging recipes. Because you cant get any browning in a pressure cooker, cookies and crisp pastries wont work, but it turns out that with the right ingredients and timing, you can make delicious pound cakes, brownies, muffins, and lava cakes.
Since that first book, Ive become a big fan of Instant Pot desserts. This book contains some classic recipes, some international specialties, and some new twists on old favorites. Along with my new creations, Ive included some favorites from my previous books and some contributions from other experienced cookbook authors.
Whether youre looking for elegant desserts suitable for company, treats for the kids after-school snacks, a sweet addition to brunch, or an easy finale to date night, youll find recipes to meet all your needs, whatever your tastes and skill level.
I hope you like cooking from this book as much as I liked writing it and that you, too, will fully embrace the world of Instant Pot desserts.
Welcome to the world of Instant Pot desserts. Before we get to the recipes, its helpful to take a look at the Instant Pot itself and how it works. In this chapter youll learn cooking techniques and tips that will ensure great results every time. Specifically, this chapter will cover equipment and ingredients, which types of desserts work best in a pressure cooker, how to use the Instant Pot, and how to avoid common pitfalls.
A NEW WAY TO MAKE YOUR FAVORITE DESSERTS
Over the past few years, the Instant Pot has transformed the way many home cooks make dinner. But while many people have come to rely on this innovative appliance for entres and side dishes such as braised short ribs and lentil soup, fewer know how fantastic an Instant Pot can be when it comes to desserts.