Food will speak to you if you listen. It evokes memories - warm thoughts of Mom in the kitchen. Soul food speaks to the souls of not only African-Americans, but to all of those who understand the importance of the relationship between family, friends and food. Brown Sugar is one of those cookbooks that speaks to your soul - to our memories of family (our birth family), friends and church gatherings (our chosen family).

I absolutely love Joyce White's style of writing. She brings you right into the kitchen and conveys exactly what works for her. She doesn't hold anything back. I believe her tips and helpful hints are as important as the wonderful recipes she's shared. One of my favorite tips concern toasting and crushing whole spices such as cardamom and coriander. This brings out their full flavor. You start this by scattering them "over the bottom of a heavy skillet. Set over low heat and toast for 5 or so minutes, swirling pan a time or two." Then you can crush them a variety of ways such as with a coffee grinder or rolling pin. Her other tips include going into detail about the kitchen tools she likes and why. It's always nice to know what works and what doesn't work for someone else. The section on "Pickin' Fruit" alone is worth the price of this cookbook. She takes the mystery out of purchasing the best fruits.

Of course, the meat of every cookbook is the recipes. The recipes in Joyce's cookbook not only speak to you, but there's an actual heartwarming story attached to most of them. The recipes and stories come from her friends and family who live all over the country. This personalization is what makes these recipes so special.

Joyce has divided her cookbook into seven effective chapters. Here are just a few of her 150 recipes in the following chapters:

"Some Cookies" - Brown Sugar Cookies, Benne Wafers, Kwanzaa Peanut-Chocolate Cookies and Lemon Coriander Tea Cakes

"Take the Cake" - Cardamom Swirl Coffee Cake, Black Walnut Cake, Coconut-Peach Cake, Caramel Cake and West Indian Christmas Cake

"Sweetie Pies" - Orange Buttermilk Pie, Candied Citrus Peel, Brown Sugar Pie, Honey Apple Pie and Butternut Squash Pie

"Puddings and Custard: So Smooth" - Biscuit Bread Pudding, Cheesecake Divine with Strawberry-Apricot Topping and Sweet Potato Cheesecake

"Homemade Candies: So Sweet" - Pistachio Brittle, Candied Pecans and Brown Sugar Nut Candy

"Cool Ice Cream" - Burnt Sugar Ice Cream, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Watermelon Ice Cream and Caramel/Burnt Sugar Sauce

"Simple and Sweet: Fruited Desserts" - Fresh Fig and Plum Compote with Honey Cream, Gingered Tropical Fruits and Pears Noires

I know you'll enjoy Joyce White's cookbook Brown Sugar, Soul Food Desserts from Friends and Family as much as I do. Don't delay and get your copy today.

Next > Sample Recipes