Discovering Classic Desserts in Dallas, Texas with Cookbook Author Helen Thompson

From the Green Tea Ice Cream Cake from Asian Mint to the Bittersweet Chocolate and White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies from the Zodiac Room, Helen Thompson, author of Dallas Classic Desserts ($15.95; Pelican Publishing), says the city is full of surprises.

Especially when it comes to food.

“(Dallas) occupies an interesting position in this region, both geographically and culinary, because it is positioned at the crossroads of Southwestern and Southern cooking. Because of that, you get this very lively mix of two extremes in food.
Southwestern style tends to be spontaneous, hot and ad hoc; while the Southern style can be genteel with an underpinning of French and African fervor.”

In her cookbook, Thompson takes readers on what she describes as a “guided tour through personal tastes and discoveries that the ordinary person wouldn’t usually have access to.”

She points out that Dallas has some truly great restaurants run by some of the country’s best chefs and was surprised to discover how many of them are  in hotels. But, according to Thompson, that follows the Dallas tradition of grandeur.

“Dallasites love to go to grand locations to enjoy their food, and that’s the tradition I try to capture in Dallas Classic Desserts.”

She adds she was stunned that nearly every chef she approached generously let her have their special, signature recipes.

“I want people to delve into how these desserts are prepared and to get an inside look into what the chefs themselves are thinking about when they concoct a dessert,” says Thompson. “Coincidentally, because of the downturn in the economy, I think that there are plenty of folks out there who might now might be unable to venture into some of these restaurants, but can still get a bit of a thrill learning to prepare the same signature desserts these great chefs specialize in.”

She adds, “I felt that they’ve given a gift to the readers that opens up to culinary adventures that they wouldn’t otherwise have had.”

Now when it comes to pinpointing exactly what Dallas dessert icons you should try during your visit to Dallas, well, Thompson says you need to visit them all.

When asked what three words she would use to describe Dallas’ desserts, she chose inventive, creative and sophisticated.

“Dallas is a city where there is enough wealth to support great ideas and to encourage the development of new alternatives to the predictable.”

photo credits: both photos, book cover and Helen Thompson headshot, are courtesy of Pelican Publishing.