Famed Pastry Chef Claudia Fleming's Iconic Cookbook Re-Released

SOUTHOLD, NY — An iconic dessert cookbook by Claudia Fleming of the North Fork Table & Inn is set for re-release.

Fleming, who set an industrywide standard at New York City’s Gramercy Tavern with her James Beard Award–winning desserts, first published her dessert cookbook, "The Last Course", in 2001; it has remained a bible for legions of chefs long after it went out of print.

Two decades later, based on demand from the culinary public, Random House is reissuing "The Last Course" in a repackaged edition, complete with the same delicious recipes and more than 80 beautiful full-color photographs. "With Fleming’s easy-to-follow technique and fresh approach to classic recipes, dessert lovers everywhere are able to re-create and savor her impressive repertoire at home," a release said.

For Fleming, the re-release of the book, which she wrote with Melissa Clark, is deeply meaningful. “I’m thrilled that Random House has chosen to re-release The Last Course!" she told Patch. "Over the years, people have asked me how they could get a copy, but the book was out of print, and even used copies were impossible to find. So it’s quite an honor to know that after almost 20 years, it’s available to a whole new generation both professional and amateurs, who weren’t in the kitchen when it was first published."

The book, she said, is a reflection of her years at Gramercy Tavern, "which were some of the most prolific and happiest years of my career — my 15 minutes, if you will. Being a celebrated pastry chef there, with the ability to focus solely on my craft, without the added responsibilities of running a restaurant as I do now, was quite a luxury. All the recipes were originally created for Gramercy Tavern, and I’m still making many of them. I’d consider the Chocolate Caramel Tart and the Coconut Tapioca among the signature desserts. They both were inspired during my time at Gramercy Tavern and remain two of my favorites, along with some of the simpler classics — Gingerbread Cake, Pecan Sandies and Chocolate Brownie Cookies.”

Events have been planned to celebrate the re-release including: A dessert tasting and book signingat the North Fork Table & Inn on Friday, Nov. 15; a demo and Q&A at Murray's Cheese on Monday, Nov. 18; and a "Tavern Takeover" at Gramercy Tavern, where diners can purchase the book and enjoy Fleming's desserts, on Wed., Nov. 20.

Fleming has graced the East End with her culinary expertise and her kind heart: She once prepared her award-winning desserts for the homeless at an event in Westhampton Beach for Maureen's Haven.

Fleming’s desserts, the release said, have won awards because they embody her philosophy of "highly satisfying food without pretension, a perfect balance for home cooks. Using fresh, seasonal ingredients at the peak of their flavor, Fleming creates straightforward yet enchanting desserts that are somehow equal to much more than the sum of their parts. She has an uncanny ability to match contrasting textures, flavors, and temperatures to achieve a perfect result—placing something brittle and crunchy next to something satiny and smooth, and stretching the definition of sweet and savory while retaining an elemental simplicity."

The classic and timeless elements of Fleming's recipes inspire even 20 years after her cookbook was first published and continue to delight home cooks, pastry chefs, and dessert enthusiasts everywhere.

Fleming and her husband, beloved chef Gerry Hayden, a pioneer in the farm-to-table movement, were mainstays on the North Fork culinary scene until Hayden died in 2015 after a battle with ALS.

Now, Fleming told the New York times that she plans to sell the North Fork Table & Inn and move back to New York City as the next chapter of her life and career unfold.

"The Last Course" contains 175 recipes that organized seasonally by fruits, vegetables, nuts, herbs and flowers, spices, sweet essences, dairy, and chocolate.

In the final chapter, Fleming suggests how to combine and assemble desserts from the previous chapters to create the ultimate composed desserts. Each chapter and dessert is paired with a selection of wines.

Recipes include Raspberry–Lemon Verbena Meringue Cake, Blueberry–Cream Cheese Tarts with Graham Cracker Crust, Cherry Cheesecake Tart with a Red Wine Glaze, Concord Grape Sorbet, Apple Tarte Tatin, Chestnut Soufflés with Armagnac-Nutmeg Custard Sauce, Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Sauternes Gelée, Warm Chocolate Ganache Cakes, and more.

Fleming is known for her precise technique and her ability to use ingredients in new ways; she won the Best Dessert Award from Pastry Art & Design magazine two years in a row during her tenure and the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Pastry Chef Award.

Fleming, who trained in American and French kitchens, apprenticed at the prestigious Fauchon in Paris under Pierre Hermé, and at Union Square Cafe, Montrachet, Tribeca Grill, and Luxe.

Fleming and Hayden opened North Fork Table & Inn in 2006, with a focus on locally sourced menus, raising the bar for culinary excellence across the entire East End — and the world.