Talk about a sweet story!
A Park Slope writing and illustrating duo have teamed up to treat readers to their new children’s book “A Fine Dessert.” Author Emily Jenkins and illustrator Sophie Blackall’s four-century tale — which follows families from the 18th to the 21st centuries — centers around the one of the oldest desserts in Western culture: a fruit fool.
The sweet staple, a mix of blackberries and whipped cream, remains the same throughout the centuries, but the author said kids will see how food preparation, technology, and decor have changed throughout the 400-year timespan.
“You see the different sources of the cream, you see the different technology that they use, you see different refrigeration methods, you also see changes in what it’s served in,” said Jenkins.
The tale begins with a mother and daughter duo in England in 1710 then segues to South Carolina, where an enslaved mother and daughter prepare the same dessert for their master and his family. The story then moves to Massachusetts, where a mother and daughter whip up the dish, and the spiel finally ends on a sweet note with a San Diego father and son preparing the fool in 2010.
The twosome will launch the book at PowerHouse on 8th bookstore in Park Slope on Feb. 1. Jenkins said they haven’t yet decided if they will serve the storied dessert at the event, but she said attendees will definitely be satisfied, because Blackall is going to be live-drawing scenes from the book during the festivities. Jenkins also said she is happy that Park Slope will be the first to get a taste of “A Fine Dessert.”
“I’m excited to be launching it there,” she said.
Emily Jenkins and Sophie Blackall launch “A Fine Dessert” at PowerHouse on 8th [1111 Eigth Ave. between 11th and 12th streets in Park Slope, (718) 801–8375, www.powerhouseon8th.com]. Feb. 1 at 11:30 am.
