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Bennett Frisch & Sheryl Meddin The Dessert Place
Paideia mom, Sheryl Meddin, and business partner Bennett Frisch, owned and operated the innovative
and highly popular Dessert Place, from 1979-1996. More than just a bakery,
they created a cosy dessert “boutique” where friends gathered to share a cup of coffee and fabulous, freshly- baked treats.
The sugar mavens sold out of their first cookbook,
“Stressed is Just Desserts Spelled Backwards”, which was published in 1997.
Atlantans, who have yearned for their famous recipes, will find many favorites in the following pages of American Pi!
Dessert Place napkin sketches by an
anonymous artist with a sweet tooth.
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A Sweet Ending
As the “founding mothers” of the Dessert Place, we spent the better
part of 17 years surrounded by thousands of desserts and millions of calories. Throughout that time, we vacillated between craving the sugar-laden treats to being convinced that we would never eat sugar again. However, the one thing that never wavered was our under- standing of the power of a good dessert.
To some, dessert is a must at the end of every meal. To others, a reward afforded only on special occasions. But at its best, a dessert
complements and completes any meal. That’s not to say that sweets are always relegated to the final course. In the dessert business, we met people who confessed to eating cake mix straight out of the box
as an afternoon snack, and to indulging in middle of a sleepless night.
It only goes to prove, that even in this age of fitness and healthy lifestyles, there is, and always will be, room in our lives (and on our tables) for dessert.
— Bennett Frisch
cookies and milk in the
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American Pi Crust
Historians believe that pie pastry originated with the Greeks. The
Romans, sampling the delicacy, carried home recipes for making it. The Paideians made the recipes and devoured the pies!
• Combine flour, sugar and salt in a food processor until well combined.
• Add shortening and butter and pulse to blend until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Sprinkle in water and pulse just until mixture forms large, moist clumps.
• Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead
2 to 3 times.
• Divide dough in half and flatten into disks. Wrap in plastic and
refrigerate at least 1 hour or until firm.
• Roll out one disk on a lightly floured surface into a 14-inch
round, about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer to a 9-inch glass pie pan.
Leave 1/2-inch dough overhang.
• Fold overhanging dough under and crimp edges.
• Refrigerate uncooked pie shell for 10 minutes. Repeat with
remaining pie dough.
• When ready to bake, place crust in a preheated 350o oven and
bake for 8 to 10 minutes or just until crust begins to stiffen.
Make two crusts at one time, even if you only need one. Freeze the extra one for quick, future use!
When a recipe calls for cooking the crust before filling (blind baking), it’s best to use small metal pellets available in cooking stores. These are better heat conductors than beans or rice, so the upper surface of the pie crust is less likely to be underbaked.
Makes 2 (9-inch)
pie crusts Prep:
10 minutes
21/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar 3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chilled vegetable shortening
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4-5 tablespoons ice water
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age 1
American Pi
The Cookbook
Families at Atlanta’s Paideia School are resourceful in the kitchen. We are a community known for creativity and cul- tural diversity and we have reveled in the dialogue of good food and friendship since the dawn of Paideia time. Many of us even remember those early ’70s, when the school was formed and the number one song was “American Pie.”
American Pi
Come inside, and you will find that the language of mealtime is well spoken. We’ve grown beyond our roots, when alfalfa sprouts were the most common component at our potlucks. And while we still love our pasta and artichoke dip, we’ve expanded our palates to embrace such exotic dishes as Pollo da Perdenone, Dahi Murgh and Thai Evil Jungle Prince.
The Cookbook
Recipes from Atlanta's Paideia School
American Pi is well seasoned with the wit of noted food crit- ic and Paideia parent, John Kessler, and with appetizing sto- ries from several more of Atlanta’s favorite food celebrities. Their entertaining tidbits take you to the heart of the recipe.
And let there be no doubt – while we still ponder the lyrics of that song – we do know where to find a good meal!
Enjoy American Pi!
Recipes from Atlanta's Paideia Sπchool
ISBN 0-9744114-0-X
American Pi