Did you know that today, August 11th, is National Raspberry Bombe Day? I didn’t.
Do you even know what a Raspberry Bombe is? Maybe you do, but I didn’t.
For those who are like me and weren’t familiar with this dessert before now, a raspberry bombe contains sherbet, heavy cream, sugar, chopped nuts, candied fruit and a dash of rum. The dessert is layered using a spherical mold and frozen overnight.
Its holiday is in August because it’s smack dab in the middle of raspberry picking season. And although August 11 is Raspberry Bombe Day, the dessert can be served in a variety of flavors.
While the holiday has only been around since the 1980s – the dessert traces its history back to 18th century France, where French cooks started experimenting with freezing liquids and layering them in round molds, creating the earliest versions of the bombe glacée.
The dessert continued to be in and out of fashion in upscale restaurants and was even famously featured on the wedding menu for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in 1947.
I’m bringing this up because through a very quick search to find an idea for this post, I came across a dessert that I had never made or even heard of before, and it reminded me just how vast the culinary world is.
So vast in fact, that culinary arts have their own Dewey Decimal classification – with cookbooks sitting at 641.5.
The internet is FULL of recipes (usually attached to long stories about where the recipe came from or memories tied to it), and it’s so easy to just google “easy weeknight dinner ideas.”
But there are still TONS of cookbooks published each year. Major trade publishers in the US release roughly 1,000 to1,500 cookbooks each year. Many of those titles launch in the fall ahead of the holiday shopping (and cooking) season. If you’re not looking for a specific type of recipe, browsing a cookbook can be a great way to find something new. They don’t have those annoying popup ads, and it also just feels traditional and that can be a great way to connect with your heritage or family. It can also be easier to glance at a physical book while cooking rather than using a smaller device like a phone (just please be careful with library books around your pasta sauce).
I’ll admit – it has been a LONG time since I’ve looked at an actual cookbook. But searching in our catalog – there are over 100 pages of cookbook results. There are cookbooks based on geographic regions, or types of foods, there are cookbooks based on skills (usually a lack of skill with recipes target towards folks like me who have limited kitchen talents), there are cookbooks for children, and even cookbooks themed around your favorite fandoms.
Additionally, with your library card, you have access to Gale Onefile where you can discover academic journals and magazines on all aspects of cooking and nutrition. You can also check out food and cooking magazines on the Libby app!
Heck, there are even cozy mysteries – fiction novels – that have recipes in them.
So, as we are heading out of Summer and into Fall – meaning we may be more apt to start turning our ovens on (anyone else basically put their oven in hibernation mode during the summer? Just me?) – come to the library and check out a cookbook or two.
While I can’t guarantee that one of them has a recipe for a Raspberry Bombe, there is only one way to find out.