From Arabica coffee Tiramisu to Amalfi lemon cakes, Senior Thamarie Pinnaduwage’s new cookbook explores the intersection of food and climate activism, with recipes featuring produce items at risk of extinction and tips to lead sustainable lives. Her book, Dangerous Desserts is the product of four years of dedication to research and trial-and-error in the kitchen–a token of her passion for the culinary arts.
Pinnaduwage’s interest in baking began much earlier; at eight years old, she passed time preparing simple box mix recipes and watching The Great British Baking Show. It was during the pandemic that she broadened her horizons, sharpening baking with more advanced recipes. As she experimented with new baking techniques and ingredients, she came up with the idea to write Dangerous Desserts.
“I had so many ideas for flavors that I thought would go together, [and] new desserts that I wanted to create. I started combining different elements of different recipes to create my own cakes, and slowly shifted to writing completely original,” Pinnaduwage said. “It inspired me to start the process of writing a book so I could share the recipes [I created] with others”.
In the midst of her conceptualization phase, she came across an article on endangered foods. Endangered foods are defined as foods–whether they be meats or produce items–that are predicted to go extinct in the next few generations.
“I realized a lot of unsuspecting produce items are going extinct because of climate change, unable to grow in the conditions they were thriving in before,” said Pinnaduwage. “I decided to gear my book towards sustainability, hoping I could share my recipes with a wider audience and bring attention to endangered foods as well.”
Pinnaduwage’s commitment and enthusiasm to bring her vision to life was felt by those who witnessed the development of Dangerous Desserts.
“We used to meet at the library last year when I was working on my college applications and she was working on her book. I don’t know anything about what went into creating a cookbook, so it was really cool to see and hear about her process of writing, testing the recipes, and formatting her book,” said Marie-Delphine Alberts, current freshman at William and Mary and former McLean student. “It was an honor to see her in the process and I’m so proud of everything she has accomplished.”
Dangerous Desserts features twenty original recipes, meticulously created and perfected by Pinnaduwage that highlight various endangered foods.
“Whether it’s her Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies or Apricot Cake: I’ve eaten a lot of delicious things from [Pinnaduwage] and Dangerous Desserts and I’ve never tried anything that I haven’t loved,” Alberts said. “She’s so talented and puts so much love and thought into everything she creates.”
Certain pages of Pinnaduwage’s book also outline measures that readers can take to lead more sustainable lives. Her hope to promote sustainability is also reflected in her prospects to donate profits generated by the sales of the book.
“With each book you buy, you are actively working on protecting the endangered ingredients in the book, helping to prolong the existence of our favorite desserts,” Pinnaduwage said.
Through her recipes, she hopes to shed light on the foods that many are accustomed to consuming everyday, without awareness of their endangerment.
“The book is supposed to show people the reality that as humans we’re at risk of losing a lot of foods that are so ingrained in our daily lives and in our cultures and communities,” Pinnaduwage said. “If you don’t take action, there’s so much at stake.”
