Episode Details

Today’s guests are Claudia Fleming and Melissa Clark. Claudia is a legendary, award-winning New York City pastry chef and the executive culinary director at Daily Provisions. Melissa is a beloved home cook, author, New York Times Food reporter, and New York Times Cooking contributor.

Claudia and Melissa join host Jessie Sheehan to celebrate the 25th anniversary of “The Last Course,” the cult classic dessert book they co-authored in 2001. The book features 175 of Claudia’s recipes from her time as the opening pastry chef of Danny Meyer’s Gramercy Tavern. Claudia and Melissa talk about how they first met, their instant friendship, and the meticulous recipe testing process that helped make the book a timeless treasure.

Thank you to California Prunes for supporting our show. 

• Claudia’s Chocolate Caramel Tart With Peanuts
• Melissa’s Classic Roast Chicken
• Melissa’s Perfect Pound Cake
• The new issue of Cherry Bombe Magazine
• Subscribe to our Substack for more baking news and recipes
• Visit cherrybombe.com for magazine subscriptions, tickets to upcoming events, and more
• More on Claudia: Instagram, “The Last Course”
• More on Melissa: Instagram, “The Big Book of Dinner”
• More on Jessie: Instagram, Substack, “Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes”