Book: “The Seasonal Baker: Easy Recipes from My Home Kitchen to Make Year-Round”; 288 pages, $35, by John Barricelli. Published by Clarkson Potter.

About the book: A third-generation baker, John Barricelli grew up in a large family in Long Island. Barricelli’s mother died when he was very young, and his father and grandmother taught him how to cook. Then, when Barricelli was a teenager, his father died and he took on the responsibility of cooking for his family. He is now the owner and chef of the SoNo Baking Company & Café in South Norwalk, Conn. He worked with Martha Stewart and hosted the PBS show Everyday Baking.

In their own words: “The sweet and savory recipes in this book are conceived with family – mine and yours – in mind. I love working with produce – there’s such incredible diversity and it keeps me connected to the seasons. My recipes offer new ways to use much of what you find in the produce aisle of your supermarket, with options for every seasons…. I’ve simplified techniques and recipes from my professional career wherever possible so that most of the recipes are practical for beginning bakers. Experienced bakers will enjoy the challenge of more complex recipes.”

What you get: A collection of 135 recipes, many accompanied by mouth-watering color photographs. In addition, a checklist of ingredients to always keep on hand, a checklist of kitchen equipment and a guide for buying, storing and preparing fresh fruits and vegetables. Many recipes include tips.

What we made:

MINI APPLE CHARLOTTES (P. 204)

2 tablespoons plus 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut in ½-inch dice

Pinch of coarse salt

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

¼ cup sugar

Pinch of ground cinnamon

¼ cup white wine or apple juice

¼ cup golden raisins

21 slices white bread from 2 (1-pound) loaves

Two cups of whipped cream or 1 pint store-bought vanilla ice cream

1. Heat the 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over high heat until melted. Add the diced apples and spread in a single layer. Sprinkle with the salt, then the lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon. Cook, stirring or shaking the pan every now and then, until the apples are tender but not mushy and are caramelized, 8 to 10 minutes. The apples will give off their liquid first and the liquid will evaporate.

2. When the apples are cooked and the liquid has evaporated, add the wine and the raisins and stir over medium-high heat until the liquid is entirely evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes; set the compote aside.

3. In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 1 cup of butter over medium heat. Once melted, let it bubble for 2 minutes to boil off some of the water. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool.

4. Set the oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

5. Using a 2 3/8-inch cookie cutter, or a glass of the same diameter, cut out 6 rounds of bread. Dip one side of each round in the butter, and place them, buttered sides down, in the bottom of each muffin mold. Trim the crusts from 9 more slices of bread and cut each slice in half to make 18 rectangles. Dip one side of one rectangle in the butter and press it over the side of one of the molds, buttered side facing the metal. Repeat with 2 more bread rectangles, overlapping as needed, so the sides of the mold are completely covered. Continue this way to line the sides of the remaining five molds with buttered bread.

6. Divide the apple compote among the lined molds. Use a 3 ½-inch cookie cutter, or a glass of the same diameter, to cut 6 more rounds of bread. Dip one side of each round in the melted butter. Place them, buttered sides up, on top of the compote. The rounds should completely cover the sides; this will be the base of the charlottes.

7. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet and bake, rotating the baking sheet about two-thirds of the way through the baking time, until the bread is crisp and brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

8. Remove the muffin pan from the oven. Place a wire rack on top and, with one hand (protected by an oven mitt) on the wire rack, quickly invert the muffin pan. Place the wire rack on a baking sheet and carefully remove the muffin pan. Let stand about 15 minutes before serving. Serve with whipped cream, or ice cream, if you like.

Our assessment: You’ll need to set aside a couple hours to tackle this recipe. I think the result is worth the effort, and the charlottes would work nicely as a sweet ending to a special meal, such as Thanksgiving. Here’s a sampling of what some of my colleagues had to say:

• Not as decadent as I thought, which make me wonder if it is actually even more insidious, a Trojan horse of calories. I could definitely taste the butter, which was delicious but not overwhelming. More subtle than I thought. I would eat more, which means I probably shouldn’t.

• The blend of apple sweetness combined with whipped topping was an endless vacation for my taste buds.

• I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t overly sweet. It was just sweet enough … I would have liked the crust to be a little crispy or flaky like a regular pie crust, but it worked just fine.

• It tastes like an apple pie and a pastry got together and had a tasty baby, a perfect marriage of flavors.

• One small nit: it was pretty messy and the crust didn’t hold together. Otherwise, I loved it.

• Tart and tasty. The Granny Smiths and golden raisin filling is the bomb… I’ve never said this before, but I think there was a tad too much butter.