Product Description
Satisfy the sweet cravings of your family and friends over and over again with more than 300 luscious desserts for every occasion, from family meals and celebrations to elegant dinner parties and buffet spreads.

Dessert does not have to be just “American as Apple Pie” any longer. This special collection of recipes, from an international team of food writers, is a mixture of time- tested classics, as well as modern desserts that appeal to the taste buds, budgets, and busy schedules of today’s cooks. Scattered throughout are 30 recipes that cater to specific health and diet needs such as diabetic, gluten-intolerant, low carb, and low- calorie. You’ll also find more than 150 full-color photographs that highlight many of the mouthwatering recipes.

The book is divided into 19 chapters, including Cookies; Cupcakes; Simple Cakes and Tortes; Layer Cakes, Rolls, and Gateaux; Pies and Tarts; Pastries and Yeast Cakes; Crisps, Cobblers, and Strudels; Meringues, Pavolas, Dacquiose, Vacherin, and Macaroons ; Baked Custards; Mousses, Gelatin Creams, and Charlottes; Puddings and Sweet Soufflés; Sweet Pancakes, Crepes, and Blintzes; Ice Creams and Sorbets, Fritters; Candy; and much more.

All recipes include preparation and cooking times, step-by-step instructions, and approximate number of servings. A short appendix shows many basic cooking utensils, as well as useful charts with conversion tables for weights and measures, equivalent ingredients, halving or doubling recipes, plus expert baking hints and tips. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

WOW
Wonderful dessert book - with pictures of each recipe, well explained not that hard at all. Would recommend this book to any one that likes make desserts.

Only Wish I'd Seen it First
This is a beautiful book with a great many, large glossy photos for most of the recipes.... Sadly, that is the only thing, in my opinion, that is good with the book. As I do not care for pictures, that leaves me with only the recipes from around the world. Does the subtitle say from around the world? I thought so. I was highly dissapointed to see that many of these desserts are that of American origin, which I have in a great many other books. I bought this book hoping for a treat of the eyes as well as the tastebuds. There are a few recipes from France and a few from other places like Afghan Cookies from australia, and one or two Italian desserts (which would be great if I did not already own two Italian speacialty dessert books by Nick Malgieri and Michele Sciccolone). As I am dissapointed with the recipes, I am left with only the treat for the eyes which I have no use for. I wish I had seen this book before purchasing. It does not deliver what it promses in the title. ... Read more

Product Description
Cooking Desserts focuses on fresh, good-quality ingredients and classic dessert-making techniques. Divided by season, ensuring the fruits are used at their freshest, this cookbook covers a wide range of desserts from across the globe, featuring modern favorites as well as new twists on the classics. Alongside the recipes, Cooking Desserts also leads the reader through preparing the basics, such as short-crust pastry, ice-cream, crepes and soufflés. Special three-way spreads focus on dessert variations using a single ingredient, such as plums or apples. ... Read more

Product Description
The Dessert Bible is the definitive dessert cookbook for the North American home cook. Christopher Kimball reviews equipment from mixers to rolling pins, and discusses which are the best ingredients regarding types of flour, sugar, baking chocolate, and more. He explains basic techniques like beating and folding in egg whites, working with pie dough, and folding flour into batters. The recipes include layer cakes, pies, tarts, cookies, brownies, puddings, mousses, ice cream, sorbets, fruit desserts, sauces, and frostings. In addition, Kimball offers a section on favourite restaurant desserts from around the country that can be made at home. Every recipe has been tested, re-tested, and revised from scratch to ensure that these are truly the ultimate and simplest versions. The Cooks Bible (Little, Brown, 1996) and The Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook (Little, Brown, 1998) have sold more than 100,000 copies. Christopher Kimball will have his own cooking show beginning in Fall 2000.Amazon.com Review
The best part of The Dessert Bible is not the recipes--although they are wonderful--it's that Kimball, the founder and editor of Cook's Illustrated, shares his discovery process. You feel as though you are standing right next to him in his kitchen while he puzzles out the best lemon bar recipe. How do you make a bar that's zippy but not too sweet? How far should a Fallen Chocolate Cake fall? Can you substitute nondairy creamer in Crème Anglaise? (A resounding no!) Step by step, Kimball walks you through his experimentations, sharing both the triumphs and the failures. Cornstarch may beautifully thicken your lemon curd but it'll taste metallic. Each recipe is fronted by several paragraphs or pages of Kimball's baking process. He tells you which ingredients he tried and what happened. After each recipe are variations and a section called "What Can Go Wrong?" that points out common mistakes and misconceptions. The Dessert Bible covers cookies; brownies and bars; cakes, frostings, and glazes; brioche and fritters; pies, tarts, and fruit desserts; soufflés, puddings, and custards; frozen desserts; and restaurant desserts to make at home. In addition, several chapters offer tips and techniques on baking, baking sheets and pans, utensils, and kitchen appliances. "If The Dessert Bible provides you with a solid knowledge of dessert making," says Kimball, "you will gain the confidence to think for yourself in the kitchen, balancing a healthy mistrust of recipes (even mine) with enough common sense to rely on your own experience." --Dana Van Nest ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

Most excellent
This is not just a recipe book, it goes in depth into detail about how things work, what has been tested and why. Worth the money just for the buttercream frosting recipe alone. (Which I found through google books and prompted me to want to own this book!)

Test charts are blank!! Fantastic book
I love this new book.I have only one question.........is there a misprint?My book's test charts are blank in the Brownie, Cookie, Cake sections!!
Comments?Does anyone else have this problem?

Dessert Bible
Gives you all the 'why things flop, or are a success'I should have read the description more carefully. Prefer a cookbook geared toward more recipes than the how to's & what products work best to make the best desserts.

Great Book
Seriously, I had to write this review because of all the people who gave it such a low rating. ARE YOU KIDDING ME. Ok there may be a few things wrong with the book. I wouldn't mind a few pictures here and there. However, to say that the whole book is terrible is a bit extreme. I have a bunch of cookbooks and this is the one I continually go back to to compare recipes. I sold baked good at a farmers market and his Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies got rave reviews. He also gives so many options on a way to change a recipe. Like his cheescake. He gives you a way to light it up or make a dense one. He troublshoots each recipe in case something did go wrong. Very good book.

AWFUL!
In a quest to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie, I followed this recipe with enthusiasm and excitement.When I served them, the expression on everybody's face was more than I needed to know, they were absolutely the most disgusting chocolate chip cookies I had ever tasted!Not only did the batches of cookies go in the garbage, so did the book. ... Read more

Product Description
This invaluable A-to-Z culinary guide includes more than 800 definitions and 75 classic recipes for everything from Cheesecake to Churros, Financiers to Filo Dough, and Seven-Minute Icing to Semifreddo. Handy charts and appendices include tables of weight and measurement equivalents, conversions to and from metric, temperature equivalents and comparative baking pan sizes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

a Carole Bloom Dictionary
review of The International Dictionary by Carole Bloom for Amazon.com

This handy little reference book is probably less useful than it seems to be.If you already have a few pastry and baking books on your bookshelf, this would be a good, but not a great addition.You get a dictionary of around 800 definitions, and a few dozen recipes.

Note carefully what this book is not.You will not get a comprehensive encyclopedia full of pictures, diagrams, and recipes for just about everything under the sun, written by a diverse panel of distinguished and world renown pastry chefs.If you need a picture of something or a specific recipe, you will probably not find it here.

What you will get is a quick and handy reference to look up specific words and pastry names and get a brief, dictionary-style definition written by a respected but solitary author.Most entries are half a dozen sentences.A few major entries, such as sugar, will barely get a page.One can nit-pik here and there, but the the information is reasonably objective and level-headed.

The recipes are common ones easily found in any standard baking/pastry book, but it is a collection of fairly good recipes.The ones I tried worked very well."Beat" and "blend" are important techniques, yet receive a couple of useless sentences each, and similarly for "fold".Certain important, specific procedures and skills, surprising, receive scant attention.I also object to the cooked sugar chart: her categories are significantly different from standard texts on the subject, making it dangerous to use as a reference for a different cookbook.She also does not give the standard advice that cooked sugar should always be judged by the thermometer, and not these old-fashioned finger tests (cookbooks that do use these categories in recipes will usually have a chart giving exact temperature equivalents; if not, you need to get a different cookbook).The definition of Swiss and French meringues is backwards.Mirliton is also a Cajun word for chayote.The definition for cornet (paper pastry cone) is missing.

An author who knows her French cooking terms!
Because my grandfather was French and I have visited France a few times, I enjoyed this book all the more.There is a litte French bakery in Cassis which sells Choux Pastries with a cream filling and a caramel icing.

Carole Bloom describes the process of making such a dessert in detail.Mygrandmother first taught me the delicate art of creating choux pastry.Thefunny thing is it never worked when she was not supervising the process.

Ilater learned that you cannot eat any of the flour/butter mixture (which isvery tasty) before adding the eggs.No recipe will work if you do - thisis my warning!The recipe is not too difficult if you know the basics.

The alphabetical listings are easy to locate and the recipes looktantalizing.

~The Rebecca Review ... Read more

Product Description
Acclaimed natural foods chef Meredith McCarty brings together simple recipes for pies, cobblers, cakes, cookies, sorbets, and fresh-fruit desserts that are both healthful and delicious. Using fresh fruit, whole-grain flours, natural sweeteners, and light vegetable oils, the recipes range from home-spun classics to spectacular newcomers, including blackberry cobbler, chocolate-pecan bourbon bundt cake, peach and cherry pie, lemon-walnut tea cake, fresh plum galette, raspberry sorbet, orange-ginger oatmeal crunch cookies, fresh strawberry compote with orange-ginger syrup, and many more.Sweet and Natural is a must-have resource for anyone who wants or needs to eliminate unwanted fat, refined sugar, and cholesterol-and celebrate good health with great desserts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Yummaroo!
If you are looking for a wonderful natural cookbook with yummy recipes...congrats...you found it.I have been using this book over and over.Even my co workers love most of the things I bake.I love to bake and I have MANY cookbooks...some natural, some regular...but this one is the best.I love the use of something other than white flour, sugars, and dairy.As I have said...It is YUMMAROO!

Good for limited allergies
Pretty good book if you need to eliminate foods with sugar and dairy. It has pretty good recipes that even kids will like.

Helpful tips-delicious recipes!
Meredith McCarty has succeeded in providing us with a guide to healthy dessert making while being very conscientious of a totally vegan lifestyle. Everything we've tasted from the recipes in this book have been delicious and straighforward to make. The book's also packed full of explanations of how certain ingredients won't work, gives suggestions on ones that will and offers gorgeous pictures of the finished product.

I highly recommend this to all vegans looking for desserts to serve family and friends alike!

must have
If you are cutting back on sugar and missing dessert this book is an excellent introduction.With easy to follow receipes that even beginners can cook.And even the more advanced can use this as a jumping off point.

Great Recipes for the health minded baker!
I love this cookbook. It has great information on all types of sweeteners and goes through many different types of oils and flours too. The main ingredients she uses in this book for sweeteners are brown rice syrup, barley malt syrup and some have maple syrup. It is pretty easy to find the ingredients and the directions are easy to follow although I am a fairly experienced baker so I do "add lib" when I cook and find that the end result has been great. I made the lemon cake with the sauce but minus the lemon tofu cream because I have a slight allergy to soy. Tofu is definately a required taste and she uses very little in this book and it can easily be omitted.
She does use carob in some recipes so if you do not like carob you can just use cocoa powder or non dairy tropical source chocolate chips. There are quite a few color photos too.
I look forward to making more recipes from this book and the book is worth buying just for the eye opening info she provides on chemicals and how some of our ingredients are processed. It really motivates you to try to find a more natural alternative. ... Read more

Product Description
"Modernism is simply the result of the extremely progressive evolution of the American pastry industry. With the use of all ethnic influences, creative flavor combinations enhanced by incredibly visual designs is truly the global trend-setter for the millennium." Norman Love Corporate Pastry Chef, Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company Milk Chocolate-Ginger Mousse with Liquid Chocolate Center Norman Love Corporate Pastry Chef, Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Naples, Florida. Mont Blanc Michael Hu Executive Pastry Chef, Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York Midnight Macadamia Torte Kim O'Flaherty Pastry Cook, Essex House Hotel, New York. Chocolate and Pear Mousse Ensemble Eric Perez Executive Pastry Chef, Ritz-Carlton Tyson's Corners, Virginia. Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding with Specky Vanilla Ice Cream and Caramel Marshall Rosenthal Executive Pastry Chef, Trump Taj Mahal Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey Butter Pecan Custard Cake Wayne Brachman Executive Pastry Chef, Mesa Grill and Bolo, both in New York. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

a fab cookbook
a must book,only for the styling of the recipies you have to buy this book!!

mad skills needed
the pictures are amazing and i yet haven't tried any of the recipes, but i bet they would be lovely.it's not really how to make everything, but some of these things will take some talent to plate up.i haven't seen any books on plated desserts besides the one by this author so i took the plunge and got all 3.i am looking for a book more based on different techniques used.these books show u more rare unusual things, and not much teaching involved.

Master create a master piece
A master piece by craftsmen with unique skill and brillances of creativity. Very detailed, and the recipes work. Photography is fantastic.

Easy to follow directions
This book is great for aspiring pastry chefs.I do think some knowledge of high end desserts is necessary if a person would like to make any of the dishes in the book.The pictures are beautiful and the instructions are clear and easy to follow.I know the other books by these authors have gotten good reviews as well.

Just what I wanted
Beautiful photos -- useful for my son who recently completed Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (5)

I'm buying more for gifts
I have so enjoyed this cookbook.I am buying more for gifts.I want my sisters and daughter and daughter in law to experience Beth's recipes.

Bake Like a Pro!!!
This book is a must for both novice and seasoned bakers. It is easy to follow and the results are delicious!!! There is a picture for every recipe which I consider very helpful, actually a necessity and very few cookbooks go to this extreme. I have made several recipes among them the Yogurt Panna Cotta, Perfectly Simple Pound Cake, Apple Crumble and more. I am a very novice baker and appreciate the clear, concise directions. Kudos to Ms. Lipton for a job beautifully done.

A truly remarkable range of memorable treats
Whether it's the finishing touch to a great dinner, or a palate-pleasing treat for a celebratory occasion, there's nothing quite like a terrific home-made dessert. But not all of us are culinary experts or skilled dessert makers from scratch. That's why "You Made That Dessert?: Create Fabulous Treats, Even If You Can Barely Boil Water", a 216-page beautifully illustrated compendium of more than one hundred 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes compiled by Beth Lipton (a trained pastry chef and the food editor for 'All You' magazine) is such a welcome and highly recommended addition to personal and family cookbook collections. With recipes ranging from Mom's Mexican Wedding Cookies; Sour Cream Coffee Cake; and Buttermilk Pie; to Honeyed Fudge; Ginger-Bourbon Peach Sauce; and Double Chocolate Croissant Bread Budding, "You Made That Dessert?: Create Fabulous Treats, Even If You Can Barely Boil Water" will enable even the most novice of kitchen cooks to consistently turn out truly remarkable range of memorable treats that will satisfy both the eye and the appetite.

Must Have First Dessert Cookbook
I love this book. It's laid out so that even the most novice of bakers can have success in the kitchen, yet the recipes are far from beginner fare. Beautiful baked goods like Banana Snack Cake with Caramel Frosting, Double Apple Streusel Coffee Cake, and Black and White Trifle are all clearly explained and taste wonderful. Best of all, the recipes use real ingredients like butter and eggs instead of boxed cake mixes or boxed pudding mixes. I'm giving this at every bridal shower now!

Dessert at its best!
This is a book I've been waiting for. Because although yes, I know the author (and she is as brilliant in the kitchen as you would guess), I am one of those people who can barely boil water. Lucky for me, I'm married to a guy who knows his way around a cutting board, but I've been wanting to expand my list of recipes from 1 (chili) to many (with things like zucchini bread and tres leches cake) and with YOU MADE THAT DESSERT? I can do it without being totally overwhelmed and facing dessert disasters. I'm a busy girl and the recipes in this book are clear, easy and don't require ingredients that I've never heard of and can't pronounce. But they are real - none of that fake box stuff - and taste like heaven. With this book sitting on my counter, I feel like I can actually bake, and do it well. Oh, and don't miss the Chocolate Date Cake. It's worth it's weight in gold. ... Read more

Product Description
"A visually stunning and groundbreaking new book. Grand Finales: The Art of The Plated Dessert explores the intimate connection between flavor and presentation with recipes that are truly extraordinary. Thanks to the magnificent efforts of the pastry chefs in this book, the language of desserts will never be the same." -Jacques Torres, Le Cirque, New York A Gallery for the New Century A New Way to See, Taste, and Appreciate Neo-Classicism Echoes a classic dessert in form, preparation, or ingredients. Minimalism A single, primitive form supported by spare garnish. Illusionism Resembles a person, object, or scene. Architecturalism Features a prominent vertical component. Impressionism Communicates a theme or mood. Modernism Abstract forms with bold colors and a satirical edge. Performance Art Displays action at the touch of fork or spoon. Eclecticism Combines elements from other schools found herein. Fusionism Includes an ingredient or seasoning outside the European and American dessert tradition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Fantastic book!
Absolutely fantastic book, but not for amateurs! On the other hand, every, and I say EVERY professional should have it!Thorough, precise, with stunning photos, shortly-a MUST HAVE!!

mad skills needed
the pictures are amazing and i yet haven't tried any of the recipes, but i bet they would be lovely.it's not really how to make everything, but some of these things will take some talent to plate up.i haven't seen any books on plated desserts besides the one by this author so i took the plunge and got all 3.i am looking for a book more based on different techniques used.these books show u more rare unusual things, and not much teaching involved.

Great Book for the Hard Core Pastry Chef
If you are a home baker, this book is going to be VERY intimidating. Some of the things in this book take considerable skill and patience to accomplish and are NOT for the faint of heart!

That being said, even if you never make any of the desserts in this book as they appear, the book is worth the price. Most of the recipies for parts of the desserts can be used in other ways than shown. A good recipie is a good recipie, no matter how it is used.

At the very least, it will make a great coffee table book because the photography in the book is steller.

GOOD RECIPES, IMPRACTICAL DECORATIONS
Every artisan, in every profession has one aspect of their job, that he/she does not particularly like (or utterly dislikes). As a pastry chef I have to admit that for me this is the plated dessert. A little sauce here, a chocolate curl over there, a marbled swirl on the side, a matching base with a matching cream and a matching ice-cream and the whole thing is devoured only minutes after its preparation, only to start again the next afternoon. I like to produce and decorate the pastries, line them in trays in the display cabinet or on the counter, watch the customers as they come and see them, answer their questions as to the ingredients and the quality, pack them in a nice box and give them away, in a space of one to two days. Many times I just pass by the trays and the cabinets and just admire the beauty of it all.
So why would I review a book about plated desserts? Because I bought it. And why did I buy it? Mainly to have a reference book on plated desserts. Secondly, to adopt the decorations to pastry shop products.
On both counts I was disappointed.
Some of the desserts are too elaborate to be practical for either the restaurant or the hotel. Some just take too long to make and cannot be easily mass produced, so they are in effect useless to even the most efficient pastry chef. It is not so for all the desserts though. Most look great and are easy and fast to make. Some decorations look a bit dated (it is a 1996 book after all).
Why then 4 stars? Because as a pastry shop pastry chef (what a play of words) I don't care if the desserts are elaborate, I will never make them.
I have discovered another treasure within, the recipes! A plethora of recipes:
Mousses, cookies, biscuits, sponges, creams, ice creams, sorbets, custards and many more are to be found in these pages. So to me this book is not what the authors intended it to be, but an excellent source of recipes that I can utilise, not on a plate but in any other way imaginable.
Another plus is that the recipes are in both the Metric and the Imperial system and temperatures are in Celsius as well as Fahrenheit.
So if you do want to spent the money I recommend this as a good source for plated desserts, but as an even better source for recipes.

The best of the Grand Finales volumes
Of the three plated dessert books that Boyle and Moriarty made together (the other two are Grand Finales: A Neoclassic View of Plated Desserts,and A Modernist View of Plated Desserts), I would say that this one is the best. The pictures here are as gorgeous as always, but the presentations and recipes are much more feasible than the other two. Unlike a lot of the dishes from Modernist View, these ones are actually servable in a restaurant, or at a dinner party. They are not over the top dishes that are just for show. I would give this 4 1/2 stars if I could. The one thing that prevents it from being a 5 star book is the lack of glossary and the constant use of 'non-edible garnishes'. I am not a fan of huge sugar garnishes that no-one is going to eat, or if they do it would break their teeth. Don't get me wrong, they look really pretty, but I believe that everything you put on the plate you should be able to eat. Just difference in styles, I guess. ... Read more

Product Description
When the urge for something sweet, something fudgy, something meltingly rich or irresistibly decadent hits, nothing satisfies like an American dessert. From chocolaty brownies and chewy cookies to aromatic crumbles and generously frosted cakes, these are the luscious crowd-pleasers that make us groan with satisfaction and sigh with nostalgia.

Now, acclaimed all-American dessert chef and Food Network host Wayne Harley Brachman has assembled the very best of the best in American Desserts: The Greatest Sweets on Earth. With a gift for clarity that makes the results can’t-fail easy, and a talent for jazzing up traditional flavors, Brachman has revitalized our favorite recipes, transforming strawberry shortcake into fresh Peach Shortcake with Wild Berry Whipped Cream, and a simple black bottom pie into the luxurious Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie. His confections are brimming with enticing flavors, remaining true to their American roots: homey, simply presented desserts that are perfect to serve to family and friends alike.

Chapters showcase a wide range of classic desserts, some familiar and others ripe for revival: here are cakes (including Lemon Chiffon and Chocolate Icebox Cake), pies (such as Shoofly, Lemon Meringue and two-crust Classic Apple Pie), cobblers and puddings (like the unforgettable Nectarine-Raspberry Cobbler with Pecan Biscuits) and cookies and bars (with lavish flavors like Oatmeal Cookies with Walnuts and Chocolate Chips and white chocolate Blondies). All-American frozen desserts (such as Vanilla Malt Ice Cream and Cola Sherbet), irresistible fried doughs (including Apple Fritters and Chocolate Glazed Doughnuts) and decadent toppings (like Chocolate Fudge and Brown Sugar Custard Sauce) round out this must-have collection.

Throughout, “Baker’s Notebook” sections give every home cook the benefit of Brachman’s two decades of experience. Filled with lore, trivia and a fresh new spirit, American Desserts is a delightful celebration of “The Greatest Sweets on Earth.” ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

You will want to live on desserts!
The best dessert cookbook ever created. The recipies are uncomplicated, flawless, and the most delicious I have ever tasted. This book is pure pleasure. From the day I got this book, my other dessert books have been demoted to collecting dust. Absolutely brilliant.

Great recipes for desserts.
This is a collection of "standard fare" american desserts -- Cherry pie, apple pie, lemon chiffon pie, key lime pie, chocolate chip cookies, etc.

You are not going to find strange overly complex recipes full of imposible ingredients here -- No fresh papaya juice biscotti, guava-mint-rum granitas or goat milk cheese here.

I am not convinced about some of the combinations in the cookbook -- I somehow cannot bring myself to try adding tomato juice to make devil's food cake.

Other recipes are just pure dessert heaven.The lemon chiffon pie is *wonderful.*The pineapple cake with macadamia nut topping wonderful.Cocoanut pie great.

Mostly, though, the recipes seem pretty good as a first pass at making a tasty dessert you will enjoy eating.

Sweet Eats
Wayne Harley Brachman is one of the very few culinary writers, along with Alton Brown, who brings humor to his presentation and makes his literary and TV appearances just a bit more enjoyable than those of his colleagues.
His new book of dessert recipes is based on the rather thin premise that America is the home of the world's greatest desserts. The only real connection between this premise and the rest of the book is that all the recipes, from apple pie on down, are past or present American classics. Many of these recipes have fallen into obscurity such as indian pudding, but all are `red, white, and blue'. I suppose one could be cynical about the tie-in between baking and flag-waving, but Brachman pulls it all off with great good humor and a good story behind every recipe.
The book covers pies and tarts; cobblers, buckles, pan dowdys, etc; cakes; puddings and custards; doughnuts; cookies, brownies, and bars; ice creams; and sauces. True to it's title, it covers no type of baking other than sweets and covers no species of desserts which are clearly associated with another nationality. No Sachertorts here! He may be stretching it a bit when he includes tarts, although I am very glad he did. It is the first time I have read that there is a definite difference between a tart dough and a conventional pie dough. The latter aspires to being light and flaky, since it has no need to support any weight and is typically kept in a pie pan while being cut and served. The former is built so it's vertical wall can stand alone without the support of a pan. While Wayne admits that tarts have a distinctly French accent, all the fillings are purely Yankee Doodle.
In spite of the light tone of the historical commentary, the pastry techniques described herein are rock solid. This book would not be out of place as a textbook for a course on dessert baking. A corollary of this is that there is no attempt to make this a book of easy recipes. Pie and tart doughs are not easy, but Brachman gives you all the steps plus some general techniques the professionals use to `divide and conquer' complicated work. This would also be a great book to start a young baker out on serious techniques with the aim of achieving professional results.
There are a modest number of photographs and all are useful. No fluff here. One may have wished to see just a few more to, for example, demonstrate the French tart method called fraisage. Having a Pennsylvania Dutch background, the only place I detected some lapse in the text was in the discussion of funnel cakes. The batter recipe does not fit my experience and Wayne has the batter dispensed using a piping bag. I'm sure that is how a New Yorker would do it, but in Lancaster County, they use a funnel. Nicht Wahr!.
A very worthy book, especially for the price, for the casual baker and the amateur baker who wishes to learn more basic techniques. ... Read more

Product Description

There is a sweet and irresistible dessert perfectly suited to every taste and occasion. No chocolate lover can refuse a slice of rich chocolate torte, and a mound of homey blackberry cobbler captures the mood of summer. And what better way to end an elegant dinner party than with a scoop of refreshing mango sorbet or a serving of poached pears drizzled with raspberry sauce?

Williams-Sonoma Collection Dessert offers more than 40 recipes, including favorite classics and fresh new ideas. Inside, you'll find simple desserts perfect for a quick afternoon snack as well as seasonal recipes designed for events throughout the year -- from the ideal ending to a July picnic to the last course of a hearty autumn meal. For an impressive presentation, offer your guests a selection of elegant desserts on special occasions. And finally, a chapter devoted entirely to chocolate gives you good reason to indulge in everybody's favorite temptation.

Full-color photographs of each dessert help make it easy to decide which to prepare, and each recipe is accompanied by a photographic side note that highlights a baking technique or key ingredient, making Dessert much more than just a fine collection of recipes. An informative basics section and extensive glossary fill in all you need to know to create an unforgettable dessert that everyone will enjoy.

Whether it's a plate of warm double chocolate chip cookies, a chilled dish of richly caramelized crème brûlée, or a thick wedge of old-fashioned apple pie, no one can resist the sweet allure of a homemade dessert.

Williams-Sonoma Collection Dessert offers more than 40 easy-to-follow recipes, including both time-honored classics and irresistible new ideas. In these pages, you'll find delicious desserts, both simple and extraordinary, designed to fit any occasion at any time of year, from an elegant holiday celebration to a quick mid-afternoon treat. This beautifully photographed, full-color recipe collection is certain to become an essential addition to your kitchen bookshelf. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Very Good
A wonderful cookbook with fantastic pictures and simple instructions. Lots of goodies inside such as tarts, pies, sorbets, ice creams, turnovers, etc. I like the turnovers, they are so good. A very good addition to my cookbook library.

love the pics!
i love cook books that actually have full color pics of the recipes youre cooking! helpful pics and wording, my boyfriend wants me to make every recipe in the book!

Lucious Every Time
Written with passion not only for baking desserts, but teaching foundational principles of cooking well.Tips taught specifically for any given recipe can transform how you perceive cooking in general.You really get the impression that Chuck Williams wants to impart knowledge and complete understanding of cooking, and the recipes are the lessons.So simple, so delicious.And if you're as lucky as me, you'll get the whole series for Christmas.

A Must Have Dessert Book for Novice to Experienced Bakers
When you sensibly order this deal of a book, don't be surprised to find yourself promising to make EVERY SINGLE RECIPE as you flip through.The pictures are delectable, and the recipes easy to follow.They also include sidebars with both general information and that which is specific to the dessert at hand.I also enjoy their suggestions for alternate flavor additions.There are 6 sections of recipes:The Classics, Simple Desserts, Summer Fruit Desserts, Holiday Desserts, Special Occasions, and Chocolate Decadence.There are 7 recipes per section, and the book ends with basic dessert tips, glossary, and index.
Note that they use chocolate rather than cocoa in the chocolate-based desserts.I have a double boiler, but still generally prefer to use a metal bowl sitting atop a saucepan with gently boiling water.The bonus is that you can then use that as the main mixing bowl for zero chocolate loss.

Dessert cookbook
I really love this book! The pictures are great and the recipes are what I was looking for! I highly recommend it! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Simply stated, if there is only room for one more cookbook on the shelf
Comprising more than 250 superbly presented recipes for delicious desserts that will please any palate, "Good Housekeeping Best-Loved Desserts" showcases wonderful dishes that range from the classics to exotic delicacies suitable for any and all dining occasions from a midnight snack, to daily family meals, to celebratory events. Profusely illustrated in full color, each recipe features a clearly listed roster of ingredients and methodical, easy-to-follow instructions. From Apricot-Raspberry Rugelach; Chunky Black-and-White Chocolate Bark; Apple Strudel; and Cherries Jubilee; to Maple-Walnut Pie; Orange Liqueur Souffle; Peanut-Butter Cupcakes; and Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, "Good Housekeeping Best-Loved Desserts" is a cornucopia of culinary delights. Of special note is an entire chapter devoted to frostings! Simply stated, if there is only room for one more cookbook on the shelf, make it "Good Housekeeping Best-Loved Desserts"!

A Varied Collection of Recipes
I borrowed this title from the library and now plan to purchase it. This cookbook has traditional favorites as well as more innovative recipes. It features recipes from a variety of categories such as frozen and fruit desserts. I'm looking forward to testing the recipes shortly. ... Read more

Product Description
Renowned pastry chef Emily Luchetti has updated and compiled 150 of the best recipes from her hugely popular (and out of print) treasures Stars Desserts and Four-Star Desserts into one delectable cookbook. Those familiar with Emily's irresistible recipes will be thrilled to rediscover their favorites in a new, indispensable collection. And for those who have yet to enjoy these timeless treats, here's the chance to taste such unforgettable delights as rich chocolate French Silk; sweet, tart, and buttery French Apple Tartlets; and decadent Poached Pears with Walnut Cream. From puddings, pies, and cakes to cookies, candies, and confections, these sweets have stood the test of time. Tips on ingredients and equipment plus expert wine pairings for each recipe make Classic Stars Desserts a baking classic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Amazing Dishes
I bought this as a gift for my boyfriend who is in culinary studies. The pictures are amazing and the recipes are great. They are easy to follow instructions and taste great.

Really mediocre desserts
I have tried a few recipes from this cookbook and other Luchetti cookbooks and I have to question how this baker continues to get published. I will write another review for one of her other cookbooks later. Today, I set out to make the Pear Ginger muffins which is the third recipe I've tried from this beautiful cookbook. They were bland and dry. As a baker I will find my inspiration elsewhere. Three strikes and you're out!

Public libraries strong in culinary guides will find this appealing.
Pastry chef Emily Luchetti provides a fine collection of over a hundred of her own creations from her best-selling Stars Desserts and Four-Star Desserts, making this a fine 'best of' collection for any cookbook collection and for newcomers in particular. From a traditional Apple Pandowdy to Cranberry Linzertorte and Drunken Chocolate Cake, these are favorites packed with flavor and innovation, with a peppering of color photos throughout adding interest. Public libraries strong in culinary guides will find this appealing.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Have better than this....
When I got this book I was very excited. After looking thru it and trying a few of the recipes I can honestly say I was disappointed. The desserts were nothing special. The quality of the book as well as the photographs could've been better for the price. Just very disappointed.

Useful
This book includes many eye-catching, and great tasting desert. It also offers recipes or substitute recipes such as Double cream which cannot be found in the US. ... Read more

Product Description
"A Neoclassic View of Plated Desserts demonstrates both the subtle and theatrical pizzazz of a talented collective of visionaries." -Andrew MacLauchlan Executive Pastry Chef, Coyote Cafe "A brilliant addition to Tish Boyle's and Timothy Moriarty's series of cookbooks. This dynamic duo has thoroughly translated the recipes of some of our country's leading pastry chefs with immense ease and perfection. It is with enormous admiration that I recommend this cookbook to anyone searching for a greater knowledge of desserts." -François Payard Owner, Payard Patisserie & Bistro Author, Simply Sensational Desserts "It is the purpose of a neoclassic dessert to isolate the integral elements of a time-honored classic and transform its components to produce a dessert with the grandeur demanded by today's consumer. The pastry chefs who contributed to this book have provided recipes that do just that-and they do it magnificently!" -Bo Friberg Chef/Instructor, The Culinary Institute of America at GreystoneAmazon.com Review
Plated desserts--artfully arranged confections prepared from multiplecomponents--are a modern restaurant mainstay. In Grand Finales,authors Tish Boyle and Timothy Moriarty present 53 such creations, the work of23 leading American pastry chefs who have been challenged to make"neoclassic" versions of traditional desserts. Thus, for example, tarttatin, the venerable French apple galette, is reconfigured by chef LincolnCarson as Pear Tatin with Vanilla Ice Cream and Caramel Sauce. Like theother recipes in the book, the pear tatin requires multiple subpreparations(in this case 5, though 7 to 10 elsewhere is not unusual); frequently largerecipe yields (72, in one case), ingredient quantities given by weight, andrestaurant-ingredient "call-fors" (like isomalt and trimoline) furtheralert us to the fact--unstated--that the book is for professionals. Thissaid, general readers may well be intrigued by the talent and technique ondisplay in 105 color photos of the unquestionably gorgeous desserts, and bythe useful, often fascinating information on pastry history and productionthat the book provides.

Organized by classic dessert categories or fare, the book offers a widerange of "reinterpretations," including White Chocolate Key Lime Tart,Passion Fruit Baked Alaska with Coconut Marshmallows, and Ginger and QuinceNapoleons. A preliminary chapter introduces readers to the chefs--amongthem (in addition to Lincoln Carson) teacher and baking-book author NickMalgieri, Jacquy Pfeiffer and Sebastien Cannone of the French PastrySchool, and Chris Broberg of Manhattan restaurant Lespinasse. Offering insights andpersonal vignettes, the chefs help spin the historical and pastry-careerinvestigation thatfollows. An illustrated chapter on sugar work concludes the book, alongwith a glossary of classic dessert types. These latter sections arevaluable resources in themselves, and should engross all dessert makers,from the home-based to those who produce, or want to produce, stellarrestaurant sweets. --Arthur Boehm ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

mad skills needed
the pictures are amazing and i yet haven't tried any of the recipes, but i bet they would be lovely.it's not really how to make everything, but some of these things will take some talent to plate up.i haven't seen any books on plated desserts besides the one by this author so i took the plunge and got all 3.i am looking for a book more based on different techniques used.these books show u more rare unusual things, and not much teaching involved.

Great book!
I'm a pastry student.I bought this book because I needed ideas for my projects.This book presents classical desserts with a modern twist.A very useful resource.

Cool Book
I thought that this was a great book. As stated above; by other reviewers, this is not a beginner's book although not one that is entirely impossible for beginners to follow. I bought this book for reference for an upcoming ACF sanctioned event. I am rather new to this field but will be competing in it. It has many great ideas and alot of the deserts where displayed beautifully. The preparation of many garnishes where not explained but these are easily found on the internet.

I recommend this book to anyone looking to not just excel but have fun in the pastry field.

review on pastry
I feel that this book didn't project the pastry that people are interested in today.Pastry is like a fashion show, you put your best most tasteful and fashionable out to the public.The fashion is not overpowered by the accessories.. The dessert should be able to project itself alone..In this book the desserts were lost among all the garnish..

Not for beginners!
I agree with the previous reviewer this book is not for beginners.BUT what a book!The recipies are great, and presentations wonderful.The portions, sometimes serving 20 need to be reduced, and measures are in weight (took me a minute with 10 oz eggs).If you're a veteran baker you'll have a book that challenges-- and rewards with plenty of wow appeal at your next dinner party. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review
It is essential for any serious pastry chef to have a comprehensive knowledge of frozen dessert production, and Frozen Desserts provides all the basic information a pastry professional needs.

Introductory chapters include:

• the history and evolution of frozen desserts
• ingredients including dairy products, sugars, stabilizers, emulsifiers, fruits, and flavors
• equipment including churning machines, production equipment, and storage and serving containers
• essentials on storage, sanitation, and production and serving techniques

Customer Reviews (9)

Loving Frozen Desserts
For the beginner, the learner, or the expert this book is a treasure of 'helps' for the frozen dessert lover, and isn't that all of us?I am not a cook, but I purchased this book for my grandson who loves cooking.From my eating knowledge and from his cooking knowledge, it is a book for every lover (cook, etc.) of frozen desserts.It is easy to follow, as I read, and has the delicious-looking photos of what is being prepared.

On a bed of ice - is nice
I just received this book and have gone through it page by page and have not yet fully researched the entire recipe collection.However, with that being said I do feel this book is going to be a classic in my culinary collection.The images mirrored with the recipes certainly are extraordinary.

Any serious pastry chef worth his weight in butter-cream should want this masterful work for their kitchen. The recipes are top quality and certainly not for the faint of heart in the cold kitchen.Many will tax your skills if you are beginning down the pastry road, but if you are looking to make a statement with your desserts and truly want to offer a one of a kind finish then this book is for you.

I look forward to going through the history of frozen dessert and finishing with plating designs and techniques.This book and this review will certainly be a work in progress for me.Now off to look up some flavorful sorbets!

A complete guide on modern plated desserts, not only frozen
The book is very well written.
Desserts are separated per type and recipes are very detailed.
I love the fact that Grams are one of the measurement tool.
Easy for the home cook.

A wonderful book, but recipes are in "restaurant proportions" -- Photos are spectacular, and recipes are perfect
The author is a desert specialist from the Culinary Institute of America, and presents readers with top chef quality recipes.The book is actually aimed at fellow professional chefs, and serious amateurs, since the recipes are all in restaurant proportions.So you will need your calculator or good simple math skills to divide the ingredients proportions to make the ice cream and other wonderful deserts in home kitchen proportions.Just as a table book, the book is worth buying.The photography is simply beautiful.Yet, I wish the author had made an attempt to supply home kitchen proportions alongside the restaurant proportions.In a future edition of this book, the author should consider dual proportions table for ingredients.It's a must buy anyway for anyone serious about gourmet deserts.

The best professional book of its kind on the subject of froazen desserts!!!
If you are a pastry chef, or an aspiring pastry chef, you need to buy this book in order to increase your knowledge!!! ... Read more

Product Description
Cooks, book buyers and food lovers have come to expect thelavishly unexpected from chef Charlie Trotter, and his fourthlarge-format, gorgeously photographed cookbook, "Desserts", deliversthe ultimate indulgence. Full color.Amazon.com Review
"I have always considered desserts to be of equal importance to the savoryfood," Charlie Trotter writes in the opening pages of his lavish CharlieTrotter's Desserts. "My approach to desserts celebrates a fruit-drivenstyle, where flash and visual pyrotechniques [sic] are shunned in favor ofcelebrating the glorious flavors of a perfectly ripe piece of fruit at theheight of its season." The illustrations for this book (which won the James Beardaward for Best Food Photography) don't quite square up with thatstatement. It's hard to imagine more pyrotechnics and more visual flash.It's also a little hard to imagine how many hands went into the creation ofany single dish. These are not simple desserts for the everyday cook.Rather, this is a catalog of the kinds of desserts that can be created whenfabulous food products and fantastic culinary talents all converge at asingle kitchen. It's a coffee-table document of possibility.

Two Watermelon Soups with Frozen Yogurt Soufflé and Chocolate Seeds iscertainly a "doable" recipe for the home cook, and the assembly makes nobig demands. The real trick with this dessert, as with most of the dessertsin this book, is finding the "perfectly ripe piece of fruit at the heightof its season." If you are a cook with access to such fruit, have at it. Ifyour grocery store or supermarket buys the usual picked green fruit foundin the commercial fruit pipeline, then take a copy of this book to yourproduce manager and complain loudly.

Charlie Trotter's Desserts is divided into Soups and Sorbets, CitrusFruits, Berries, Tropical Fruits, Tree Fruits, Vegetables and Grains,Custards, Nuts, Spices, Chocolate, and Chateau d'Yquem. Combinations arestunning. Surprises are endless. You'll discover such delights as MeyerLemon Pudding Cakes with Persimmon and Tarragon Anglaise, Pineapple TarteTatin with Ginger-Hokkaido Squash Ice Cream, Rosewater Crème Caramel withPrimrose Sauce and Black Pepper Tuiles, and Macadamia Nut Chocolate Cakeswith Coconut Emulsion and Sugarcane Ice Cream. After living with this bookyou'll never look at a dessert menu in quite the same way. --SchuylerIngle ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Great Photo Essay...
But it ends there.Like the others before me, this book leaves a bit to be desired.

The recipes require a pastry certification just to attempt.I have one and I still wouldn't try most of these in my spare time.They require great skill and exotic ingredients in most cases.Nobody will find this book useful for casual dessert needs.

The photos, on the other hand are incredibly beautiful.This book *can* inspire.I do keep this book easily at hand for guests to drool over.I just prepare something uch more simplistic, yet delicious in it's own right.

If you like awe insipiring dessert pictures, this is your book.If you want awe insipiring desserts you can actually prepare, you are better served with something like "The Williams-Sonoma Collection: Dessert"

Great photos--flawed recipes
My husband is a chef, I cook and bake often, and was even a personal chef. We've tried two of these recipes so far and neither have worked! One of them was completely off in the dough and couldn't possibly have worked and the other we are still working on. It's for a portion of a recipe that hastoffee. We have resorted to finding another toffee recipe online and will try to make that and incorporate it in the recipe. It is very disappointing! I've tried this portion 3 times now with no luck. Thats just not right. Buy this book only for the photos and try to make them by using other recipes that you know and trust or use a reputable site with user reviews. We've ate at Trotters and it was good, but we've both had better meals for less money.

inspirational desserts
Some cookbooks are meant as much for inspiration as they are for actual cooking...moreover, some cookbooks aren't for the normal home cook.I was a pastry chef and made some of these recipes.In that context, it is an excellent book, and probably my favorite of the Trotter lineup.Really, these were his pastry chef's recipes, so perhaps that says something about my impressions of his food.

An experienced homecook could make these recipes as well, but please know going in, that if you are not somewhat skilled in the pastry arts, you might find the book frustrating (but beautiful).

Useful only for photos & inspiration
I can say that I am a reasonably competent home chef with an above-average knowledge of technique and most necessary equipment to get the job done. Having said that, I was impressed with the photos of nearly every featured recipe in this book and find the recipes to be admirably aggressive in their taste and texture contrasts. The recipes, however, are nearly all flawed in some significant manner in that following them verbatim will result in poor results. Even when this is not the case, I find these recipes to be "out of whack" from a taste perspective by any gastronome's standards and in need of serious tweaking. If you have good kitchen skills and seek to be inspired by the ideas in this book, then I would suggest it (USED!!) ... otherwise, there are much better cookbooks that will yield far superior results.

Really, what is the point here?
Get serious people, there is no way in a million years that most of us would ever successfully assemble one of these over-the-top recipes presented in this book.The extravagence displayed here is totally off the deep end, and is beyond the means or talents of most cooks, so why market this cookbook in the first place?Only other professional chefs would be capable of pulling it off, but they are also capable of making up their own fabulous recipes without Charlie Trotter's help.

Supposedly, we are to "draw inspiration" from these recipes.What a load of crap.I could take a second-year violin student, throw the sheet music for Paganini's 24 Caprices at him, and tell him to draw inspiration from the music, even if he couldn't hope ever to play it.What is the point of that, other than to frustrate a person?

This is nothing more than ridiculous self-indulgence on the part of another celebrity chef who apparently doesn't give a damn about we lesser beings who are simply trying to put a nice meal on the table. ... Read more

Product Description

Warning: This is a no-holds-barred book of decadence. Do you keep unsalted butter in your freezer? Not afraid of a little saturated fat? Then indulge -- if you dare!

The recipes in Jeremy Jackson's Desserts That Have Killed Better Men Than Me pack a one-two butter-and-sugar punch. Have a lick of Snice Cream (that's Fresh Snow Ice Cream) or slurp down a Banana Smoothie. Chomp on Chocolate-Dipped Ranger Cookies or dive into a Chocolate Sinkhole.Just be prepared to defend your bounty. These desserts are so delicious that a food fight might start over the last piece of cake!

Don't be fooled by the simple ingredients and easy-to-follow directions. Jeremy's desserts are not to be taken lightly. They're not for the faint of heart -- or stomach. Danger lurks beneath that delectable layer of Chocolate Ganache. So suit up in a pair of elastic waist pants, arm yourself with a fork and a giant glass of milk, and prepare for battle.

If you can survive Three-Lemon Cheesecake and My School Lunch Cream Puffs, you can probably handle the Peach Pie with Almond Crumb Topping.Polish that off and you just might be ready for the Hanging-Crust Rhubarb Cobbler.

In the world of desserts, there is no room for mediocrity. Desserts That Have Killed Better Men Than Me has no filler or predictable, so-so recipes (and absolutely no almond bark!), just good, honest, and deadly delicious ones -- with plenty of heavy cream.

Customer Reviews (6)

awesome desserts!
I just made the mint ice cream with mint from my yard....it was the best ice cream I ever made!I am now baking the coconut lime coolers, (they are in the oven right now...) and they promise to be glorious also.My hubby says,,,what are you baking..it smells so good!Keep up with the recipes....more, more!

Love Jeremy Jackson, not so much this book
This book is inspiring and allows you to use up all the leftover limes from the mojitos from you're last party...but when I have made the recipes they did not turn out good. The recipes are creative, and it gives a creative baker a good jump off point. The orange sugar cookies turned out to be little cakes instead of cookies. My taste retarded brother liked them anyways.

Par-ty, par-ty, par-ty . . .
I love this little book!Who can resist the title? It's such fun to read and the results are fantastically good--it's like cooking with a friend who is a lot of fun and doesn't let you down in any way!The recipes are simple and delicious and, incidentally, withstand substitutions well:peaches instead of raspberries for the Raspberry Clafouti, English breakfast tea instead of Earl Grey for the Earl Grey Applesauce, lemon juice & zest for orange in the Slow-Roasted Pinapple Sauce.Cook one recipe everyday and invite your friends over--par-ty, par-ty, par-ty...!

Your wife will love you for these treats...
I saw an article in our local Iowa newspaper which featured this book and a couple of the recipes.The title piqued my curiosity, so I bought it.To date, I have made four of the desserts contained therein.None are particularly difficult or time consuming.The instructions are written in novel-like prose and are easy to follow.The flavors in the finished products range from brain-melting (Chocolate Sinkholes) to delightfully sublime (Earl Grey Applesauce).Amaze your family and friends, or create the perfect conclusion to a romantic meal with your spouse at home while the kids are away at Grandma's for the weekend.

So -- *Is* fruit a dessert. . . ?
Chocolate-Dipped Ranger Cookies? Three-Lemon Cheesecake? Yikes! Rather than, as he says, produce a book with 1,000 recipes, of which only a couple of hundred are slightly better than average, Jackson, author of _The Cornbread Book,_ decided to limit himself to 60-odd lethel desserts, all of which are fantastic. Some of these are original (like Black Walnut and Dried Blueberry Tart, which is new to me, anyway, and which is now on my to-do list), some are variations on old standbys (like banana smoothies, or clafouti with raspberries instead of cherries), but all of them are at least interesting. The style is light and chatty but always informational, and there are some serious droolers in this little volume -- but I wish there were pictures. ... Read more

Product Description

As all its loyal fans will tell you, there is only one place to go in New York City for great pareve desserts: Doris Schechter's My Most Favorite Dessert Company. For more than twenty years, Doris has provided her customers with delectable cakes, pies, tarts, cookies, and muffins -- proving that dairy-free desserts can be delicious.

With this book, Doris shares the secrets of her renowned pareve baking, offering more than ninety recipes that can be made easily in any home kitchen. Forget the disappointing pareve cakes and cookies you may have endured in the past: these are rich, indulgent desserts worthy of even the most special celebrations. From an old-fashioned Apple Cake to a sophisticated Velvet Chocolate Cake to traditional holiday favorites (including an entire chapter on Passover baking), Doris provides recipes you'll love to bake, serve, and enjoy year after year. Illustrated with sixteen pages of lush color photos, My Most Favorite Dessert Company Cookbook will tantalize, tempt, and teach kosher bakers and sweets-lovers alike.

Customer Reviews (13)

Yes, There are errors in the cookbook!
I actually called the store( now called- My Most Favorite Food) and spoke to Ms. Schechter. I too had tried the hamantashen recipe, with lousy results. ( I am a very good baker).Ms. Shecter said that it was supposed to be just 1/4 cup orange juice, not 1 and 1/4 cups of orange juice!

I also asked about the rich pie dough, as per another Amazon reviewer's comment. Ms. Schecter actually had her baker test the recipe and called me back later. Yes, the rich pie dough does need about another 3/4 cup more flour!

I did not ask Ms. Schecter about the brownies that someone described as anemic- but when looking at the recipe I can't help wonder if the recipe should have stated UNSWEETENED chocolate instead of semisweet chocolate. That would make the brownies a lot more chocolatey. I have never tried the recipe.

I wish Ms. Schecter , as another reviewer suggested, would go back and test the recipes as written, and then post recipe corrections on her website.

I give Ms. Schecter credit for handling my phone call, however I am disappointed that there are mistakes in at least some of the recipes. I would love a good "kosher bakery type" cookbook.
Suggestions anyone?

The worst cookbook I ever owned - do not waste your money or your time
This is a TERRIBLE cookbook. I wanted to try several recipes from the book before I wrote this review and now I can legitimately write that it is the WORST cookbook that I own today. I am tossing it into the trash. The pie crust recipe that I tried was dry, tasteless and impossible to roll. Sadly, it is the basis for many of the recipes.The "buttercream" is greasy and disgusting and the cake recipes were dry. None of the cooking times were correct. This is a very sad excuse for a cookbook.

What a waste!
ingredients, time, and money.I tried several recipes and each one was more disappointing than the previous.I returned the book and have discouraged others from wasting their ingredients, time, and money.

OK but nothing beats KOSHER PALETTE/S.FISHBEIN
THESE RECIPES ARE OK BUT SUSIE FISHBEIN IS FOOL-PROOF.ESPECIALLY KOSHER PALETTE WHICH SHE EDITED BUT DIDN'T WRITE!

Great Desserts
I have recently had to cut diary products from my diet for health reasons.Being a dessert fanatic made this very difficult until I got this book.I have made several recipes including the traditional apple pie and brownies.Everyone who has tasted them thought they were outstanding.It is great that the recipies use all parave products such a margarine and soy milk, it allows us lactose intollerant people to enjoy desserts again!!! ... Read more

Product Description

Food can be an expression of who we are, and few foods have the power to please and uplift us as desserts do. In The World of Jewish Desserts, Gil Marks explores delicacies from Jewish communities around the world with more than 400 recipes that cover the full range -- culinary, geographical, ethnic, and cultural -- of Jewish desserts. This essential volume showcases the full spectrum of influences, offering desserts from both the Ashkenazic and Sephardic traditions, and communities from Denmark to Tunisia, from Italy to Bombay.

A Jewish dessert can be anything from the petites madeleines invoked by Marcel Proust to the beloved jam turnovers of Isaac Bashevis Singer's Polish childhood. It can be German butter cake or a Middle Eastern syrup-soaked nut cake, the creamy rice pudding of India or an Eastern European cheese blintz.

Marks -- rabbi, chef, writer, historian -- has provided recipes for every type of sweet temptation: cakes and cookies, puddings and kugels, yeasted and unyeasted pastries, phyllo and strudel desserts, fruit desserts and confections. There's even a chapter on Passover desserts. While the sources of these delectable treats may seem exotic, the ingredients and techniques are not, and the easy-to-follow, step-by-step recipes have been tested and retested to make sure they will work in any home kitchen.

Headnotes and sidebars illuminate the connections among food, culture, and history, giving fresh insight into the richness of the Jewish experience. Including extensive and valuable information on ingredients and cooking techniques, this book is one that you will use again and again.Amazon.com Review
Comprehensive and engrossing, The World of Jewish Desserts takes youon a trip through the world's Jewish communities, sampling their redolenttraditional pastries, cakes, and sweets. Gil Marks, author and rabbi,blends baking and history as he explores the Jewish Diaspora and theresulting dissemination of culinary customs and influence around the world.Most of the recipes are culled from the two largest Jewish cultural groups,the Ashkenazim and the Sephardim.

In the section on yeast cakes and pastries, Marks begins with a recipe forPandericas/Heifeteig (sweet yeast dough) which is the basis for many of thefollowing recipes. Each recipe is prefaced by a historical and culturalinterpretation and baking tips. Every few pages, Marks inserts a fewparagraphs about the country a recipe comes from, a chronicle of the use ofcertain spices, or baking styles. For example, after a recipe for KahkahawBabka (Polish chocolate sweet bread), Marks gives a short history of Jewsin Poland and the Baltic States which explains how these dishes developedand were sustained. He also gives a scientific explanation on theproperties of basic ingredients and how they interact with one another.

With 12 chapters of desserts, including cookies and bars, phyllo andstrudel, fried pastries, and Passover desserts, the book is almostmind-bogglingly inclusive. More than a cookbook, it is a culinary historyand discourse on a people whose traditions and culture have affected--andbeen adapted by--many of the world's countries. "The act of serving andconsuming food can be an expression of who we are, as well as a genuinespiritual experience," says Marks. "And few foods have the power to pleaseand uplift as well as desserts do." --Dana Van Nest ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Recipes that Bubbe would be proud of...
Gil Marks, rabbi, chef, and author of The WORLD OF JEWISH COOKING: More Than 500 Traditional Recipes from Alsace to Yemen, The World of Jewish Entertaining: Menus and Recipes for the Sabbath, Holidays, and Other Family Celebrations and the Jewish vegetarian treasury Olive Trees and Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World, has truly outdone himself with The World of Jewish Desserts.

A collection of over 400 desserts from every corner of the Diaspora from Alsace to Yemen, Marks has thought of everything the potential Jewish dessert baker needs to know. His brief introduction includes a primer on common ingredients (flour, leavenings, fats, sweeteners, eggs, nuts), measuring, high altitude baking, and more. The book is divided into yeast cakes and pastries, cakes, cookies and bars, pastries and filled cookies, phyllo and strudel, fried pastries, pancakes, baked puddings and kugels, stovetop puddings and creamy desserts, fruit desserts, confections, and Passover desserts.

Each recipe is clearly written and many include numerous delectable variations (also included are tips on how to make a dairy recipe pareve when possible). The book is sparsely illustrated with an ornate blue border and scattered blue pen-and-ink drawings of various recipes and ingredients. In Marks' usual style, each recipe includes its origin, original name, and what holidays it's traditionally served on.

Naturally, World of Jewish Desserts includes such well-known Jewish desserts as hamantaschen, rugelach, mandelbrot, blintzes, and cheesecake, but also includes a veritable treasure trove of Sephardic recipes including pumpkin (Italian pumpkin cake, Sephardic pancakes, candied pumpkin) that are perfect for fall, Indian recipes featuring coconut, mango, and tangerine that lend a refreshing tropical air to summer Sabbath dinners, numerous Middle Eastern recipes in rose and orange blossom syrups, and a valuable section on both traditional Hanukkah (fried pastries) and Passover (matza) desserts.

These are simple, delicious desserts that bring back happy memories of Bubbe's (or Babcia's) kitchen, with recipes from every corner of the globe that are sure to please, whether you're looking for the perfect sour cream coffeecake, chocolate babka, lekach, poppy seed roll, or something more exotic.

An appealing, involving cookbook
The World of Jewish Desserts provides recipes with a fine background by gourmet cook Rabbi Marks, who gathers Jewish recipes from Jewish communities around the world. The international focus of the Jewish dessert recipes makes for an appealing, involving cookbook which provides a very surprising variety of Jewish dessert choices. No photos, but the amount of research and depth to this title makes them less necessary.

if u think Jewish desserts stopped at honey cake, read this
Gil Marks, a rabbi, historian, linguistic detective and the author of three other books on kosher cooking and entertaining, provides a taste of not only the dishes, but the history of the Jewish communities that developed and transformed the dishes.And I don't mean an insert here and there, I am talking a page for each essay.For example, the story of German Jewish cooking, or Salonika Greek Jewry.I guarantee that you'll never look at a latka the same way after reading his latest book.The book opens with a treatise on cooking and baking.Did you ever wonder why fat is added to Jewish desserts (butters, oils, etc)?Is it any wonder that the person who introduced dry yeast (the kind that can be activated in your home by adding water) was a Hungarian Jew named Fleischmann?It's in the book.The chapters headings follow this format:Yeast Cakes and Pastries; Cakes; Cookies; Filled Cookies; Strudels and Phyllo; Fried Pastries; Pan Cakes; Baked Puddings and Kugels; Stovetop Puddings; Fruit based Desserts; Confections; and a whole chapter for Passover Pesach desserts/For each recipe, Marks adds a tidbit of history or Semitic semantics.For example, for the Kuchen Buchen recipe, Marks discusses Yiddish rhyming, or for the recipe for Makosh Poppy Seed Rolls, hewrites about how the German Mohn (poppy) filled cakes evolved into the Polish Makowiec rolls and German Makosh.Add some Hungarian cocoa, and you turnMakosh into Kakosh.Recipes are included for Debla; Lokmas; Loukoumades (in time for Hanukkah); Bombay Malpuah Banana Fritters; stuffed dates; blintzes; latkas of all sorts; marzipan, the Indian Jewish rice pudding called Kheer; Seffa; Brot Kugel; an Indian Carrot Halvah Pudding; an Alsatian Apple Charlotte (ApfelSchalet); a grandmother load that Seinfeld would know as a Babka; Schnecken; Haman-taschen; prune lekvar; Sephardic style Parmak, Moroccan Jewish Fakasch; Persian Klaitcha; Apfelkaka (don't you just love that name?); Iraqi Jewish Rayka Tamir; Lakach honey cake; Lepeny; strudels; Rugelach with a variety of fillings; Kadayif; Kindli; Kranszli; Farfel bars (not just for soup, you know); Biscotti (did you know that means twice baked?); Basboosah (a dessert, not a type of bus); Dobostorte 7 layer cake; and even a Gebleterter Kugel (a type of fluden). ... Read more