Bon Appetit Desserts: The Cookbook for All Things Sweet and Wonderful [Hardcover]

Barbara Fairchild (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2, 2010

Includes a subscription (or renewal) to Bon Appetit Magazine

For more than 50 years, Bon Appetit magazine has been seducing readers with to-die-for desserts. From quick homestyle cookies to unforgettable special-occasion finales such as spiced chocolate torte wrapped in chocolate ribbons, Bon Appetit showcases meticulously tested recipes that turn out perfectly--every time. Now, culled from Bon Appetit's extensive archives and including never-before-published recipes, Bon Appetit Desserts promises to be the comprehensive guide to all things sweet and wonderful.

Authored by Bon Appetit editor-in-chief Barbara Fairchild, Bon Appetit Desserts features more than 600 recipes--from layer cakes to coffee cakes, tortes and cupcakes to pies, tarts, candies, puddings, souffles, ice cream, cookies, holiday desserts, and much, much more. Certain to inspire both experienced home cooks and those just starting out in the kitchen, each recipe is designed to ensure the dessert preparation process is as enjoyable as the finished result.

Bon Appetit Desserts is destined to be the definitive, comprehensive, invaluable dessert resource.

"This is a gorgeous book that makes me want to make everything--no, taste everything--inside! This is a must-have for every baker, cook, and sweet freak in your life." --Elizabeth Falkner, chef and owner of Citizen Cake and Orson

"At last, a collection of Bon Appetit's most treasured dessert recipes, thoroughly tested as always, beautifully illustrated, and, of course, wonderfully delicious. You'll reach for this book each time sweets are on your menu, but you'll come back to it just as often for its myriad tips; great chapters on ingredients, equipment, and techniques; and the many detailed and easy-to-grasp how-tos.

It's truly a one-stop book for all of us who love baking." --Dorie Greenspan, author of Baking: From My Home to Yours and Around My French Table

"Bon Appetit Desserts is filled with exactly the kind of sweets I like to make: inviting, unpretentious, and easy to love, but also innovative enough to turn a few heads. And the best part is, Bon Appetit Desserts is not only about recipes. With chapters on ingredients, equipment, and techniques, plus a slew of tips from the Bon Appetit test kitchens, it's also a mini-education. Oh, in case you aren't sold yet, I have ten words for you: Banana Layer Cake with Caramel Cream and Sea Salt-Roasted Pecans." --Molly Wizenberg, author of A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Barbara Fairchild is editor-in-chief of Bon Appetit magazine. She joined the magazine's staff in 1978 as an editorial assistant, and spent almost 15 years as the executive editor before being promoted to editor-in-chief in 2000. She is a frequent guest on radio and television programs discussing food, restaurants, travel, and popular culture. She has been recognized by the James Beard Foundation's "Who's Who in Food and Beverage in America."

Product Details

• Hardcover: 704 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing (November 2, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740793527
• ISBN-13: 978-0740793523
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.9 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,457 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Barbara Fairchild is Editor in Chief of Bon Appetit magazine. She joined the magazine's staff in 1978 as an editorial assistant, and spent almost fifteen years as the executive Editor before being promoted to Editor in Chief in 2000. She is a frequent guest on radio and television programs about food, restaurants, travel, and popular culture, and has been recognized by the James Beard Foundation's 'Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America.' She is also the author of the bestselling Bon Appetit Cookbook.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for the Price, December 8, 2010

By 

Stuart L. Claggett (Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bon Appetit Desserts: The Cookbook for All Things Sweet and Wonderful (Hardcover)

We have always enjoyed the dessert recipes in Bon Appetit magazine so a purchase and review of the cookbook was not a question of if, but when. The Desserts cookbook is big, with quality printing and good color photos. The layout is easy to follow and we thought the use of whisks instead of stars to indicate the complexity of the recipe was creative.

The books begins with pantry and equipment suggestions and then techniques which might be helpful to many. The techniques sections uses illustrations where I believe pictures would have been better. For example, showing dough textures on page 37 is meaningless to the reader. We would suggest that the editor change this in the next version. From here we move to the recipes that starts with cakes.

There does not seem to be any order to how the recipes are organized in each section. There are subsections (example 5 in cakes), but if this was targeted for a large audience then perhaps sections should have started with the one whisk recipes and then moved to the four whisk recipes in each section. The pictures are well done but limited in scope. We have all seen magazines begin to have a light table grid of recipe pictures that could have played well here. At the beginning of each section they could have a 9 photo grid of each recipe and then cut back on the full page pictures. I enjoy pictures and cookbooks can always be lacking in too few of them. Pictures make me want to make the recipe.

The tips and layout of the recipes are good. The recipes selections would keep one entertained in desserts for quite a while with many visits to the treadmill. Our first recipe was a Cranberry Lime tart that did not disappoint. The holiday season will bring some other trials. Lime Snowball cookies looks interesting but it does require lime oil. We actually expected to find more recipes with uncommon ingredients but were pleased that they minimized their inclusion.

Overall we are pleased with the cookbook. You can find some of the recipes already on the Bon Appetit website and if you want a picture that may be the place to look. Amazon and Costco have very good pricing in the U.S.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book, Fabulous recipes, November 28, 2010

By 

Fincayra - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bon Appetit Desserts: The Cookbook for All Things Sweet and Wonderful (Hardcover)

This book is amazing - there are an immense amount of recipes that are rated out of 4 whisks - 1 whisk being easy to make and 4 whisks being more advanced. The layout is easy and simple, the pictures are sparse but beautiful and everything sounds delicious! Some of the recipes call for expensive and/or hard to find products but luckily substitutions can be made that taste just as good. I made the pumpkin spiced cake with caramel-cream cheese frosting, and it was unique and delicious. I highly recommend for any sweets lover and aspiring baker.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Cookook Has It All, February 8, 2011

By 

Books and Chocolate - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Bon Appetit Desserts: The Cookbook for All Things Sweet and Wonderful (Hardcover)

How fun to have a very large (689 pages) and beautiful cookbook devoted entirely to desserts by one of the premier food magazines, Bon Appetit. There are over 600 recipes in this book, most reprinted from the magazine archives but also some new ones. The photos are gorgeous and inspire me to want to head to the kitchen to create something wonderful.

This is one of those cookbooks that anyone can use no matter what level of cooking experience because the recipes are well-written with plenty of explanation and diagrams. Also included are chapters on what kinds of foods to keep on hand in the pantry, equipment basics, and techniques explained.

Every kind of dessert is covered: cakes and cupcakes; pies, tarts, and pastries; custards and puddings, fruit desserts, frozen desserts, cookies, bars and brownies, candy, and even a chapter devoted to cheesecake. I like that most of the recipes use regular ingredients that are easily found in any grocery store. The traditional recipes for things like classic chocolate chip cookies, apple pie, and chocolate cake can be found alongside unique offerings such as Mai Tai Sorbet, Cherry Creme Brulee, Hazelnut Macaroon and Strawberry Tart, Hazelnut Praline Cheesecake, and Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes.

Whether needing a dessert for a casual pot-luck dinner or something elegant for a bridal shower or a tea, I can find it all in this one book.