Desserts [Hardcover]

Nancy Silverton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1986

There are desserts and then there are desserts....All of Nancy Silverton's are outstanding. Gourmet magazine has described Nancy Silverton's desserts as "dazzling," and in this beautifully illustrated new book, containing over 200 of her most luscious recipes, she shares years of experience as pastry chef at Spago and Chinois in California and, most recently, at Maxwell's Plum in New York City. "He who advances to the hot fruit tart has glimpsed paradise," reports one food critic. Others wax rhapsodic over her chocolate terrine-"legendary"-her chocolate truffle cake, her cognac mousse cake, her lemon tart, her puree of fresh peaches in almond crust, her gossamer tuiles and lemon sable cookies, her rice tart with mangoes, and her 'indescribably delicious individual hot apple pie, which is not to be confused with Mom's apple pie" (Gourmet). Now chefs at home can prepare elegant, mouth-watering desserts by following Nancy Silverton's precise, step-by-step instructions. This extraordinary collection of classic and new desserts is sure to win further accolades for its author.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 365 pages
• Publisher: Harper & Row; 1st edition (1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061817708
• ISBN-13: 978-0061817700
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #426,645 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best dessert books out there, June 9, 2006

By 

Cookbook Gal "Cookbook Gal" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Desserts (Paperback)

Hands down, one of the best dessert books in my several-hundred cookbook library. A LOT of the recipes require skill, and involve multiple steps. If you're skilled, or want to become skilled, this is a book for you. The apple pie recipe alone is amazing. Nancy Silverton is considered to be one of the best pastry chefs in the country. I like this book more than her "Pastries from the La Brea Bakery," because it is a lot more accessible, even though it's not really "easy."

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, October 6, 2009

By 

Reader and Writer (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Desserts (Hardcover)

When I worked in pastry, my boss told me to buy Nancy Silverton's books because she was the best pastry chef in America. She was then and remains today an inspiration to me. I have most of her books, and this is my favorite by far. It is the most general, covering cakes, pastry, candy and frozen desserts. Unlike some books by celebrity chefs that are filled with glossy photos but have incomplete or booby trapped recipes (Pierre Herme's is a pet peeve), Silverton's recipes are always beautifully written and tested. How generous of her to share her methods with us.

The recipes are fairly complex but well described enough that a careful home cook can complete them. The layout of the book is a bit drab and all black and white. It would be great if it were reprinted.

The chapter on ice cream/sherbets is especially useful. Her buttercream method is baroque but produces amazing results. The caramel tart is one of the best things I have ever eaten, as is the banana chocolate cake and the sticky bun. Oh, and the cassis truffles! Yum!

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the book from the bakery that got me started ..., April 11, 2007

By 

john "John" (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Desserts (Hardcover)

Visited the bakery and tasted their goodies. Loved it. Bought the book the next visit and started baking. Good clear and clean layout. Although i am partial to measuring by weight. Your friends and table guests will appreciate the fruits of your labors.