Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes [Hardcover]

David Lebovitz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 2010

Pastry chef David Lebovitz is known for creating desserts with bold and high-impact flavor, not fussy, complicated presentations. Lucky for us, this translates into showstopping sweets that bakers of all skill levels can master. In Ready for Dessert, elegant finales such as Gâteau Victoire, Black Currant Tea Crème Brûlée, and Anise-Orange Ice Cream Profiteroles with Chocolate Sauce are as easy to prepare as comfort foods such as Plum-Blueberry Upside-Down Cake, Creamy Rice Pudding, and Cheesecake Brownies.
 
With his unique brand of humor—and a fondness for desserts with “screaming chocolate intensity”—David serves up a tantalizing array of more than 170 recipes for cakes, pies, tarts, crisps, cobblers, custards, soufflés, puddings, ice creams, sherbets, sorbets, cookies, candies, dessert sauces, fruit preserves, and even homemade liqueurs. David reveals his three favorites: a deeply spiced Fresh Ginger Cake; the bracing and beautiful Champagne Gelée with Kumquats, Grapefruits, and Blood Oranges; and his chunky and chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. His trademark friendly guidance, as well as suggestions, storage advice, flavor variations, and tips will help ensure success every time.
 
Accompanied with stunning photos by award-winning photographer Maren Caruso, this new compilation of David’s best recipes to date will inspire you to pull out your sugar bin and get baking or churn up a batch of homemade ice cream. So if you’re ready for dessert (and who isn’t?), you’ll be happy to have this collection of sweet indulgences on your kitchen shelf—and your guests will be overjoyed, too.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. An elegantly-composed collection of classics and contemporary riffs, former Chez Panisse pastry chef David Lebovitz's (The Perfect Scoop) latest effort hits the sweet spot. Artfully balancing accessible recipes for novices (the simple four-ingredient Chocolate Orbit Cake, the three-ingredient Peaches in Red Wine and Pistachio, Almond and Dried Cherry Bark) with ambitious-but -worth-it desserts like Banana Cake with Mocha Frosting and Salted Candied Peanuts and White Nectarine Sorbet with Blackberries in Five-Spice Cookie Cups, Lebovitz truly has something for everyone. Can't-miss combinations like Guinness-Gingerbread Cupcakes, Cherry-Almond Cobbler, and Orange-Almond Bread Pudding are sure to inspire a trip to the market, and riffs on classics like a French apple galette (updated here with frangipane, a rich almond pastry cream) and a lush Fresh Ginger Cake will appeal to bakers whose bookshelves are already groaning with cookbooks. The inclusion of Coconut Layer Cake, Vanilla Ice Cream, Meyer Lemon Sorbet, Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookies, and Gingersnaps (including a fat-free variety) shows that Lebovitz also knows when not to mess with a good thing. Given its breadth, depth, and accessibility, readers with a passion for baking will be hard pressed to find a better guide to desserts this year. Photos.

Review

"Lebovitz's chatty, down-to-earth tone is sure to steady any rattled nerves as you turn the oven on and get the measuring cups out. And for seasoned cooks and bakers, Lebovitz's recipes are classics worth revisiting."
—Epicurious.com, The Best Cookbooks of 2010: Best Dessert

“David Lebovitz, blogging phenom and former pastry chef at Chez Panisse has written several cookbooks, but this might be his best yet. It's a compilation of all his favorites--from ice cream to cookies to cake and fruit desserts. You will also enjoy the notes with each recipe that tell stories, share tips and often produce giggles. Why? You've read his blog, and probably tried his recipes for free. Now it's time to pay the man!”
—Cooking with Amy, Top Cookbooks 2010, 12/18/10

“If there's one person you can trust to write a good recipe, it's David. My copy of Ready for Dessert is already dogeared and vandalized with all manner of sweet ingredients. His chocolate chip cookies are my go-to and his ice creams, for which he is well-known, are all outstanding. The man worked as as a pastry chef at Chez Panisse then moved to Paris. Need I say more?”
—TheKitchn.com, Favorite Baking Books of 2010, 12/16/10

“And finally, I want to mention a book from earlier in the year, highly recommended if you’re looking for a sweets book: Ready For Dessert: My Best Recipes by David Lebovitz who writes the excellent and popular blog, “Living the Sweet Life in Paris” at DavidLebovitz.com. This is a compendium of his favorite recipes that he’s reworked and rewritten.  As ever, superb and recommended.”
—Michael Ruhlman, Books for the Holidays, 12/13/10

“You'll want to make everything in this book.”
—Washington Post's Top Cookbooks of 2010, 11/30/10

"An elegantly-composed collection of classics and contemporary riffs, former Chez Panisse pastry chef David Lebovitz's (The Perfect Scoop) latest effort hits the sweet spot. Artfully balancing accessible recipes for novices (the simple four-ingredient Chocolate Orbit Cake, the three-ingredient Peaches in Red Wine and Pistachio, Almond and Dried Cherry Bark) with ambitious-but -worth-it desserts like Banana Cake with Mocha Frosting and Salted Candied Peanuts and White Nectarine Sorbet with Blackberries in Five-Spice Cookie Cups, Lebovitz truly has something for everyone. Can't-miss combinations like Guinness-Gingerbread Cupcakes, Cherry-Almond Cobbler, and Orange-Almond Bread Pudding are sure to inspire a trip to the market, and riffs on classics like a French apple galette (updated here with frangipane, a rich almond pastry cream) and a lush Fresh Ginger Cake will appeal to bakers whose bookshelves are already groaning with cookbooks. The inclusion of Coconut Layer Cake, Vanilla Ice Cream, Meyer Lemon Sorbet, Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookies, and Gingersnaps (including a fat-free variety) shows that Lebovitz also knows when not to mess with a good thing. Given its breadth, depth, and accessibility, readers with a passion for baking will be hard pressed to find a better guide to desserts this year. Photos. (May)"
—Publishers Weekly, Web-Exclusive Reviews, STARRED REVIEW, 6/14/10

"Each section is more of a collection of surprises than a tour of the usual baking suspects you might find in a greatest hits sort of book by another author (cheesecake, muffins, angel cake etc.).  There are unusual flavour combinations as well as intriguing takes on classic desserts."
—Cookbooker.com, 6/2/10

"Lebovitz brings his writing to life with wit and humor and offers expert advice on everything from cake to cutting boards. Plus, his recipes have that irresistible combination of simplicity and elegance."
—Portland Oregonian, 6/1/10

“Life is short, always eat dessert first.” If you’re a follower of that profound precept or just the owner of an active sweet tooth, David Lebovitz’s Ready for Dessert is a must. . . . His header notes are chatty, his directions thorough and supportive and his take on the sweet side of life inspired and inspiring."
—BookPage, Cookbook of the Month, May 2010

"Here's what I love about this book. Lebovitz has gathered a selection of 170 recipes that is both complete and eclectic, including classics and innovations. David's voice is candid, sometimes conspiratorial, often funny, and always enabling. It's the same authentic voice that has made his blog one of the most popular food sites on the web. Enjoy the sweetness."
—The City Cook, 5/27/10

"Ready for Dessert promises visceral satisfaction starting with the cover, which invites you to drag a greedy finger through a cake's thick chocolate icing."
—Associated Press, 5/17/10

"You know the real reason I love David Lebovitz so much and tell you about him over and over again? Because he's a baking god. David's new book, Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes is his best yet. . . . Now, I know that we'll have this book in our house for decades, until the spine falls apart and we have to put it together with duct tape. I'm never letting go of this baking book because every single recipe works. It is one of the few baking books I will keep forever in our home. This is my baking bible now. You should buy it too."
—Gluten-Free Girl, 5/11/10

"This is recipe writing at its best my friends."
—In Jennie's Kitchen, 5/4/10

" I have a sweet tooth for Lebovitz, a terrific writer and dessert whiz who has updated his favorite recipes for this lavish book. If you bake, do yourself a favor and buy this book."
—Houston Chronicle, 5/4/10

"Lebovitz has outdone himself with his latest recipe collection, offering readers the very best of his best."
—FineCooking.com, 5/3/10

"If you're looking for a new best friend in the kitchen, one that'll stay a best friend for life, Ready for Dessert might just be the one for you."
—Epicurious.com, 4/30/10

"Part of David's genius is the way he delivers the goods. He's clench-your-legs hilarious but with a strong foundation of serious culinary knowledge. A rare gem in the ever-growing field of food writers — if you haven't gotten to know his books yet, start with this one."
—Apartment Therapy's TheKitchn.com, 4/29/10

"With a bloggers tone and a skilled baker’s sensibility, pastry chef David Lebovitz shares his deliciously simple yet refined recipes in his latest cookbook Ready for Dessert. Sprinkled with endearing anecdotes, each recipe reveals Lebovitz’ compulsion with chocolate and seasonality. There’s a charming unfussiness about the book, which includes recipes like the flourless chocolate orbit cake, which was previously named the chocolate idiot cake for it’s easy-to-execute recipe. There are also some more involved recipes—like the kiwifruit, pineapple and toasted coconut baked alaska—making it a great book for beginners and experts alike."
—Los Angeles Times, 4/28/10

"Flipping through our copy, we were entranced by fudgy smudges on the plate under his banana cake, seduced by the simplicity of his red-wine raspberry sorbet, curious about the impression his chocolate chip cookies made on Parisians, and desperate to taste his best-ever brownies."
—BonAppetit.com, 4/26/10

"This is the Lebovitz book that has it all: an elite selection of cakes, fruit desserts, custards, frozen desserts, cookies and candies that encompass all the techniques you’ll ever need to make dessert. The large-format color photos are ridiculously seductive and the design and tone of the book make you believe that your fresh ginger cake, banana butterscotch cream pie or tangy lemon frozen yogurt will taste as luscious as they look here. Based on my experience with Lebovitz’s recipes, they will."
—Patricia Unterman, San Francisco Examiner, 4/23/10

"I think these just might be my new favorite chocolate chip cookie, sorry Thomas Keller but Lebovitz's cookies have got yours beat."
—SeriousEats.com, 4/19/10

"This is the Slinky of cookbooks. I've been paging back and forth, back and forth, mesmerized, spurred on each time I land on a silvery endpaper. It's an enticing, beautiful book with charm and know-how. But this book is not for a coffee table; I'd put it on a pedestal. . . . This book; buy it and bake the living daylights out of it."
—AOL Slashfood.com Cookbook Spotlight, 4/16/10

"An absolutely gorgeous book filled with pages upon pages of recipes and photos that will motivate you to get in the kitchen and start baking."
—SeriousEats.com Cook the Book, 4/12/10

"It's a good sign for a new cookbook when the food-lovers at the table keep passing it around. . . David Lebovitz is one of a handful of authors whose books are pure gifts in the kitchen. . . . But the proof is in the pudding -- in this case, that includes coconut tapioca, orange-almond bread pudding, and kumquat sticky toffee -- and I find his recipes both unintimidating to prepare and impressive to eat."
—Amazon.com Al Dente blog, 4/12/10

"This book is the perfect Starter Lebovitz, if you ask me; for those of you who’ve heard about him or read his blog and laughed at his jokes and comments but didn’t know which of his cookbooks to buy first. With this, he’s retested everything, added weights and pretty pretty photographs so you get a little taste of everything he does well without having to clear out an entire bookshelf to accommodate his awesomeness. (Though he’d like me to let you know that he does not mind one bit if you do that too.)"
—smittenkitchen.com, 4/12/10

"My copy of Lebovitz's book is already stained (with coffee) from just looking at it. It's the best type of food porn available: high production values (great recipes and gorgeous photography by Maren Caruso); a cast of stars (Chocolate Orbit Cake, Kumquat Sticky Toffee Pudding, App...

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (April 6, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158008138X
• ISBN-13: 978-1580081382
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 1 x 11.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,227 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #57 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Baking > Desserts
  • #58 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Meals
  • #85 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Reference

More About the Author

American pastry chef living the sweet life in Paris!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

155 of 174 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I didn't love it as much as I wanted to, March 12, 2010

By 

d bucci (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

I am a compulsive baker with an embarrassingly large collection of dessert/baking cookbooks. For another book to make it onto the crowded shelves it has to stand out with unique recipes and techniques. While there are many excellent recipes in this collection that I am thrilled to have is there anyone out there who is thinking; if only I had another recipe for Mexican Wedding Cookies?

They are stingy with the photographs and it is very disappointing that of the pictures included none are of some of the more elaborate desserts where you would like to see what the final product looks like. Instead there are pictures of chocolate chip cookies, pots de creme, gingersnaps, flan, bread pudding, sorbet and frozen yogurt. That is just plain annoying. I would gladly pay more for a book that is well photographed.

I have a great deal of respect for David Lebovitz and was excited to be one of the first to get a look at his new title. There are some books I can say unequivocally, buy it you will love it. This one I would recommend looking through it first to see if it is something you would enjoy.

*Update: Obviously my comments on the book struck a chord among the obsessive bakers/ cookbook collectors out there. It has been bothering me though that other than my comment on the amount of recipes included that I dismissed as too common most were really complaints the publisher was responsible for. I want to update this review with a response to a question on the quality of the recipes in the discussion section for those who don't usually check in on those...

All recipes I have tried from this book do work, and they are clearly written. Many of the recipes are adaptations of classics with David's spin. I probably did a disservice to David by focusing on the book from my point of view as an accomplished baker comfortable adapting and tweaking recipes to suit my own taste. I think the real strength and value in this book is the amount of tips and advice David provides. It would be great for anyone who would like a book to teach them about baking and dessert making instead of just providing recipes. David's humorous conversational writing style is a big plus too.

109 of 121 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Collection of Inventive Recipes with Creative Flavor Combinations, April 3, 2010

By 

S. D. Fischer (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

First, it is important to point out that if you own Room For Dessert : 110 Recipes for Cakes, Custards, Souffles, Tarts, Pies, Cobblers, Sorbets, Sherbets, Ice Creams, Cookies, Candies, and Cordials (1999) and/or Ripe for Dessert: 100 Outstanding Desserts with Fruit--Inside, Outside, Alongside (2003), many of these recipes will look familiar. Since both of those books are now out of print, the author revised his favorite recipes from them and added "a dozen" new ones for Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes.

The book begins with an overview of ingredients, all of which either I already have or can easily obtain in any local supermarket with the sole exception of agave nectar. Next is an overview of equipment which is again likely to be found in the kitchen of an average family. The only item I don't have is a food mill (and I live in a one bedroom apartment that does not have a lot of storage space for little-used cake pans or other extraneous items). You may notice the recipes for financiers but the recipe has been adapted for standard muffin tins so don't worry if you (like me) don't have financier molds.

I have nearly 400 cookbooks, about half of which are for dessert, and was still pleased to see so many new flavor combinations and otherwise inventive recipes in Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes. Examples of new-to-me recipes include Nectarine-Raspberry Upside-Down Gingerbread, Pistachio-Cardamom Cake, Lime-Marshmallow Pie, Chocolatr-Caramel Souffles, and Sangria Sorbet. The only chapter that had a lot of what I consider to be fairly standard recipes is Cookies and Candies but even that had several creative recipes such as Peppery Chocolate-Cherry Biscotti and Green Tea Financiers. I was pleased to see so many tempting sauces that can be used with desserts featured in the book or even your favorite store-bought icecream.

The author includes helpful tips throughout the book about where to find ingredients (like cocoa nibs), which steps in a recipe can be done in advance, and how to get the best results from fruit (such as choosing apple varieties).

Each recipe includes serving and storage advice. The author also includes variations for many recipes. Examples include using apple cider in place of Guinness in the Guinness-Gingerbread Cupcakes (to make them more kid-friendly), and using unsweetened applesauce or banana puree if persimmons are not in season (for the Persimmon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting).

The Cake chapter includes recipes for:
* Chocolate Pave
* Chocolate Orbit Cake
* Marjolaine
* Racines Cake
* Gateau Victoire
* Chocolate-Cherry Fruitcake
* Maple-Walnut Pear Cake
* Guinness-Gingerbread Cupcakes
* Irish Coffee Cupcakes
* Persimmon Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
* Plum-Blueberry Upside-Down Cake
* Nectarine-Raspberry Upside-Down Gingerbread
* Fresh Ginger Cake
* Buckwheat Cake with Cider-Poached Apples
* Spiced Plum Streusel Cake with Toffee Glaze
* Cherry Gateau Basque
* Kumquat Sticky Toffee Puddings
* Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan Crust and Whiskey-Caramel Topping
* Ricotta Cheesecake with Orange and Aniseed
* Date-Nut Torte
* Pistachio-Cardamom Cake
* Polenta Cake with Olive Oil and Rosemary
* Coconut Layer Cake
* Passion Fruit Pound Cake
* Banana Cake with Mocha Frosting and Salted Candied Peanuts
* Lemon Semifreddo
* Bahamian Rum Cake
* Coconut and Tropical Fruit Trifle

The Pies, Tarts and Fruit Desserts chapter features recipes for:
* Banana Butterscotch Cream Pie
* Lime-Marshmallow Pie
* Butternut Squash Pie
* Mixed Berry Pie
* Concord Grape Pie
* Peanut, Butter, and Jelly Linzertorte
* Apple Tart with Whole Wheat Puff Pastry and Maple-Walnut Sauce
* Apple-Quince Tarte Tatin
* Apple-Frangipane Galette
* Apple-Red Wine Tart
* Pear Tart with Brown Butter, Rum, and Pecans
* Brazil Nut, Date, and Fresh Ginger Tart
* Easy Marmalade Tart
* Freestyle Lemon Tartlets with White Chocolate Sauce
* Fresh Fig and Raspberry Tart with Honey
* Apricot-Marzipan Tart
* Cherry-Almond Cobbler
* Apple-Pear Crisp with Grappa-Soaked Raisins and Polenta Topping
* Peach-Amaretti Crisp
* Pineapple, Rhubarb, and Raspberry Cobbler
* Nectarine-Berry Cobbler with Fluffy Biscuits
* Baked Apples with Ginger, Dates, and Walnuts
* Very Spicy Baked Pears with Caramel
* Blackberry-Brown Butter Financiers
* Peaches in Red Wine
* Pavlova
* Summer Pudding
* Tropical Fruit Soup with Coconut Sherbet and Meringue
* Champagne Gelee with Kumquats, Grapefruits, and Blood Oranges

The next chapter includes the following recipes for Custards, Souffles, and Puddings:
* Coffee-Caramel Custards
* Chocolate Pots de Crème
* Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse with Pear and Fig Chutney
* Chocolate Ganache Custard Tart
* Orange-Cardamom Flan
* Butterscotch Flan
* Lemon-Ginger Crème Brulee
* Black Currant Tea Crème Brulee
* Super-Lemony Souffles
* Apricot Souffles
* Chocolate-Caramel Souffles
* Banana Souffles
* Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Blueberry Compote
* Orange-Almond Bread Pudding
* Creamy Rice Pudding
* Coconut Tapioca Pudding

The next chapter, Frozen Desserts, includes recipes for:
* Vanilla Ice Cream
* Caramel Ice Cream
* Chocolate Gelato
* No-Machine Chocolate-Banana Ice Cream
* Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream
* White Chocolate-Ginger Ice Cream with Chocolate Covered Peanuts
* Butterscotch-Pecan Ice Cream
* Toasted Coconut Sherbet
* Chocolate-Coconut Sherbet
* Fresh Mint Sherbet with Figs Roasted in Chartreuse and Honey
* Wine Grape Sorbet
* Blood Orange Sorbet Surprise
* Sangria Sorbet
* Chocolate-Tangerine Sorbet
* Passion Fruit-Tangerine Sorbet
* Meyer Lemon Sorbet
* Margarita Sorbet with Salted Peanut Crisps
* Pink Grapefruit-Champagne Sorbet Cocktail
* Watermelon-Sake Sorbet
* Simple Cherry Sorbet
* Strawberry-Mango Sorbet
* Blackberry Sorbet
* Red Wine-Raspberry Sorbet
* White Nectarine Sorbet with Blackberries in Five-Spice Cookie Cups
* Anise-Orange Ice Cream Profiteroles with Chocolate Sauce
* Berries Romanoff with Frozen Sour Cream
* Tangy Lemon Frozen Yogurt
* Blanco y Negro
* Frozen Nougat
* Frozen Caramel Mousse with Sherry-Glazed Pears, Chocolate, and Salted Almonds
* Frozen Sabayon with Blood Orange Soup
* Kiwifruit, Pineapple, and Toasted Coconut Baked Alaska

The next chapter features recipes for Cookies and Candies including:
* Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookies
* Chocolate Chip Cookies
* Chocolate Crack Cookies
* Flo's Chocolate Snaps
* Black and White Cookies
* Peanut Butter Cookies
* Cheesecake Brownies
* Robert's Absolute Best Brownies
* Brown Sugar-Pecan Shortbread
* Gingersnaps
* Nonfat Gingersnaps
* Zimtsterne
* Cranzac Cookies
* Orange-Poppy Seed Sandwich Cookies
* Rosemary Cookies with Tomato Jam
* Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons
* Green Tea Financiers
* Mexican Wedding Cookies
* Croquants
* Sesame-Orange Almond Tuiles
* Pecan-Butterscotch Tuiles
* Amaretti
* Almond and Chocolate Chunk Biscotti
* Peppery Chocolate-Cherry Biscotti
* Lemon Quaresimali Cookies
* Chocolate-Port Truffles
* Almond Ding
* Pistachio, Almond, and Dried Cherry Bark
* Spiced Candied Pecans
* Quince Paste

The final chapter includes recipes for Basics, Sauces, and Preserves including:
* Prebaked Tart Shell
* Pie Dough
* Galette Dough
* Pate a Choux Puffs
* Sponge Cake
* Frangipane
* Pastry Cream
* Crème Anglaise
* Champagne Sabayon
* Whipped Cream
* Cognac Caramel Sauce
* Rich Caramel Sauce
* Orange Caramel Sauce
* Tangerine Butterscotch Sauce
* Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce
* Rich Chocolate Sauce
* White Chocolate Sauce
* Blueberry Compote
* Raspberry Sauce
* Mango Sauce
* Strawberry Sauce
* Blackberry Sauce
* Apricot Sauce
* Orange-Rhubarb Sauce
* Candied Cherries
* Candied Ginger
* Soft-Candied Citrus Peel
* Candied Orange Peel
* Pineapple-Ginger Marmalade
* Seville Orange Marmalade
* Plum-Strawberry Jam
* Fig Jam
* Quince Marmalade
* Tomato Jam
* Vin d'Orange
* Nocino

I look forward to trying many of David Lebovitz's creations, and I think my family and co-workers will enjoy partaking in them!

49 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You won't need any other dessert reference (details), February 24, 2010

By 

Patrick W. Crabtree "The Old Grottomaster" (Lucasville, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

What most struck me about this work is that, even though these dishes have supposedly come into the author's head over the past thirty years (he says), each of these recipes are clearly right up-to-date and of the 21st Century, quite typical of California chefing. I review and give away lots of cooking and baking books, but I'll be hoarding this little treasure for myself. Every day I cook meals from scratch and I'm very much impressed with this dessert recipe collection.

Author David Lebovitz is a pastry chef who garnered much of his guidance from the Chez Panisse Cafe, (a highly-renowned Berkeley, California venue), an eatery from which many other terrific cookbooks have emanated. Here's my favorite of them all, authored by the restaurant's founder: Chez Panisse Vegetables. In any case, Lebovitz has assembled 172 dessert recipes here, most of which feature mercifully brief ingredient lists. These are recipes which can pretty much all be easily managed by home cooks of moderate experience.

Here is a breakdown of the recipes:

-- Cakes (29 recipes)
-- Pies, Tarts, and Fruit Desserts (29 recipes)
-- Custards, Soufflés, and Puddings (16 recipes)
-- Frozen Desserts (32 recipes)
-- Cookies and Candies (30 recipes)
-- Basic Sauces and Preserves (36 recipes)

The recipes themselves are rendered one or two to a page and since the book format is large (8 1/2" x 11" x 3/4") it's quite easy to follow the instructions as you cook or bake. In fact, I cannot actually recall having seen a nicer recipe layout. I'm reviewing an advance proof edition so the photos in my copy are in black-and-white. It may be the plan of the publisher to print them in color at some point but honestly, it makes no difference to me. These photographs (by Maren Caruso) are crystal clear and I can discern with no difficulty whatever what the finished dishes are supposed to look like. There isn't a picture for every dessert but for the ones where you most need direction, they're there.

There are 274 pages in all which includes an Introduction, tips on equipment and supplies, and so on. Other advanced cooking tips are described in the Appendix.

I found these desserts to be both innovative and inspiring -- toffee puddings, cream pies, sorbets, and numerous old standbys (which have been artfully tweaked to contemporary culinary standards) such as ginger cake and macaroons proliferate this fine cookbook. I should also add that ingredient measurements are conveyed in two ways, by Avoirdupois increments (American standard measurement) and by the metric system.

Most important to me, the author expresses the imperative value in utilizing only the best available ingredients in preparing these wonderful dishes -- I don't see emphasis on this important point much elsewhere and I was pleased to see it here as I heartily agree with this culinary philosophy. Having now read the book from cover to cover, I liked every single recipe in here and I've already made two of the desserts, both of which turned out great.

I feel compelled to say that any erudite home cook or professional chef will benefit from the recipes in this, Lebovitz's most recent dessert book. Highly recommended.