The Art of the Dessert [Hardcover]

Ann Amernick (Author), Taran Z (Photographer), Margie Litman (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 16, 2007

Named one of the country's top ten pastry chefs by both Chocolatier and Pastry Art & Design magazines and nominated five times for the James Beard Pastry Chef of the Year award, Ann Amernick is one of the nation's most accomplished dessert makers. Now, in The Art of Dessert she shares nearly 100 recipes for artfully distinctive desserts - the summation of her long and distinguished career as a baker. Amernick's creations often recall familiar foods and flavors - a cheese danish, for example, or a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup - but in her hands, the familiar becomes something truly extraordinary: Apricot and Custard Danish Sandwiches, or Peanut Butter Cream Truffles with Shortbread and Raspberry Gelee.

Spanning the whole range of dessert possibilities - cakes and tortes, pies and tarts, cookies and candies, cold desserts, warm desserts, and dessert sandwiches - The Art of the Dessert is filled with recipes that are as innovative and sophisticated as they are homey and unfailingly delicious. Chocolate Toffee Torte, Lemon Caramel Tartlets, Almond Lace Cookies, Amaretto Nougat Cups, Toasted Coconut Pecan Souffle Tartlets, and Pumpkin Custard Napoleons are just a few of the dazzling creations you'll discover. For each recipe, Amernick offers detailed, step-by-step guidance on preparation, as well as sidebars that offer options for embellishing the desserts when serving.

Sixteen striking full-color photographs accompany the recipes, along with Amernick's "Trucs of the Trade" and expert advice on pastry making, including basic and advanced techniques, information on equipment and ingredients, and helpful tips on creating all kinds of dessert components and garnishes, from tartlet shells to fruit leather. If you want to refine your baking skills and add some show-stopping new desserts to your repertoire, let this extraordinary cookbook by a master pastry chef be your guide.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. As generous as she is accomplished, Amernick wants home cooks to be able to do what she does; even in the introduction, she explains that she regrets the organization of her 1992 book, Special Desserts, which required page-flipping between recipes to produce some of her more complicated pieces. The new book compensates by risking repetition: for instance, listing ingredients and technique for pastry cream twice in five pages, with a very minor variation—two tablespoons coffee extract for Coffee Eclairs after Robert and two tablespoons Pear William plus heavy cream for Custard-Filled Babas with Pear William. Some cooks will be delighted with the scheme and fascinated by the nuanced differences in the repeated recipes; others may feel babied. Similarly, readers with a feel for history will cherish anecdotes from the author's years in the White House kitchen and her fond relationships with bygone culinary stars, while those in a hurry to get baking may skim the interstitial matter. But everyone—newcomer and seasoned pro—will find solid and sometimes revelatory information about such basic matters as oven temperature. And the triple chocolate terrine she devised when working for Jean-Louis Palladin at the Watergate restaurant is a simple (though tricky) classic that's worth the price of admission. (Apr.)
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Review

As generous as she is accomplished, Amernick wants home cooks to be able to do what she does; even in the introduction, she explains that she regrets the organization of her 1992 book, Special Desserts, which required page-flipping between recipes to produce some of her more complicated pieces. The new book compensates by risking repetition: for instance, listing ingredients and technique for pastry cream twice in five pages, with a very minor variation—two tablespoons coffee extract for Coffee Eclairs after Robert and two tablespoons Pear William plus heavy cream for Custard-Filled Babas with Pear William. Some cooks will be delighted with the scheme and fascinated by the nuanced differences in the repeated recipes; others may feel babied. Similarly, readers with a feel for history will cherish anecdotes from the author's years in the White House kitchen and her fond relationships with bygone culinary stars, while those in a hurry to get baking may skim the interstitial matter. But everyone—newcomer and seasoned pro—will find solid and sometimes revelatory information about such basic matters as oven temperature. And the triple chocolate terrine she devised when working for Jean-Louis Palladin at the Watergate restaurant is a simple (though tricky) classic that's worth the price of admission. (Apr.) (Publishers Weekly, February 5, 2007)

“…an elegant collection of recipes fit for five-star restaurants.” (Jewish Tribune, Thursday 16th August")

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (April 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471443816
• ISBN-13: 978-0471443810
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 1 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #776,783 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and Creative Selection of Recipes November 18, 2012

By perrymasonary

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The Art of the Desert contains an interesting and creative selection of deserts put together by top pastry chef Ann Americk. Some of the recipes contains parings that are unique and provide an interesting culinary experience.

Americk provides good instructions and information for each recipe. As another reviewer noted the book lacks photos. True the book does lack photos as there are only a few, but the addition of photos for illustrating techniques would have be helpful to construct the multiple component deserts.

The deserts are not all simple put together deserts, as several are multicomponent works of art. For the home baker that wants to experience a challenge and put together a knock out desert Americk's book is not to be overlooked.

11 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars ART OF THE DESSERT November 17, 2007

By Carey S. Cohen

Format:Hardcover

I AM AN AMATEUR BAKER. I HAVE READ AND AN TRIED NUMEROUS DESSERT AND
PASTRY RECIPES FROM MANY FAMOUS PASTRY CHEFS OVER THE YEARS. MS. AMERNICKS BOOK "THE ART OF THE DESSERT" IS BY FAR THE BEST OF THE BEST. THE RECIPES ARE FLAWLESS AND ARE ABSOLUTELY THE BEST I'VE EVER MADE AND TASTED IN ALL MY YEARS OF BAKING. THE RECIPES ARE CONCISE AND EASY TO FOLLOW. THERE IS NO FLIPPING BACK AND FORTH FROM ONE PART OF THE BOOK TO ANOTHER TO FIND SOMETHING THAT WAS MENTIONED BEFORE OR REPEATED. EACH RECIPE IS COMPLETE. MS. AMERNICK HAS OUT DONE HERSELF AND IS TRULY IN A CLASS BY HERSELF. I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK HIGHLY TO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO CREATE THE BEST DESSERTS THEY HAVE EVER TASTED.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Ann is the best pastry chef in America January 8, 2012

By Evelyn Fine

Format:Hardcover

Beautiful and delicious. Ann's visual aesthetics are impeccable and her methods are fantastic. A timeless book for any aspiring pastriy chef, or any one who just likes to look at her masterpieces