A Passion for Desserts (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Ngoc Minh (Photographer), Julian Wass (Photographer) "You don't necessarily need a great deal of specialized equipment to enjoy baking and creating superb-tasting desserts..." (more)
Key Phrases: United States, Cinnamon Ice Cream, Golden Delicious (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Beloved pastry chef and best-selling author Emily Luchetti lives by the simplest truth: There's always room for dessert. Why try to resist creamy chocolate cheesecake, fresh berries layered with honey cream, or homemade sorbet? Besides, with Emily's insider secrets, whipping up delicious treats for family and friends is fun! A longtime dessert lover, Luchetti shares an impressive - yet deceptively easy - array of recipes that regale the fruits and pure flavors of each season. From frequently used basics like melt-in-the-mouth tart shells, luxe crème fraîche, and chocolate sauce, to creative twists on old favorites such as Raspberry Ice Cream Sandwiches and Espresso Cupcakes, each of these pleasures will leave home cooks wanting to try the next. With just one bite of Lemon Raspberry Bread Pudding, one sip of a soothing Bourbon Milkshake, and one whiff of a Chocolate Mocha Truffle, anyone with a sweet tooth will understand why this book is an irresistible must-have.

About the Author

Emily Luchetti is the executive pastry chef at Farallon and spent seven years as pastry chef at Stars restaurant. She has authored two books, Stars Desserts and Four Star Desserts. She lives in the Bay Area. Paul Moore is a San Francisco based photographer whose work has been published worldwide. Minh + Wass (Ngoc Minh and Julian Wass) is a husband-and-wife photography team who specialize in food and lifestyle shots for books and magazines. After 10 years in New York, they recently relocated to Paris.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (October 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811831787
• ISBN-13: 978-0811831789
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 9.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #423,275 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Some great recipes, but some disappointments, December 17, 2005

By	Cookbook Gal "Cookbook Gal" - See all my reviews

Some wonderful, innovative and challenging recipes. Problems: who needs a recipe for a milkshake? And a real lack of pictures of the dishes. I don't need a picture of a whisk, but I sure could use one of the finished dessert!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, April 22, 2006

By	Eunice E. Moyer "Baking and Pastry Student" (Concord, California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am a CCA student in San Francisco. I needed a dessert for my Plated Desserts class so tried the citrus cake, recommended by another reviewer. It took the better part of a Saturday to make. The crumb of the cake was very coarse and the glaze was thick and would in no way pour, even after I added double the amounts of the liquids specified. It left a distinct powdery, almost dirty, taste in my mouth. I did not use this cake in class. Our class desserts are served in the Bistro restaurant on the 1st floor school's south campus. Additionally I was intrigued by the cookies pictured on the back of the dust jacket. It appears that the recipe for those cookies is not in this book. There were not enough pictures in this book either. At this point, I am reluctant to try another recipe and would not recommend this book to anyone.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent choice, March 8, 2004

By	Liz - See all my reviews

This is my favorite dessert cookbook. I've never been disappointed by a recipe (that's quite a feat), and her instructions are remarkably accurate and clear: it always turns out just like she says. I especially recommend the Citrus Cake (if you have three hours to make it!) or the Chocolate Mousse Cake.