Gastronome

words by > Nancy Davidson

WHEN it comes to homemade desserts, the joy of cooking is directly proportional to the joy of eating. Depending on whether you are the baker or the “bakee,” you can use one of these new cookbooks as inspiration for making sweets for your honey, or as a gift for your favorite pastry chef on Valentine’s Day.

Perfect Light Desserts
by Nick Malgieri and David Joachim (Morrow)

For dessert lovers who want to minimize calories without giving up flavor or portion size, the recipes in this book deliver maximum flavor with fewer calories, carbs and fat. Substituting egg whites for egg yolks—and using buttermilk to reduce the amount of butter—lightens up some treats. Others have an inherent lightness, like Ginger Meringue Kisses or Maida’s Milk Chocolate Ice Milk made from fat-free milk.

Baking: From My Home to Yours
by Dorie Greenspan (Houghton Mifflin)

The author of this encyclopedic guide has collaborated with some of the most famous pastry chefs in the world, but here she presents her favorite recipes for home baking. Wonderfully clear directions, personal experiences, tips and variations keep these relatively humble breakfast sweets, cookies, cakes, pies, tarts, custards and cobblers from intimidating even the novice baker, while still maintaining the power to wow. Recipes include World Peace Cookies (chocolate chunk cookies with a touch of sea salt) and Devil’s Food White-Out Cake (chocolate cake layered with marshmallow icing and dusted with cake crumbs).

Tartine
by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson (Chronicle)

This cookbook offers a behind-the-scenes look at the popular San Francisco bakery Tartine (www.tartinebakery.com), along with enticing recipes and photos of croissants, tarts and pies. Once you’ve peered inside this well-designed and personal book, you’ll not only want to bake Cherry and Apricot Dumplings, Steamed Gingerbread Pudding or Blackberry Tarts, you’ll want to make a special trip to visit this bakery. Great for vicarious armchair bakers, the experienced home baker will also find some pleasant challenges in this book.

The Sweet Life: Dessert from Chanterelle
by Kate Zuckerman (Bulfinch)

From the acclaimed pastry chef at Chanterelle (www.chanterellenyc.com) — an elegant, French-American restaurant in New York City—this brainy, yet sensuous guide brings together the art and science of making luxurious soufflés, custards, macaroons, candy, ice creams and sorbets. The guidelines let you know what to expect, the head notes describe the author’s inspirations, and the photographs leave your mouth watering. Sidebars explore techniques, ingredients and equipment in comprehensive and comprehensible detail.

Dessert Bars
Enjoy the final course in one of these romantic settings.

Room 4 Dessert
17 Cleveland Pl
New York
212-941-5405
www.nyr4d.com

Ethel’s
900 N Michigan Ave Chicago
312-440-9747
www.ethelschocolate.com

Dessert
806 S 6th St
Philadelphia
215-923-9733
www.dessertphilly.com

Chocolate Swan
3930 Las Vegas Blvd South Ste.
121B Las Vegas
702-632-9366
www.chocolateswan.com