M.Heatter's New Book of Great Desserts

This is hands down the best-written cook book you'll find. The dessert are outstanding and the recipes are so well written that not only will your results be perfect, but you will learn a lot about baking too. Most of the desserts are pretty fancy, along the lines of a four- or five-star restaurant or bakery.

As always, Maida Heatter continues to amaze with her fantastic recipes. Apparently she has travelled this country far and wide to collect the very best of dessert recipes once again. There are certainly other fine authors of dessert cookbooks out there, but no one surpasses this lady. She has information on ingredients, equipment and techniques. (I now know how to make my own brown sugar, should I ever want to.) She has chapters on cakes; pies and tarts; yeast cakes; sweet breads, gingerbreads, and muffins; cookies and crackers; custards, mousses, souffles, etc.; fruit desserts and finally ice cream and other frozen desserts.Ms. Heatter seldom spends less than two pages on the simplest of recipes so there is practically no way you can make a mistake when making any of these desserts. Who else, for example, would spend over three pages describing how to bake a pie shell? A cake she has labelled "The Best Damn Lemon Cake", a simple loaf cake, takes up two pages. Fine as this cake is-- I have baked it--the East 62nd Street Lemon Cake in another of Ms. Heatter's books is even better and clearly the best lemon cake I've ever baked or tasted.There are two other recipes in this cookbook I swear by. One is the Chocolate Souffle Cake on pages 36-38. This darkly rich flourless cake with the texture inside of a chocolate mousse bakes at 300 degrees for 2 1/4 hours. You can put this cake together in no time at all, and you will be rewarded four-fold for your efforts. It's as good a flourless chocolate cake as you will find. The second recipe is the Old-Fashioned Butterscotch Pie. Once again this recipe covers over three pages, 178-181. Heatter describes this pie as an "old Southern recipe." My own mother has been making a similar pie for over 60 years and has helped clog the arteries of many a partaker at church socials in her neighborhood with these desserts. This pie has a rich butterscotch taste, not too sweet, and has the consistency of poured silk. Although I have watched my mother make this pie dozens of times-- she swears it must be made in an iron skillet-- I am intimidated by what looks like an effortless endeavor on her part and was glad to find this recipe on my own.

I know, you're thinking "Of _course_ it has amazing cakes" and it does - there's the fruitcake recipe (don't groan - you've never had fruitcake like this one - it's not a store bought dry one, this is the _real_ thing) and the "Best Damn Lemon Cake" but also "Mom's Apple pie" and key lime pie as well. This woman is a wizard when it comes to food.And you can be, too - she gives explict easy to follow instructions for all the recipes, as well as stories behind certain recipes and suggestions as to ingredients. It couldn't be easier unless she baked it for you and yours - but I'm sure she's busy, so empower _yorself_ and learn how to bake this stuff - your family will think you are a deity (god or goddess, doesn't really matter, does it?). So buy the book, pick a recipe and make it your signature dessert - you know, the one they always ask you to bring to the pot lucks and such. You;ll be glad you did.

My first comment about this book is that it is simply filled with recipes. These aren't the recipes that are so-so, they are all wonderful. This book covers many different types of desserts. She focuses primarly upon; cakes, pies and tarts, yeast cakes, sweet breads, gingerbreads, muffins, cookies, crackers, custards, mousses, souffles, fruit desserts, ice cream, and other frozen desserts. The first 25 page of this book will help you with ideas and suggestions on ingredients, equipment, and techniques. Recipes are clearly written, with either where the recipe comes from, or an important tip that you might need to aide you in making the particular recipe. To me, this book reminds me of Julia Child's French Mastering the Art of French Cooking books. If you are looking to make something beyond the local bake sale, this book is perfect for you.