What's for Dessert

Starred review from November 7, 2022
“Asking ‘what’s for dessert?’ is more than a nightly routine, it’s a personal exercise,” writes YouTube culinary star Saffitz (Dessert Person: Recipes and Guidance for Baking with Confidence) in this scrumptious dessert collection. The mouthwatering options—easy apple galette, classic sundae bombe, and cocoa-chestnut brownies among them—are beginner friendly, and Saffitz is mindful of bakers’ time, space, and budget limitations; none of the recipes require a stand mixer, and many have a considerable shelf life (the crystallized Meyer lemon bundt cake, if well wrapped and stored at room temperature, keeps for up to one week and will “improve in flavor and texture over the first couple of days”). Many of the chilled and frozen desserts incorporate coffee or fruit, as with a tiramisu-inspired icebox cake that calls for instant coffee granules, and a panna cotta that includes Fuyu persimmons. Pastry offerings provide unique takes on familiar treats, notably with doughnuts made of sour cream cake and finished with chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla frosting. Helpful tips include how to bake with “less anxiety” (visualize the process from start to finish before attempting a recipe), and the step-by-step instructions with photos will be a boon for novices. This is a no-brainer for home bakers in need of reliable and delicious go-tos. Agent: David Black, David Black Agency.

Starred review from November 1, 2022

In her sequel to Dessert Person, Saffitz delivers a new round of delights. Fans will love that her time vs. difficulty matrix is back, along with the equipment lists and serving and time information that accompanies each recipe, there so bakers of all skills don't bite off more than they can chew. Chapters go beyond cakes, pies, cookies, and bars and also include frozen and stovetop desserts, as well as an eclectic mix of oven desserts such as pavlovas and meringues. The final chapter offers a primer that helps bakers create building blocks for the desserts, while also teaching essential techniques such as using a double boiler, creaming butter and sugar, and using a piping bag. "Can I?" sidebars answer questions readers may have about changing pan sizes, making sweets ahead, and creating variations. The colorful design and photography are a nod to vintage cookbooks and match the fun the recipes inspire. VERDICT Saffitz continues to convert cooks to bakers and wow the experienced with her charm, fun recipes, and excellent instruction in a book that is sure to become a classic. A must-buy.--Sarah Tansley

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2022
Fans of Saffitz's award-winning first cookbook, Dessert Person (2020), will be thrilled to see round two of her matrix, a grid plotting the level of difficulty and time required for every recipe within. This time around, though, the lower-left quadrant containing recipes requiring few special skills, and a couple hours, max, is heavy: a giant, healthy-ish chocolate-chip cookie made in a skillet, a very almondy almond cake (for ""true almond lovers only!""). Following this spread and Saffitz's ample guidance for stocking the kitchen and navigating the book, recipes flow from frozen desserts (ice cream bombe, no-bake grapefruit bars) to stovetop sweets (puddings, crepes, and donuts), rustic ""easy cakes"" made in loaf and bundt pans; bars and cookies (hello, caramel peanut popcorn bars), fruit-heavy pies and cobblers, and a catch-all ""other"" section (frangipane baked apples). ""Can I?"" sidebars throughout offer guidance on making ahead and substitutions. Devoted followers of the cheerfully instructive Saffitz and her popular YouTube series will be relieved that her font of inventive, refined recipes, on full display here, shows no signs of stopping.

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