Long before award-winning chef Michel Richard
made his first cÔte de boeuf or prepared his
first foie gras terrine, he was a pastry chef. In
Los Angeles, pastry lovers lined up outside his bakeshop
on Wilshire Boulevard, waiting to enjoy the breads
and treats they'd heard were the best in town, maybe
even better than anything in Paris. Now, in this outstanding
collection, the superstar chef returns to his
first love, the food that made him famous-desserts.
Here are mouthwatering, foolproof recipes for
American favorites such as pecan pie and pound
cake; Richard's personal inventions, such as Floating
Islands with Melted Chocolate Morsels and the "coffee
cloud"; reinvented French classics, such as profiteroles
and the Christmas log (bÛche de NoËl); fruit
favorites, including tarts and Pavlovas; and, of course,
plenty of cookies.
Going beyond traditional cookbooks, Sweet Magic
shares Richard's insights into the thinking and craft
behind every aspect of dessert, with brief essays
that explore, explain, and entice-highlighted by the
chef's own playful illustrations.
Creating exquisite dishes with only a few simple
ingredients-butter, eggs, sugar, flour, chocolate-demands the instincts of an artist and the soul of a
magician. Sweet Magic will unlock the inner dessert
wizard in every home chef, guiding both newcomers
and old hands past common missteps, to seduce the
most flavor and texture from every ingredient.
