The Perfect Finish: Special Desserts for Every Occasion

Most of us don't have the time to make dessert, and when we do, it is for holidays, birthdays, or a special brunch. Here, selected from his personal repertoire of five thousand recipes, are the eighty best desserts Bill Yosses has ever made, each tailored to our contemporary lives.

The Perfect Finish is playfully organized by occasion: "I'll Bring Dessert" features recipes easy to pack for potlucks; "Straight from the Oven" includes fruit pies best served warm; and "Pick-Me-Ups" spotlights brownies and chocolate chip cookies that will brighten your day. For the adventurous, Bill groups his guaranteed-to-impress desserts--including his signature warm vanilla cake--in a chapter inspired from his days in one of Manhattan's finest restaurants, Bouley. Bill also demonstrates technique and unfamiliar ingredients and explains how to store and transport desserts. This is a book for every taste and every experience level, with color pictures of nearly all the beautiful finished desserts.

"Yosses, executive pastry chef at the White House, and Clark, a noted New York Times food columnist, showcase elegant, luscious desserts suitable for a variety of occasions from brunch to potlucks to fancy celebrations. Recipes are well-detailed and easy-to-follow, even for the novice, and potentially unfamiliar techniques or temperamental ingredients such as segmenting oranges, varieties of yeast, making great meringue, and how to avoid crystallizing caramel are highlighted. With flat and chewy chocolate chip cookies, blood orange squares, grand old-fashioned blueberry jelly rolls, and orange-scented olive oil cakes with fleur de sel, there is something for every palate. The authors include a section on restaurant desserts that can be made at home that includes warm molten vanilla cakes, butterscotch — dulce de leche pudding in teacups, and Bouley banana chocolate tart. They also include recipes for confectionaries such as cardamom nut butterballs, sandy pecan pralines, and coffee toffee. Each recipe lists special equipment needed, and there's a handy baker's minimum equipment list for those who want to increase their tool arsenal. Enhanced by more than 100 delectable color photos, this book is a must-have for all serious bakers and the only book those with a passing interest in baking will ever need. (June)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

The acclaimed pastry chef's long-awaited collection of stunning-to-behold yet simple-to-make desserts for every occasion.

Bill Yossesis the executive pastry chef at the White House. He lives in Washington, DC.Melissa Clarkwrites a weekly column for the New York Timesand is the author of many cookbooks. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.