Beloved pastry chef and best-selling author Emily Luchetti lives by the simplest truth: There's always room for dessert. Why try to resist creamy chocolate cheesecake, fresh berries layered with honey cream, or homemade sorbet? Besides, with Emily's insider secrets, whipping up delicious treats for family and friends is fun! A longtime dessert lover, Luchetti shares an impressive - yet deceptively easy - array of recipes that regale the fruits and pure flavors of each season. From frequently used basics like melt-in-the-mouth tart shells, luxe crme frache, and chocolate sauce, to creative twists on old favorites such as Raspberry Ice Cream Sandwiches and Espresso Cupcakes, each of these pleasures will leave home cooks wanting to try the next. With just one bite of Lemon Raspberry Bread Pudding, one sip of a soothing Bourbon Milkshake, and one whiff of a Chocolate Mocha Truffle, anyone with a sweet tooth will understand why this book is an irresistible must-have.

Review by Diana's Desserts:

One of the things I like most about this cookbook is that the author divides the desserts into seasons; Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, which is really nice if you pick up the book and are, for instance, just looking for ideas for, let's say, Autumn desserts. Then you just flip to the Autumn section. The book is so nicely designed and easy to get around in.

The author, Emily Luchetti, starts the book out with a very helpful section on Dessert Basics, a section that includes information on equipment, ingredients and tips and techniques. I find this information a necessity to the home baker. There is also a section after the recipes of Frequently Asked Questions, a Resources guide and a Table of Equivalents. Also so helpful to the home baker.

The book has wonderful color photographs in it which show off Luchetti's delicious desserts. It's always so nice to see the finished product, isn' it? This is a plus as many cookbook authors just assume you're going to know what a particular dessert looks like.

Here are just a few of the scrumptious desserts included in A Passion for Desserts: Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake, a wonderful treat for summertime. Pumpkin Upside-Down Cake with Cranberry Pecan Topping, perfect for Autumn and great as a Thanksgiving dessert. Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies, a lovely cookie to begin your holiday baking with, and a refreshing and colorful dessert beverage for Spring; Strawberry Ginger Sodas, so yummy!

I highly recommend this beautiful book. It's a wonderful cookbook for preparing desserts for entertaining, or just to serve some delectable desserts to your family. This is a book that would be a great gift to give to those "baker" friends who might be on your Christmas list this year or to give as a shower or wedding gift. It is that lovely!!.......Diana, Diana's Desserts

About the Author

Emily Luchetti is the executive pastry chef at Farallon and spent seven years as pastry chef at Stars restaurant. She has authored two other books, Stars Desserts and Four Star Desserts. She lives in the Bay Area. Paul Moore is a San Francisco based photographer whose work has been published worldwide. Minh + Wass (Ngoc Minh and Julian Wass) is a husband-and-wife photography team who specialize in food and lifestyle shots for books and magazines. After 10 years in New York, they recently relocated to Paris.