Gale Gand's Just a Bite: 125 Luscious Little Desserts
by Gale Gand and Julia Moskin
Beyond its appeal to sweet-toothed dieters, miniature fetishists, and fans of Gand's television show, "Sweet Dreams," this joyous little book will appeal to anyone seeking smart, useful advice about baking and the pastry arts in general. Gand guides readers through creating one- or two-bite desserts that are equally at home at the end of a four-star meal or a child's birthday party. In between recipes for diminutive treats such as Tangerine Marmalade Babycakes, Banana Brulee Spoonfuls, Pansy Petal Lollipops, and Ice Cream Mini-Cones, readers can find some of the fundamentals of working with sweet ingredients and specialized pastry equipment. As a nod to Americans' ever-intensifying love affair with cheese, there is also a section devoted to cheese-based desserts, both sweet and savory, with some useful cheese basics. Tim Turner's gorgeous photographs add further incentive to try your hand at any of the tiny delights in this book.

Cakewalk: Adventures in Sugar with Margaret Braun
by Margaret Braun
Margaret Braun does things you've never seen with sugar and pastry, so it's fitting that this, her first book, should also break the mold. Much has been written about her confections, which are fantastical, multi-tiered sculptures gilded in silver and gold, or hand-painted to look like anything from linoleum to patent leather to the faces of her own parents. It is the reader's distinct privilege, then, to get the back story on Braun's creative process. She draws inspiration from disparate sources; one cake recalls the flower-shaped decals that kept her from slipping in the tub as a child, while another recreates the yellow-and-white palace of Frederick the Great, the former King of Prussia. In explaining her motivations, she gives us an intensely personal, often-humorous look into the life of a working artist whose medium happens to be sugar. And, for those who wish to recreate her cakes, or do a little sugar sculpture of their own devising, there are clear, concise instructions on creating motifs, working with specialized ingredients like sugar paste, marzipan and edible gold leaf, and sculpting cakes -- as well as several good recipes for cakes, icings and fillings. Quentin Bacon's photographs, supplemented with Braun's drawings and selected images from the art that has inspired her, give Cakewalk legitimacy as both a practical book about cakes and a beautiful book about art.

Jim Coleman's Flavors
by Jim Coleman
Billed as a companion to Chef Coleman's public television series, Jim Coleman's Flavors stands on its own as a well-rounded collection of recipes that draw on America's diverse culinary riches. Relentlessly (and rightly) touted as being a "nice guy," Coleman comes across in print and on television like the ideal cooking teacher, a guy who might laugh and pour you a cold one if you accidentally burned the roux. His everyman accessibility comes across in the recipes, which are homey, succinct, and accompanied by plenty of informative sidebars, for those seeking a little background on everything from lettuce to Madiera. Rather than being a hodgepodge of "authentic" ethnic dishes that call for a list of imported ingredients, Flavors presents modified versions that can be prepared largely from an American pantry, such as a lamb curry devised by Coleman's Irish-American sous chef, or an Irish stew that substitutes beef for mutton. Some readers may find the last section, "Basic Recipes and Techniques," a bit skimpy, as it contains a mere five entries, but in working through the book, you'll realize that there's little need for supplementary reading -- your Nice Guy instructor has provided everything you need in the main text.

Moosewood Restaurant New Classics
by The Moosewood Collective (editors)
This is the ninth offering from the Moosewood Collective, a group of 19 people who, in addition to authoring books of creative, accessible vegetarian fare, have also owned and operated Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, NY, since its opening in 1973. Their latest book of all-new recipes will holds equal promise for newcomers and the collective's longtime fans, who should appreciate the use of new ingredients and techniques that reflect the new, more sophisticated face of vegetarianism. Have no fear, though, that the Moosewood team might have lost its crunch -- the recipes and accompanying text are as friendly, homey, and downright democratic as ever, with crystal-clear directions and lots of helpful notes and indices. The extensive breakfast & brunch, soup, drinks & snacks, and dessert sections should nicely appease even those readers who can't fathom a meal without a big hunk of meat -- and may even create a few converts.

read an excerpt!