Grand Livre De Cuisine : Alain Ducasse's Desserts and Pastries Paperback / softback

In this magnificent volume, the second in the "Grand Livre de Cuisine" series, celebrated chefs Alain Ducasse and Frederic Robert comprehensively cover the art of making desserts, pastries, candy and breads.

Everything is here - mousses and fondants; cookies and cakes; ice creams and sorbets; bonbons and nougats; and, fruit tarts, profiteroles, and sweet crepes.

The book's 250 mouth-watering recipes range from traditional treats such as peach melba, candied apples, and oeufs a la neige to audacious concoctions such as tropical fruit-stuffed ravioli and coconut-encrusted lollipops.

Decidedly French yet international in flavour, the book presents the authors' masterful takes on American cheesecake; Italian cannolis, zuppa inglese, and tiramisu; and, the Austrian confections known as viennoiseries. Organized by main ingredient, the 'Grand Livre"s structure epitomizes Ducasse's philosophy of cooking and baking, which holds that culinary techniques should accentuate and enhance an ingredient's true nature, not mask it.

The book features more than 650 colour photographs and cross-sectional drawings that clearly display the internal 'architecture' of some of the more complex creations.