Gale Gand's Short and Sweet: Quick Desserts with Eight Ingredients or Less

Informing readers that""simple doesn't mean boring,"" Gand, the pastry chef at the Chicago restaurant Tru and host of the Food Network series Sweet Dreams, whips up a selection of moderately easy but impressive recipes. Mixing classics like Cherry Clafouti and Real Hot Fudge Sundaes with innovations like Crisp Banana and Pineapple Fritters and Cool Raspberry-Lime Terrine, Gand's book encompasses a wide variety of sweets. All the recipes require eight ingredients or less, but Gand manages to break from the usual suspects. In addition to unsalted butter, vanilla, all-purpose flour and sugar, her recipes call for Japanese panko bread crumbs, polenta, Pecorino Romano cheese, chai spices and Marcona almonds. Most recipes are quick, and Gand divides them into chapters according to how much active time readers can expect to spend in the kitchen (most recipes fall into the 30-minute category; others take either 15 or 45 minutes, not including baking or freezing time). Gand encourages baking shortcuts (e.g., use frozen puff pastry for the Banana Maple Tarte Tatin or a refrigerated pie crust when making the Pear and Apple Streusel Pie), and gives tips on cooking with kids, too. Throughout, she stresses that keeping ingredients--and tools--to a minimum will allow chefs to turn out sumptuous desserts no matter how hectic a day they've had.