Fine Cooking

SWEET

Inspired Ingredients, Unforgettable Desserts

Valerie Gordon, owner of the insanely popular L.A. bake shop Valerie Confections, serves up superb recipes for sweets that are as delicious as they are beautiful. A self-taught baker, Gordon has a sense of adventure and eye for detail that permeates the lavishly photographed book. But it's the care with which she writes her recipes that makes this book a real standout. Whether you're making a quick batch of her Durango Cookies (named for the smoked salt that's paired with almond and milk chocolate in these addictive treats) or tackling something more ambitious, she wants you to be thrilled with the results. The book itself is so pretty, you won't want to mess up its pages by baking from it, but it's such a joy to use that you definately will.