Sweet Seasons: Fabulous Restaurant Desserts Made Simple

Rating:
Summary: Fabulous indeed
Review: This sumptuous book succeeds for me on several levels. The artistry of the creations and beautiful photography are worth enjoying on their own merit. However, the greatest pleasure certainly comes from actually experiencing the creation, presentation, and deconstruction of these wonderful recipes. I disagree entirely with the remarks of some earlier reviewers who may be confusing 'complex' with 'time consuming.' I am an amateur cook but had little difficulty reproducing one of the more involved recipes using the author's directions. It did require 5 or 6 hours to prepare the 10 parts needed for the final construction, but the descriptions of the individual elements were so clear that they were indeed simple to make. Nearly all of them could be prepared one or two days ahead (the author clearly specifies which parts should be made at the last minute -- very few). The final constructions are well described and illustrated and the process seemed as entertaining to my guests as the eating. These desserts do take time -- but the final result is definitely worth it; and though the visual effect and interplay of different textures, flavors, and temperatures make it most rewarding to make the whole dessert, portions of each hold up well on their own. Last night, I impressed guests with the "Cherry and spice custard with warm financier" but the custard alone would have made an excellent dessert that would have taken less than an hour to prepare.
I also found the process of making one of these desserts to be a cooking lesson in itself. By the time I finished one, I realized I had made spun sugar, a frozen souffle, perfect honey tuiles (with homemade stencils) a sabayon sauce, creme brule -- all for the first time. The author guides you through the steps in a way that makes organization natural- and the final construction straightforward.
A final recommedation to readers-- The web sites in the back of the book have all the ingredients, molds, etc. used for the recipes. A little advance planning on the web can save considerable time driving around searching for a savarin mold (although a muffin tin worked nearly as well) or some other special item.