Grand Finales: A Neoclassic View of Plated Desserts

Plated desserts--artfully arranged confections prepared from multiple components--are a modern restaurant mainstay. In Grand Finales, authors Tish Boyle and Timothy Moriarty present 53 such creations, the work of 23 leading American pastry chefs who have been challenged to make "neoclassic" versions of traditional desserts. Thus, for example, tart tatin, the venerable French apple galette, is reconfigured by chef Lincoln Carson as Pear Tatin with Vanilla Ice Cream and Caramel Sauce. Like the other recipes in the book, the pear tatin requires multiple subpreparations (in this case 5, though 7 to 10 elsewhere is not unusual); frequently large recipe yields (72, in one case), ingredient quantities given by weight, and restaurant-ingredient "call-fors" (like isomalt and trimoline) further alert us to the fact--unstated--that the book is for professionals. This said, general readers may well be intrigued by the talent and technique on display in 105 color photos of the unquestionably gorgeous desserts, and by the useful, often fascinating information on pastry history and production that the book provides.

Organized by classic dessert categories or fare, the book offers a wide range of "reinterpretations," including White Chocolate Key Lime Tart, Passion Fruit Baked Alaska with Coconut Marshmallows, and Ginger and Quince Napoleons. A preliminary chapter introduces readers to the chefs--among them (in addition to Lincoln Carson) teacher and baking-book author Nick Malgieri, Jacquy Pfeiffer and Sebastien Cannone of the French Pastry School, and Chris Broberg of Manhattan restaurant Lespinasse. Offering insights and personal vignettes, the chefs help spin the historical and pastry-career investigation that follows. An illustrated chapter on sugar work concludes the book, along with a glossary of classic dessert types. These latter sections are valuable resources in themselves, and should engross all dessert makers, from the home-based to those who produce, or want to produce, stellar restaurant sweets. --Arthur Boehm