Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts

Great

I've been cooking from various Maida Heatter books for 25 years now, and though I have quite a few other cookbooks, none come close to the level of her 5 cookbooks (plus 3 compilation books of the same recipes).There's no point in my picking out a few great recipes in this book - you will like them all.I have made perhaps 50% of the recipes in all her books, some a few times, some very many times. In those thousands of desserts, all but a couple were wonderful. Some dessert recipes are designed to just look good - but Maida's desserts ALWAYS taste great. Some are fancier than the others, and (particularly in her later dessert books) some take quite a bit of time to create - choose the recipe for the occasion.This is her first cookbook and if you read it carefully she will teach you how to do everything you need. Read the introduction, get the right equipment/pans and get the right ingredients. Follow the instructions too! She is the first to point out that if you use margine instead of butter, or this instead of that, then the recipe may not work. Just do everything exactly as she says and you will be rewarded with a success EVERY time.With very few exceptions, the ingredients needed to make her recipes are widely available. You may choose to buy the best chocolate if you like (and I try to do so), but the desserts are great regardless. She has a few flourless recipes using ground almonds, but I've not been successful in grinding my own and can't seem to buy it locally.Without a doubt the best dessert cookbook author ever!

First of all, this is one of my best loved cookbooks!  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts  is a fantastic source for fabulous baking and desserts, which is exactly why I bought this to give to my sister who has a block when it comes to baking. (Shh don't tell her I haven't given it to her yet!) But that aside, I wanted to write a review to comment on the amazing customer service I received and why I always look at Amazon first for online purchases.In the last few months, I have been ordering a lot of things for a big family party in another state, so every order is going directly to the party site. My mom-in-law gets to look at the boxes as they arrive. When this book arrived, according to her, it looked like it got messed up in printing. I called customer service and immediately the representative did his magic. He insisted on overnighting a new copy of the book at no cost (even though that wasn't necessary) and emailed me a return label to send the bad copy back. All this without me even having looked at the book! The new copy arrived in perfect condition the day after, even before mom-in-law got the bad copy to the shipper! WOW!! Seriously customer service you can definitely count on! And I know my sister will become the baker she is destined to become!

The best part of this book is that the author explains everything about how to cook... doesn't just assume you already know.

Several pages were missing from book. Return started.

I am editing my initial review because this is actually a great book and though a couple pages were stuck together I was wrong about the content not being the same as the hard bake, it is actually very much the same, makes for interesting reading if you are into that sort of thing and want to be a perfectionist about baking....great advice and information.1st review...Was not really in "good" condition, two of the pages were stuck together with something that looked like bubble gum, I was under the impression met that you could see all of the pages in the book. I wish there had been more information available in the description that informed that all of the diagrams in the hardback were not in the paperback copy, however, I am still very glad to have this book particularly considering the extremely higher prices it is now selling for....a very difficult book to obtain.

Absolutely stunning recipes. Her lemon cake, fudge sauce, etc are OUT of this world. I grew up with my mom making her desserts, and I'm a huge fan. Highly, highly recommend this for all dessert enthusiasts

An expert baker, Maida Heatter provides her best recipes including cakes, pastries, cookies, fresh fruit, and yeast breads, for serving at parties, or for just the two of you! Plus, she provides information on equipment, techniques, and ingredients. You won't find fancy photos, just a scattering of illustrations. This is an oldy but a goody! Packed with recipes from the introduction to the very last page, her tried and true recipes run the gambit from simple deliciousness to the most exotic fares. Picture this: Big Sur Chocolate Chip Cookies, Savarin, Cuban Banana Bread, or the Best Damn Lemon Cake! Each recipe has a story to go with it. Her recipes are easy to read, carefully written with tips and tools, and cover standard ingredients, as well as exotic ones she's found to be favorites. While I love pictures, and step by step photos, this book is a gem I won't part with! Indeed, I intend to purchase her entire library!! Wow, thank you Maida Heatter for thinking of dessert lovers everywhere!!

I am having very serious health issues and have been able to open this only now which is too late to be able to send it back. It is totally useless because the text is unreadable and so the recipes are undeciferable. Money thrown away. Very angry and frustrated.

The book is in good condition and of course a brilliant price

Bellissimo e raro libro. Quello che ho trovato io è molto usato ma il contenuto è davvero notevole : oltre a tantissime ricette tanti consigli preziosissimi in cucina.