Brooks Headley's Fancy Desserts (WW Norton & Co)

While other chefs paid dues on restaurant lines and at cooking schools, Brooks Headley was in the back of a tour van as a drummer in much-loved punk bands that never made a dime. Now executive pastry chef at New York s Del Posto restaurant, Headley creates unorthodox recipes that echo his unconventional background: fruit is king, vegetables are championed, acidity is key, and simplicity is the goal. With 97 recipes and more than 100 photographs, Brooks Headley s Fancy Desserts has six chapters: Fruit, Vegetables, Grains and Flours, Chocolate, Seeds and Nuts, and Dairy. Recipes range from verjus melon candy to tofu chocolate creme brulee, fruit sorbet to eggplant and chocolate, showcasing Headley s unique perspective on ingredients and methodology. Guest contributors include philosopher-musician Ian Svenonius, essayist Sloane Crosley, and award-winning chefs Gabrielle Hamilton and David Kinch. Brooks Headley s Fancy Desserts is an essential, inventive addition to the shelf of both home cooks and professional chefs."