Product Description

By the prize-winning author of Death by Chocolate

Be warned: this is a book about extravagantly opulent, irresistibly mouthwatering, deliciously soul-satisfying, sometimes ethereal, at other times delightfully dense desserts. It is a book about delectable excesses and sensational pleasures.

Author Marcel Desaulniers is the prize-winning executive chef of the Trellis Restaurant and creator of the best-selling Death by Chocolate and The Burger Meisters, both of which won the coveted James Beard Award. As he writes here: "This book is not for the faint of heart. It is for anyone who loves the occasional indulgence....If sharing a piece of buttercream swathed cake seems like a sensual experience, this book is your next step toward paradise."

This is a book full of chocolate, mocha and pecans, gourmet sundaes and gourmet sorbets. The recipes range from the deliciously complex and ornate, like the Chocolate Voodoo Cake, to triumphantly reinvented, no-longer-ordinary old favorites such as fruit cake, jelly rolls, and sticky buns.

Just naming these unique creations is like reciting an honor roll of sinful delights: Mocha Almond Praline Snap, Chocolate Pecan Sour Mash Bash, Fallen Angel Cake with Golden Halos and Sinful Cream, Chocolate Caramel Hazelnut Damnation. The recipes for these and other spellbinding desserts are now revealed in full color.

Marcel Desaulniers is as masterly a teacher as he is a chef. His books and television shows have been used and seen by millions. With his foolproof instructions, Desaulniers takes the home cook by the hand and, in step-by-step detail, shows how even the most extravagant of these desserts can easily be made at home.

Indulge in these pleasures and dive into their delights -- this is a book of exhilarating excess.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #608941 in Books
• Published on: 1995-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 144 pages

From Publishers Weekly
A mordant wit leavens the invaluable culinary advice and stunningly extravagant, stylish recipes collected in this new offering from James Beard Award-winning DeSaulniers (Death by Chocolate), co-owner/chef of Trellis Restaurant in Williamsburg, Va. Aided by assistant chef Peavey, DeSaulniers begins with extensive notes from the test kitchen; given the labor and assembly required for these imaginative concoctions, he does his best to set the home cook up for success with tips on organization and ingredient selection. A few recipes are rich and simple, e.g., the ice creams; Mrs. D's Chocolate Caramels (from the author's mom); Toasted Brandy and Spice Pound Cake. Most are rich and complex?and seductive. Pillars of Chocolate with Cocoa Thunderheads, featuring skyscraper shapes of ganache-spread chocolate cake wrapped around blocks of ice cream rising from clouds of cocoa'd whipped cream will require hours, patience and skill, but will surely draw gasps of admiration and delight from those served. Raspberry-tipped, chocolate-draped, horn-shaped "bustiers" poke perkily from mounds of raspberry-laced whipped cream in Chocolate Madonna. Chocolate Voodoo Cake bristles with long thin spikes of chocolate caramel adorning a molasses/chocolate-glazed, rum-soaked Zombie Cake. For the most ambitious efforts, DeSaulniers provides illustrations and recommends spreading preparation over days. This is a masterfully photographed collection, sure to inspire smiles, pleasurable overreaching and very sweet satisfaction. Homestyle and Better Homes and Gardens selections; author tour.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Desaulniers, chef/co-owner of Williamsburg's The Trellis Restaurant and author of Death by Chocolate (Rizzoli, 1992), loves rich, elaborate desserts-and desserts with "clever" names. Cooks can choose from Chocolate Caramel Hazelnut Damnation, Trick or Treat Ice Cream, and Chocolate Madonna (don't ask), among others. However, they are delectable, irresistible creations, and Desaulniers, who also hosts a popular cooking show on The Learning Channel, provides well-written, detailed descriptions for every step of even the most complicated recipes. Sure to have a wide appeal.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

5-star desserts in a 5-star book
Others have noted that Desaulniers is a master of marketing, and it's true--but his recipes WORK and make absolutely stunning presentations. If you need a special occasion dessert--perhaps one to propose by? perhaps one to celebrate the birth of a child?--you can't go wrong choosing one of Desaulniers' desserts from "Desserts to Die For."

Desaulniers encourages "mise en place" (the French culinary term for "everything in its place," or setting out all ingredients before ever beginning the recipe), which I admire, and he instructs his readers--kindly, politely, but firmly--to read each recipe through from start to finish before beginning. This is good advice in any cooking situation, but it makes strong sense with Desaulniers' recipes, which tend to be extremely detailed. Some cooks might find this annoying, but there are others--myself among them--who understand that this concentration on every little tiny thing means that Desaulniers recognizes the difference between a pretty good dessert and a great one. And he wants you to prepare nothing but great ones!

Desaulniers' personal dessert philosophy may be best expressed by the W. Somerset Maugham quotation with which he heads the introduction: "Excess on occasion is exhilarating; it keeps moderation from becoming a habit." And are these recipes excessive in nearly every way! Desaulniers wisely avoids giving calorie counts, fat content, etc. for each recipe, and concentrates instead on seducing his readers into wanting to make each and every dessert so sumptuously photographed by Michael Grand. The names are rich and evocative as the dishes themselves--Tuxedo Truffle Torte, Chocolate Voodoo Cake, Mocha Almond Praline Snap, Chocolate Caramel Hazelnut Damnation, Trick or Treat Ice Cream, "24" Carrot Cake, Wild Orchid, Chocolate Exquisite Pain (yikes!), Chocolate Resurrection, and White Chocolate Lullaby are but a few of the many tempting offerings herein.

There are many non-chocolate desserts in this book, but it's clear that Desaulniers is most excited by chocolate anything--it sets his heart to soaring, his brain to feverish activity, and his hands to creating something wonderful for all of us to try.

You may want Marcel's first book instead......
I am no beginner baker and I have always loved Marcel's first book "DEATH BY CHOCOLATE". However, unlike the first book, this one is clearly not as well tested. Many recipes if followed by the book will not come out correctly. If you have the wherewithall to understand where he is erring (and I must say he is trying to help - it is frequently in how long he says to bake/process/stir/etc and he is trying to be exact), then you will fare better.

I have made his molten chocolate cakes which are great - however the golden halo will not work without a basic understanding of how to carmelize sugar into threads. The fudge squares (Mrs D's ?)never congealed. The cranberry crostata is good but, again, following his timing will not get what the picture shows you (ie - 15 sec of food processor gives walnut powder).

Marcel Desaulniers is a terrific cook and an eloquent, humorous guy, but it is clear that it is his FIRST book is far better. It is that book which you should buy rather than this one.

Having said that, I received DEATH BY CHOCOLATE CAKES as a recent gift and I have yet to see where that one falls in the spectrum. Read the above reviews as you may, but don't say I didnt warn you if you are a beginner!

Great!
I have made 5 recipes in this book, and each time I have had great successes! I would recommend that you have some time on your hands to prepare these great recipes, and get a Kitchen Aid heavy duty mixer! With these elements you'll be on your way to creating great desserts that your freinds and family will enjoy!