Great desserts, like great dishes, should be crafted with layers of flavor. In some cases, this means adding lots of subtle elements that combine into one standout finished product. In other cases, this idea is taken more literally and desserts are constructed with actual layers of flavor and texture. These layered desserts are a lot of fun both to make and to eat, and in Glorious Layered Desserts, you’ll find plenty of inspiration for your dessert creations.
The desserts in the book are all built with multiple components that come together to form deliciously complex goodies. All of the components are easy to make and presented in a very straightforward way, so the desserts don’t come off as being labor-intensive or fussy. The finished desserts are presented towards the beginning of the book, with the “essential recipes” that go into them coming after. This presentation is a little different than some other books, but frankly it’s a lot more fun to see the finished products first and it really gets you hungry as you flip through the pages of the book. Most of the desserts are scaled down for individual servings, but there is no reason that you couldn’t scale up any of these recipes to make a large, showstopping trifle that can serve as both a centerpiece and as dessert. All of the recipes are easy to follow along with, and the format makes it east to mix-and-match flavors that you like to create your own unique layered desserts, in addition to the ones given in the book.
The book is very time-conscious, which is fantastic if you’re a busy person who wants to make sure that dessert can fit into your schedule. Some of the details that the book includes are charts that let you know which desserts can be put together more quickly than others, which desserts can be made well in advance and suggestions for “shortcuts” that will allow you to shave even more time off your prep. The pictures make the desserts look both cute and delicious, and you’ll probably be able to picture yourself serving them at all kinds of occasions throughout the year. You may want to go out and pick up new cups or jars for serving, however, since you’ll want these desserts to look as good as they taste and you need clear dishes to get the full effect from all those lovely layers.
What do you think?