Here, Gordon Ramsay aims to demystify the art of dessert-making. There are the basic building blocks - fruits, ices and creams, mousses and souffles, crepes and batters - that can be served alone for everyday meals or in combination to impress. Then come the stand-alone dishes - homely favourites and special-occasion desserts - and a final chapter on vital accompaniments - biscuits, sponges and meringues. Throughout the book Gordon offers the benefit of his short cuts and tricks of the trade.
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Amazon Review
Just Desserts is a very fine book of puddings from energetic three-star Michelin chef Gordon Ramsay, expertly marshalled for the domestic kitchen by Roz Denny. Ramsay's imagination is obviously caught by the sweet course: he expends a great deal of innovative thinking to it with fascinating results. He is inclined to roast his fruit, for example, caramelising it for greater intensity of flavour; or he might deep-fry it, as in the elegant and fantastically nonchalant Fruit Tempura. His ices and creams include voluptuous nut creams and lavender, orange flower water or liquorice ice cream. Oriental flavours appear in ethereal dishes like the Thai Rice Pudding with Coconut and Lemon (serve with mango coulis) or Banana and Passion Fruit Sorbet. Cheesecake is light and flavoured with pumpkin. Proper homage is paid to comfort food, with recipes for Bread and Butter Pudding (Ramsay makes his with baguette and laces it with Baileys liqueur) and Steamed Toffee, Banana and Pecan Pudding. The chocolate recipes are particularly fine, with a Chocolate Mocha Tart standing out. Just Desserts is also an excellent primer of patisserie techniques, its explanations and illustrations of the standard syrups, pastes, sponges and pastries of the restaurant kitchen, here translated into domestic terms, being particularly lucid. The professional mysteries of the mousse, the parfait, the bavarois and the various manifestations of the meringue are made wonderfully clear. No holding back, then. --Robin Davidson
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
Gordon Ramsay has earned an extraordinary 12 Michelin stars for his restaurants in London and New York. Now a celebrated television presenter, Gordon's award-winning television series include Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, The F Word and Hell's Kitchen. His other bestselling cookbooks - A Chef for All Seasons, Gordon Ramsay's Secrets, Gordon Ramsay Makes It Easy, Sunday Lunch, Fast Food, 3*** Chef and Gordon Ramsay's Healthy Appetite - are also published by Quadrille.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
39 of 47 people found the following review helpful
By M. Coulin
Format:Paperback
I work as a pastry chef and own dessert books by authors such as Rose Levy Beranbaum, Maida Heatter, Marcel Desaulniers, etc. But none come close to this book. Maybe it is unfair to compare "baking" books to this cookbook, which could only be classified as a "dessert" book, but other "dessert" books (ie Michel Roux's Finest Desserts, Jacques Torres' Dessert Circus) still fall short of this book.
Gordon is clearly in a league of his own, his flavour combinations are original, creative, and ahead of their time, whilst still retaining a simplicity that allows any intermediate cook to approch them. I say this from experience, because I have owned this book well before I started my pastry apprenticeship.
To give you an understanding of why I admire this book so much, I will compare two fairly standard recipes from two different authors. Rose Levy Beranbaum's "Pie and Pastry Bible" contains a fairly comprehensive recipe for an apple pie. Those who are familiar with Beranbaum's books will no doubt be aware of the extensive research and time she would have spent in search of the "perfect" apple pie recipe. Her recipe is quite complex, although still straightforward, for an apple pie. The chunks of apple are basically "macerated" in sugar, lemon and spice for several hours, so that excess liquid (which may result in shrinkage during baking) is released from the fruit. This juice is then reduced to intensify flavour, then combined with the apple chunks, which are coated lightly with cornstarch. This mixture is placed in the pie shell as per any standard apple pie recipe, then topped with pastry and baked.
Rose's recipe is quite technical, almost overly technical, and while the result is very good, I believe that Gordon's approach is far more effective.... Read more ›
Gordon is clearly in a league of his own, his flavour combinations are original, creative, and ahead of their time, whilst still retaining a simplicity that allows any intermediate cook to approch them. I say this from experience, because I have owned this book well before I started my pastry apprenticeship.
To give you an understanding of why I admire this book so much, I will compare two fairly standard recipes from two different authors. Rose Levy Beranbaum's "Pie and Pastry Bible" contains a fairly comprehensive recipe for an apple pie. Those who are familiar with Beranbaum's books will no doubt be aware of the extensive research and time she would have spent in search of the "perfect" apple pie recipe. Her recipe is quite complex, although still straightforward, for an apple pie. The chunks of apple are basically "macerated" in sugar, lemon and spice for several hours, so that excess liquid (which may result in shrinkage during baking) is released from the fruit. This juice is then reduced to intensify flavour, then combined with the apple chunks, which are coated lightly with cornstarch. This mixture is placed in the pie shell as per any standard apple pie recipe, then topped with pastry and baked.
Rose's recipe is quite technical, almost overly technical, and while the result is very good, I believe that Gordon's approach is far more effective.... Read more ›
32 of 40 people found the following review helpful
By "izzyh"
Format:Paperback
I have been using this book for the better part of a year and have probably tried out 70% of the recipies. Incredibly, I have enjoyed a 100% success rate! His descriptions and explanations are clear and leave no doubts. Considering I am in Malaysia and many of the ingredients are hard to come by, the recipies are forgiving enough to still yield amazing results. I have created and recreated many of the items for friends and family and they always leave them asking for more. Gordon Ramsay is a culinary genius. His jellies in particular are an inspiration. His hot puddings, out of this world. Certainly not a book for the pure beginner but at the same time, a small amount of kitchen experience will have you recreating his genius relatively easily. Your friends and family will love it if there's any left after you've sampled it yourself.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By ooOoo
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover
...the appropriate closing sentence of GR's sweet book introduction!
'I'd like to think that I have included something for everyone here. At least, I encourage you to master a few easy classics -perhaps roasted fruits, crème anglaise, chocolate ganache for truffles and possibly the little treacle tarts I made for Prime Minister Blair and President Putin.....'
Measuring in at approximately 21.5 cm x 27 cm, this 224 high quality shiny-paged hardback book is split into 9 chapters:-
* ices and creams (pages 50 - 83)
* mousses, bavarois and soufflés (pages 86 - 103)
* crêpes and batters (pages 107 - 119)
* homely puddings (pages 125 - 143)
* special occasions (pages 146 - 167)
* accompaniments and chocolates (pages 170 - 189)
* basics (pages 192 - 211)
* reference (pages 213 - 219)
sandwiched between an introduction and a comprehensive index.
From the front flap:-
'In Just Desserts, Britain's most exciting chef demystifies the notoriously tricky topic of desserts. Simplifying classical methods wherever possible, GR helps you to create a series of irresistible treats guaranteed to end any meal with a flourish. .......Just Desserts is set to become the definitive book on dessert making for years to come.'
A bold statement and it is very true to say that it has been done before...and since.....often..... but with this publication you do get that little 'je ne sais quoi' - by doing it the GR way!
It reads less like a technical manual and his chatter.....as always......encourages.... Read more ›
'I'd like to think that I have included something for everyone here. At least, I encourage you to master a few easy classics -perhaps roasted fruits, crème anglaise, chocolate ganache for truffles and possibly the little treacle tarts I made for Prime Minister Blair and President Putin.....'
Measuring in at approximately 21.5 cm x 27 cm, this 224 high quality shiny-paged hardback book is split into 9 chapters:-
* ices and creams (pages 50 - 83)
* mousses, bavarois and soufflés (pages 86 - 103)
* crêpes and batters (pages 107 - 119)
* homely puddings (pages 125 - 143)
* special occasions (pages 146 - 167)
* accompaniments and chocolates (pages 170 - 189)
* basics (pages 192 - 211)
* reference (pages 213 - 219)
sandwiched between an introduction and a comprehensive index.
From the front flap:-
'In Just Desserts, Britain's most exciting chef demystifies the notoriously tricky topic of desserts. Simplifying classical methods wherever possible, GR helps you to create a series of irresistible treats guaranteed to end any meal with a flourish. .......Just Desserts is set to become the definitive book on dessert making for years to come.'
A bold statement and it is very true to say that it has been done before...and since.....often..... but with this publication you do get that little 'je ne sais quoi' - by doing it the GR way!
It reads less like a technical manual and his chatter.....as always......encourages.... Read more ›
By Josie Romeo
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I love baking and didn't realize Gordon Ramsay had a book just on desserts. It is excellent and I love the pictures. I am so glad he has a cookbook that is dedicated just to deserts and can't wait to try some of the recipes!
By amanda
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Lots of good ideas and not to fussy so it is a book that will be used again and again
16 of 23 people found the following review helpful
By "wartaal73"
Format:Hardcover
I got this book after his "secret" and "season" books. I read it and ... well, the recipes are really delicious. There is such a variety that is impressive. I think it will take a few years before I am able to completely assess all recipes.
There are standard ones and also more daring ones (like the pumpkin cheesecake). There are even few pages on basics like pate sucree and a wonderful mascarpone pastry. Just delicious.
On the "bad" side, the recipes have the same problem as in his other books: there is a great chance that you will have to change the cooking times. The mentioned ones are simply too short (and I own two very different ovens).
Apart from this, the book is very useful ... What about the photos and the other glittering features? This is a recipe book. There are mostly recipes and some mouthwatering photos. But this is essentially a recipe book ... a very excellent one.
There are standard ones and also more daring ones (like the pumpkin cheesecake). There are even few pages on basics like pate sucree and a wonderful mascarpone pastry. Just delicious.
On the "bad" side, the recipes have the same problem as in his other books: there is a great chance that you will have to change the cooking times. The mentioned ones are simply too short (and I own two very different ovens).
Apart from this, the book is very useful ... What about the photos and the other glittering features? This is a recipe book. There are mostly recipes and some mouthwatering photos. But this is essentially a recipe book ... a very excellent one.
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4.6 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best dessert book I have found
I work professionally as a pastry chef and I owe much to this fantastic book, definately the best dessert book I have come accross. Read more
Published 18 months ago by yorkshirepastrychef
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book
I have tried many recipes from Gordon Ramsay and all of them have been excellent. The recipes I've tried from this book are also excellent. Read more
Published on 16 Sep 2009 by Gunnar Hakonarson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Will Make You Fat, But You Won't Care
Just Desserts, is written by the accomplished and talented three Michelin star chef Gordon Ramsey. As the name suggests, it's a cook book filled with recipes for the best part of a... Read more
Published on 8 Feb 2008 by Andrew Kerr
1.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing. These are not Michelin Star Desserts!
Gordon Ramsay is a great chef and there is no doubt that his Chelsea restaurant is worthy of its 3 Michelin stars. Read more
Published on 29 July 2007 by Dr. Richard J. Pickard
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic
I purchased this book only because of the two book deals on Amazon, but to my surprise it was filled with yummy desserts, I have only made one of them so far, but if this one was... Read more
Published on 9 Oct 2006 by Lady Deborah Cox
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic book to delight your taste buds
This book is devine. The receipes are delicious and will impress anyone. I found the receipes to be spot on, the quanties were exactly right and there was no need to mess with... Read more
Published on 23 Feb 2006 by "elizabethh422"
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great ice-cream, but too much stodge
The ice recipes are great, especially the sorbets.
But this book disappoints, too, because far too many of the cooked puddings are bland and stodgy, especially the sticky date... Read more
Published on 26 Jan 2006
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