This is an excellent dessert cookbook, just in time for the holidays!

Chef Richard intersperses his recipes with endearing anecdotes, cute drawings, and full-blown essays on his history with food and what he has learned from his unceasing experimentation. I particularly enjoyed his homage to microwaves!

I appreciate the chef’s inventiveness and his willingness to incorporate nontraditional elements and techniques in his quest for efficiency and ease. I was particularly impressed by the value he places on flavor over sugar and fat. He constantly tries to improve flavor by limiting competing (and unhealthy) tastes.

Richard’s classical French training, combined with his decades of experience as a chef in the United States, gives him a unique perspective on food. His contagious curiosity and good humor encourage any would-be cook to get in the kitchen and whip up something fantastic.

When I bake, I tend to find one recipe that I know works, and stick with it. Baking can be very complex, and, as Richard notes, a pastry chef can’t taste his dish and add seasoning midway through like a savory chef can. But Richard doesn’t rest on his laurels once he has found a good recipe; he constantly attempts to make that dessert better, tastier, and not quite so bad for you.

Michel Richard exhibits playfulness and a true passion for taste, flavor, and texture; I found myself laughing at his anecdotes and making notes of his efficient shortcuts. What’s more, he has inspired me to stop playing it safe in the kitchen—the sign of a truly good cookbook!

For a full review, please visit my site, http://melodyandwords.com/2010/12/22/sweet-magic/! ( )