Runner-up: ‘Best Cookbook in the World’, World Gourmand Cookbook Awards 2010
Dessert is an extraordinary book from two-Michelin-starred chef, David Everitt-Matthias. Following on from his critically acclaimed debut, Essence, this stunning second book explores the world, and pushes the boundaries, of the dessert chef’s art. Each of the book’s five main chapters focuses on a specific family of ingredients: Chocolate and Nut; Fruit; Vegetable; Roots, Pods, Seeds and Bark; and Wild. There is also a section outlining the essentials and basics from which his craft begins and several pages of Petits Fours – the perfect finishing touch.
With no specific pastry chef training, David approaches the idea of dessert free from doctrine and received wisdom. A great originator and writer of recipes – someone who is able to instruct with precision and passion – he has created a book that is singular in its content, style and technique. Each recipe in Dessert can be deconstructed into its component parts, enabling individual elements from within – such as a pure, ice cream, sabayon, sorbet or cream – to be enjoyed on their own or alongside other desserts. Contains stunning photography from Lisa Barber. Dessert is a book of astonishing originality, destined to become a classic and follow along the award-winning path of David’s first book, Essence (also Absolute Press).
David Everitt-Matthias bestrides the British restaurant scene like few other chefs. Respected and admired worldwide, he has become the epitome of the ‘chef’s chef’. In recent years he has developed a passion and fascination for wild food, which has come to inform much of his cooking, helping to create a cuisine unlike any other. His first book, Essence, was an instant commercial and critical success when first published in 2006, and has since become an essential tool for professional chefs and enthusiastic amateurs alike.
Reviews
‘Everitt-Matthias is that rare thing: a perfectionist with the patience and ability to teach’ – The Bookseller, February 2009
‘These desserts are special occasion masterpieces that have quite rightly played a part in earning him a reputation as one of the finest cooks in the country’ – Caterer and Hotelkeeper, July 2009
‘The Rolls Royce of cookery books’ – Flavour, July 2009