I Love Desserts: Perfect Light Desserts

the appetizer:

Making healthy desserts is a snap with Nick Malgieri's and David Joachim's Perfect Light Desserts. Here are some "Perfect" Dessert Tips from the book, and sample recipes like Easy Chocolate Mousse, Crisp Chocolate Biscotti and Lemon Cheese Tart with Strawberries.

Perfect Light Desserts
Fabulous Cakes, Cookies, Pies, and More Made with Real Butter, Sugar, Flour, and Eggs, All Under 300 Calories Per Generous Serving

by Nick Malgieri and David Joachim

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For most people, light, low-calorie desserts call to mind dieting, dissatisfaction, artificial sweeteners, and tiny portions...a swirl of frozen yogurt in a cup, hold the sprinkles...exactly two Snackwells...mounds of Jello...

Here to challenge those notions and expand our dessert horizons are James Beard Award-winning baker Nick Malgieri and healthy cooking expert David Joachim of A Man A Can A Plan. From old-fashioned favorites such as Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and Devil's Food Cake to the more exotic Plum and Ginger Gaieties and Baked Indian Pudding, all of the 125 recipes in Perfect Light Desserts: Fabulous Cakes, Cookies, Pies, and More Made with Real Butter, Sugar, Flour, and Eggs—All Under 300 Calories Per Generous Serving promise intense flavor and rich texture without the overload of calories.

In developing the recipes, Malgieri and Joachim had three additional requisites: first, no artificial anything; second, the portion sizes had to be generous—the same as they would be for higher calorie desserts; and third, the recipes had to be simple to prepare, using easy-to-follow instructions and widely available ingredients and equipment. To offer reassurance to doubting home cooks, each recipe also includes detailed nutritional information—complete with calorie and carb counts. Who knew that a Real Chocolate Truffle could only set you back 69 calories? Or that a rum spiced Almond Tuile could rival a Wheat Thin on the calorie meter? Nick and David did, and in recipe after recipe, they keep hope alive: Honey and Hazelnut Biscotti (34 calories); Caramel Lace (38 calories); Pecan Spice Cake (104 calories); Panna Cotta (173 calories)...and the bounty continues.

In chapter after chapter, readers will also discover a wealth of fun facts and handy tips. Among other things, they'll learn:

The many types of chocolate and why high-cocoa chocolates are actually better for low-calorie recipes.
The typical serving size for cookies —"a balanced diet is a cookie in each hand"!
Which cookie is named after French roofing tiles?
The history of the term "pie" - it actually does have to do with the magpie!
Which fruits are in season in a month-by-month guide?
The recipe for the fruit dessert served on opening day of Windows on the World.
How to select an ice cream machine, from the expensive automatic models with built-in refrigeration to the old-fashioned rock salt and ice models.
The difference between sherbet, sorbet, and ice cream.

Add to this three comprehensive sections on ingredients, equipment, and sources—and an abundance of holiday recipes including Perfect Pumpkin Pie, Apple and Blackberry Cobbler, Mincemeat Cookies, Cranberry Walnut Tan, Holiday Fruitcake, Snow Eggs, and Swiss Cinnamon Stars—and Perfect Light Desserts becomes the perfect dessert resource for every kitchen.

About the Authors

Chosen as one of the 10 Best Pastry Chefs in America, Nick Malgieri is the author of A Baker's Tour, Cookies Unlimited, Perfect Cake, Chocolate, and How to Bake, which won the James Beard Award for Best Baking Book. He directs the baking program at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City and is a frequent guest teacher at schools across the country. His recipes and articles have been published in the New York Times, Gourmet, Chocolatier, Cook's Illustrated, and Food & Wine among others. He also appears frequently on the Food Network. He lives in New York City.

David Joachim is a food writer and cooking editor with more than 30 books to his credit, including Brilliant Food Tips and Cooking Tricks, A Man A Can A Plan, Fresh Chains, and the New York Tims bestselling A Man A Can A Grill. His writing and cooking tips have been published in Cook's Illustrated, Cooking Light, Prevention, Fitness, Men's Health and other national magazines. He is a former editor of Vegetarian Gourmet magazine and has made numerous local and national appearances on such programs as "The View," "Recipe for Health" on the Food Network, "Home Matters" on the Discovery Channel, and "Talk of the Nation." He lives in Center Valley, PA.

Perfect Light Desserts
Fabulous Cakes, Cookies, Pies, and More Made with Real Butter, Sugar, Flour, and Eggs, All Under 300 Calories Per Generous Serving
By Nick Malgieri, David Joachim
William Morrow
$29.95 U.S. / $37.95 Canada
Hardcover
ISBN 0-06-077929-2
Information provided by the publisher.

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