Ready for Dessert, Revised: My Best Recipes [A Baking Book]

“Adding a bit of ground black pepper to strawberries doesn't make them spicy; it makes them more strawberry-like.”

Fruit should taste like itself but better. A little black pepper or balsamic vinegar makes a strawberry feel more like a strawberry.

“Salt is the most important ingredient in the pastry kitchen.”

Salt belongs in every single sweet thing. It wakes up the sugar so the flavors don't just sit flat on your tongue.

“Don't be afraid to take the caramel to the dark side.”

Great caramel should be pushed right to the edge of burnt. That bitter smoke is what keeps a dessert from being cloying.

Infusing milk or cream with herbs is a quiet magic trick. A handful of fresh mint leaves changes a simple custard into something sophisticated.