The lushly illustrated “Home Baking” ($40) is a National Geographic trek for the taste buds. Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid take us from Beirut to Burgundy in search of the sweet and savory. You may not actually make Tibetan overnight skillet breads, but it’s still fun to read about them.
Emily Luchetti’s new book, “A Passion for Desserts” ($35), cleverly demystifies everything from coconut pavlovas to apricot jalousie tarts by explaining in concise steps how to construct all her desserts.
Finally, from Rose Levy Beranbaum, who brought us “The Cake and Pie Bible” and “The Pastry Bible,” comes her latest theological offering, “The Bread Bible” ($35). She covers crumpets to kugelhopf in this meticulously researched tome. On first read, Beranbaum comes across like the anal-retentive chef on “Saturday Night Live,” but her multisteps are well worth the effort.
Give any of these books as a gift, and you’re likely to get great desserts in return.
