Sweet Temptations

In this her first book, María Villegas splendidly displays her knowledge of culinary art, her fantasy and her creativity. His idea, "he tells us in the Introduction of the book," is to achieve innovation, to present alternatives to what is known, to what is routinely accepted by custom. The result is seventy recipes for unusual desserts, inspired by different cultures and made with the most diverse products, in the most exotic and daring combinations: apple and saffron, fennel and peach, cherries and roquefort. Step by step, without ever exceeding our culinary possibilities, the sequences that must be followed for its faithful reproduction are indicated here. The final presentation of each dessert, which reveals the taste for the sensuality of textures and the fascination with shapes, is captured by the specialized lens of Matthew Leighton and constitutes a work of art in itself. This book is one more demonstration that cooking in general, and pastry in particular, are fields open to the ineffable craft of creation.