Long before award-winning chef Michel Richard made his first cÔte de boeuf or prepared his first foie gras terrine, he was a pastry chef. In Los Angeles, pastry lovers lined up outside his bakeshop on Wilshire Boulevard, waiting to enjoy the breads and treats they’d heard were the best in town, maybe even better than anything in Paris. Now, in this outstanding collection, the superstar chef returns to his first love, the food that made him famous—desserts.

Here are mouthwatering, foolproof recipes for American favorites such as pecan pie and pound cake; Richard’s personal inventions, such as Floating Islands with Melted Chocolate Morsels and the "coffee cloud"; reinvented French classics, such as profiteroles and the Christmas log (bÛche de NoËl); fruit favorites, including tarts and Pavlovas; and, of course, plenty of cookies.

Going beyond traditional cookbooks, Sweet Magic shares Richard’s insights into the thinking and craft behind every aspect of dessert, with brief essays that explore, explain, and entice—highlighted by the chef’s own playful illustrations.

Creating exquisite dishes with only a few simple ingredients—butter, eggs, sugar, flour, chocolate—demands the instincts of an artist and the soul of a magician. Sweet Magic will unlock the inner dessert wizard in every home chef, guiding both newcomers and old hands past common missteps, to seduce the most flavor and texture from every ingredient.