GRAND SWEETS from Gale Gand By Sheilah Kaufman

Always on the look out for fabulous food, my friend Nancy would take me to the latest "in spot" to eat when I visited Chicago, but the one outstanding place I kept returning to was Brassier T, where I had the pleasure of meeting Gale Gand and her husband Rick. In recent years, Gale has done three fabulous cookbooks dealing with baking, that I am now the proud owner of: SHORT+ SWEET (quick desserts with 8 ingredients or less); JUST A BITE (125 luscious little desserts); and BUTTER SUGAR FLOUR EGGS
(whimsical irresistible desserts). As I began to flip through the books I started making a grocery list…since I wanted to immediately prepare almost everything!

These books are all easy to follow, have fabulous recipes accompanied by full color photos, and many don't take much time and can be made ahead and/or frozen which is definitely in keeping with my philosophy of easy, elegant, fearless, fussless. They are loaded with tips, hints, and guidelines for "smooth sailing" in the kitchen. What more could you want. If you love to bake, these books are a must.

As for Gale, she is the star of the Food Network series Sweet Dreams and is executive pastry chef and co-oner of Chicago's acclaimed restaurant Tru, owner of her own root beer company, and named Pastry Chef of the Year by the James Beard Foundation in 2001.

ORANGE-HONEY GLAZED ALMONDS (JUST A BITE, Gale Gand, Clarkson Potter, NY)

This recipe combines honey and nuts, making it a nice "new tradition" for your holiday celebration. Great with good ripe cheese, either before or after the meal.

2 cups whole blanched almonds
1/ 4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
freshly grated zest of 1 orange

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease or line a large cookie sheet. Toss all the ingredients together in a bowl, then turn out onto the cookie sheet. Spread out so the almonds do not touch each other. Bake until lightly toasted, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. As they come out of the oven, loosen the almonds from the bottom of the pan with a spatula. Let them cool in the pan. Let the almonds cool to room temperature, then store them in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks or less if the weather is very humid. Makes 2 cups.

CHOCOLATE COCONUT MACAROON PIES Gale Gand's SHORT & SWEET (Clarkson Potter, NY)

These little pies are like chocolate-dipped macaroons in reverse: lots of chocolate and a little coconut. The "dough" for the coconut macaroons is so easy to make, easy to work with, and holds its shape well after baking. I used raspberries instead of nuts to top mine.

Heaping 3/ 4 cup sugar
Scant 1/ 2 cup egg whites (about 3 large eggs)
3/ 4 lb. (scant 2 1/ 2 cups) sweetened flaked coconut
8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1/ 2 cup whipping cream
a few toasted almonds, chopped
pint of fresh raspberries (my addition)

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Mix the sugar, egg whites, and coconut together. Put a spoonful into each of 24 nonstick mini-muffin cups or individual tart molds. Press the "dough" into the molds to make little cups with sides and a well for holding the chocolate filling. Bake until golden brown about 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely in the pans, then gently remove.
To prepare the filling, place the chocolate in a bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan just until boiling. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute. Then gently whisk the cream and chocolate until smooth and glossy.
With a small spoon, fill the tarts with the warm chocolate mixture. Sprinkle a few pieces of nuts in the center of each tart while they are still warm. (I used a fresh raspberry on top instead). Then serve. (They need to be served the same day they are made). Makes 24.

Note: The coconut shells can be made up to 2 days in advance and kept at room temperature in an airtight container. The ganache can be refrigerated for up to 5 days; re-warmed in the microwave or in a bowl set over simmering water until it is pourable.

MILK CHOCOLATE-ORANGE MOUSSE (BUTTER SUGAR FLOUR EGGS by Gale Gand, Clarkson Potter, NY)

It is unusual to find milk chocolate in recipes, since it cannot be substituted for other chocolates, so this one is for all you milk chocolate lovers.

5 oz milk chocolate
3 oz semisweet chocolate
2 cups chilled heavy cream
2/ 3 cups egg whites (from about 5 eggs)
1/ 3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
1 tablespoon thawed frozen orange juice concentrate or Grand Marnier liqueur

Melt the chocolates together in the top of a large double boiler set over barely simmering water. Stir well and set aside to cool slightly. Whip the cream in a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or hand mixer) until stiff. Refrigerate it.
In a clean, dry bowl, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and continue whipping just until stiff and glossy, about 30 seconds more.
Whisking hard, whisk about a third of the egg whites into the chocolate until well blended. Fold in the next third of the egg whites. Fold in the remaining egg whites just until barely combined (the mixture will be streaky). Add the orange zest, orange juice concentrate, and whipped cream and fold until smooth. Use a pastry bag fitted with a large plain or star tip to pipe the mousse into serving dishes, or simply spoon it into a large serving bowl. Cover lightly and refrigerate at least 1 hour or until ready to serve. Makes about 8 servings.

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