Nancy Silverton's Pastries from the La Brea Bakery

When celebrated pastry chef and baker Nancy Silverton decided to add sweets to the La Brea Bakery's shelves of artisanal breads, she knew that they couldn't be just any sweets. Instead of baking fastidious and overelaborate desserts, she creates deliciously simple, rustic pastries, full of texture and flavor, that complement perfectly her hearty, country-style breads and have people lining up morning after morning.

Now, in Pastries from the La Brea Bakery, Silverton shares her passion and expertise in more than 150 recipes of her most scrumptious favorites–virtually every pastry in the La Brea Bakery's impressive repertoire.

Silverton distills years of experimentation and innovation into simple and accessible directions. Many of her recipes are surprisingly quick and easy–not to mention incredibly tasty–like her crisps, cobblers, and crumbles, and her ever-popular scones, which run the gamut from Chocolate-Walnut to Ginger to Mushroom-Onion. Her muffins are moist and distinctive, from the healthful Bran to the rich Crotin de Chocolat.

She offers an array of quickbreads and quickcakes for all tastes (including Madeleines, Canellés, and Cranberry-Almond Tea Bread), and her tarts bring out the best qualities of the finest ingredients, from the intense, fresh fruit of her Cherry Bundles to her elegant Triple Almond Tart. Beautiful cookies, such as Almond Sunflowers, Nun's Breasts, and Swedish Ginger Wafers, are centerpiece desserts on their own. Silverton also deftly teaches the delicate art of confections–here you'll find Almond Bark, English Toffee, and Lollipops–and demystifies the sometimes intimidating technique of doughnut making.

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