'The Sweet Spot' - Cookbook Spotlight

by Sara Bonisteel, Posted Oct 7th 2009 @ 2:00PM

Photo: HarperCollins.com

'The Sweet Spot: Asian-Inspired Desserts'
by Pichet Ong and Genevieve Ko
Photographs by Pate Eng
William Morrow -- 2007
Buy it on Amazon

Pichet Ong is a self-taught pastry chef whose talent landed him in some of the world's most esteemed kitchens, including Jean Georges.

In his first cookbook, "The Sweet Spot," Ong and co-writer Genevieve Ko explore the world of Asian desserts, many of which Ong says are slight tweaks on Western sweets.

See what we tested and find out whether the book's worth buying after the jump.

Takeaway tips: Ong is thorough in his lists of kitchen equipment and ingredients, but "my hands are my most important tool," he says. To that end, he suggests trying to whisk egg whites by hand at least once so you can feel the difference between soft and firm peaks.

Quality of pictures: Pate Eng's photos don't cover every page of "The Sweet Spot," but do convey the tasty nature of the recipes through images that show empty cake trays covered in crumbs as well as sweets with oozing warm centers and lush fruit sprinkled with sabayon.

What we tested: Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies and Chinese Almond Cookies

Ong writes that he only discovered drop cookies as a child, when his family moved to America and it was love at first bite. Both recipes were extremely easy -- especially if you have a stand mixer -- with the only real wait time coming from hardening up the dough in the refrigerator.

pichet ong almond cookies Pichet Ong's Chinese almond cookies. Photo: Sara Bonisteel.

He developed his version of the chocolate chip cookie for Spice Market in New York City, which utilizes coconut to give it a crisp but chewy consistency. His almond cookies are incredibly almondy thanks to a few drops of almond extract and almond flour. He uses an egg-white wash to give it shine.

Whether it's worth buying: Though not an essential book for everybody, "The Sweet Spot" would be a welcome edition to the bookshelf of the baker in your life.

Filed Under: Cookbook Spotlight
Tags: chinese almond cookies, ChineseAlmondCookies, cookbook spotlight, CookbookSpotlight, pichet ong, PichetOng, the sweet spot, TheSweetSpot