Grace's Sweet Life: Homemade Italian Desserts from Cannoli, Tiramisu, and Panna Cotta to Torte, Pizzelle, and Struffoli [Paperback]

I own close to 50 cookbooks so I know cookbooks. This is NOT just another cookbook. Grace's Sweet Life is a collection of desserts and even better: dessert ingredients, that will make your mouth water. It's more than a photo and a way to cook it. The thing that for me sets this book apart is that it builds on itself. Let's show you how to make a ganache - and then as we get through the book, more recipes call for that same ganache. It's a simple way to grow your skills while learning some absolutely magnificent desserts.

Grace's book is a staple in our petit dessert creation now.

I once read a saying that describes me, it said "I exercise because I love dessert". Chocolate, cheesecake, lemon anything, cream filling, I love it all and this book has it all, cakes and cheesecakes, mini desserts, cookies, pies and tarts, pastries and fried desserts, creams, custards, mousses, soufflés, frozen, and fruit desserts and they are better than the ones you will try in most Italian restaurants. Some recipes are relatively easy and some have more than a few steps. Some do require things that I do not usually have in my kitchen, but with access to the internet they are relatively easy to find. Now I just need some ring molds and a pizzelle maker!

The pictures are beautiful (almost every recipe has a picture of the finished product), the instructions are easy to follow, and I love that all the recipes have an introduction which tells you what to expect. Sometimes I wish that there were pictures to go along with some of the instructions but this isn't a big deal.

The pastry cream is heavenly (and it is pretty easy to make), plus the variations are endless (think white chocolate, chocolate, cinnamon, espresso, coconut, etc). Italian meringue (think a light fluffy frosting), croissant dough, puff pastry, tiramisu (one of my favorites but I now wish Grace would make a raspberry tiramisu and include the recipe for ladyfingers), chocolate truffle tart with chocolate glaze, chocolate éclairs with pastry cream, and Nutella soufflé (I'm pretty sure Nutella is one of my favorite things to eat and this soufflé is delicious) . I will slowly work my way to the more complicated recipes as time allows.

I really enjoy this cookbook. I love to cook and these recipes satisfy my family's and my own sweet tooth. Thanks Grace!

I received a complimentary copy of this book to facilitate my review. However this did not affect my opinions. All opinions are my own and my immediate family's.

This cookbook shows you how to make desserts better than those written by professional chefs. How so? Because of the love that shines through every page. Love of food, good food, and love of family. When Grace set out to write this, she also created a bonding experience with her son and daughter, which is what the best home cooking does, even if only at the table.
Everything is laid out in simple steps,and the recipes themselves rely more on high quality ingredients prepared with care, than on a huge array of ingredients. You can substitute vanilla essence for the actual vanilla pods, or another flour for the high quality Italian 'doppio zero'she recommends for some pastries, but, since otherwise the ingredients are pretty straightforwards, I suspect there will be a difference in the finished dessert.
Since my own cooking is generally confined to fry, barbeque, and boil,the only recipe I have tried so far is the vanilla poached pears-much more elegant in Italian-Pere al Vaniglia. Yummy. I shall be cautiously widening my cooking possibilities, now I've dabbled one toe in the water.