Short and Sweet: Sophisticated Desserts in 30 Minutes or Less

Irresistibly simple and elegant desserts that can be made fewer than seven ingredients Some of the best desserts are also the simplest and the fastest. And with Short & Sweet, there's no reason for anyone to sacrifice dessert just because she's short on time. Delicious recipes include cool poached pears in wine syrup with shavings of chocolate, broiled peaches with a crunchy, buttery topping, a mound of ice cream melting under rivulets of warm caramel sauce, a feathery light blueberry cornbread. Melanie Barnard, a coauthor of "30-Minute Main Courses," the second most popular feature in Bon Appétit magazine, explains how to prepare quick desserts from scratch or cleverly take advantage of the many high-quality convenience products on the market. Whether it's a homey dessert like Brownie Thins or Peanut Butter Mousse or Hot Fudge Pudding Cake or an inventive creation like Raspberry White Chocolate Soufflé or an Apricot and Balsamic Cherry Sundae, all use seven ingredients or fewer ingredients and take less than half an hour to make.