Press Release

INDULGE 100 Perfect Desserts by Claire Clark foreword by Thomas Keller photographs by Jean Cazal Whitecap November 2007 $40.00/hardcover Full-color photographs throughout ISBN: 978-1552859094 Buy this book Printer-friendly page

Contact: Trina Kaye
The Lisa Ekus Group, LLC
310.915.0970
TrinaKaye@tkopr.com

"Each page within this book is a testament to Claire's passion and dedication to her craft... Her expertise touches on all the dish's components so the end result is a deceptively simple, elegant dessert matched with a flavor profile that is both complex and satisfying. Claire's constant strive for perfection brings her as close to it as can possibly be."

Claire Clark believes dessert is to be enjoyed, that we all deserve to indulge ourselves with a little taste of heaven once in a while. And, as head pastry chef at The French Laundry in Napa Valley, California, Claire knows a thing or two about indulgence. In her stunningly beautiful debut book, INDULGE: 100 Perfect Desserts, Claire — who is regarded as one of the top three pastry chefs in the world — takes the home cook on a mouth-watering journey through her repertoire of some of the most delectable cakes, cookies, custards, and desserts in the world. Recipes range from classic, home baking to gorgeous patisserie, voluptuous ice creams, and delicate petit fours.

"For me, baking is a way to relax and to have fun. It does not have to be difficult or a trial; with a little forward planning it can be delightful and rewarding," Claire explains. "Pamper yourself, allow yourself the whole day to bake the most sumptuous, decadent, rich, luxurious cake you have ever made, and then invite your friends over to marvel at your magnificent masterpiece."

Knowing that not everyone has the skill of a pastry chef, Clark gently guides her readers each step of the way. Her recipes are accompanied by easy-to-follow directions and advice for the connoisseur in us all. Who knew one could create a completely luxurious dessert with just three simple ingredients? Under her encouraging guidance, anyone, at any skill level, can create beautiful desserts for every indulgence.

INDULGE is divided into chapters on Biscuits and Cookies, Cakes, Pastry, Meringues, Desserts, Mousses and Jellies, Puddings, Ices, and Petit Fours. Claire's recipes range from the deceptively simple to the intriguingly exotic, from classics with a twist to innovative and witty Claire Clark originals. Here are just a few of the 100 "perfect" recipes:

• Frascati Biscuits
• Oatmeal, Pecan and Raisin Cookies
• Chocolate Red Wine Cake
• Apple and Poppy Seed Cake
• Gingerbread
• Chocolate Fudge Brownies
• Mango and Kaffir Lime Mirliton Tart
• Tropical Fruit Pavlova
• Vacherin Mont Blanc
• Spiced Pumpkin Custard with Orange-Infused Granola
• Marmalade Bread and Butter Pudding

Claire shows the home cook that making desserts can be effortless, fun, and above all, delicious! The book contains her favorite recipes - some passed down through her family, others more unusual, culled from her 25 years of professional experience.

As head pastry chef at The French Laundry — widely known as one of the best restaurants in the world — Clark is a consummate professional at the top of her game. Yet the down-to-earth approach of her debut cookbook, INDULGE, makes it the perfect foil for anyone with a craving for something not only sweet, but unforgettable.

Claire Clark's desserts have paraded across the lawns of Buckingham Palace and appeared on the plates of the most discerning food critics, winning international acclaim from industry leaders. Her remarkable career began in her native England and has run its course through such stellar British establishments as The Ritz Hotel, Sir Terence Conran's Bluebird Restaurant, Claridge's Hotel, and the Wolseley on Piccadilly. In 1996, Claire was presented with the "Meilleur Ouvrier de Grande Bretagne" award — the highest recognition of culinary excellence in Great Britain. In 2005, Restaurant magazine named her "Best Pastry Chef." That same year chef Thomas Keller visited the UK, sampled Claire's desserts, and immediately invited her to join him at The French Laundry in California, where she further established herself as one of the world's greatest pastry chefs. Indulge, her first book, is a compilation of her most treasured dessert recipes. Claire lives in Yountville, in the Napa Valley of Northern California.