Whip up a show-stopping dessert for the holidays — or any day
with help from David Lebovitz.

WRITTEN BY LYNNE KONSTANTIN I PHOTOGRAPHS BY MAREN CARUSO

If you're going to take the time to bake a cake
or churn up a batch of homemade ice cream,
the results should truly shine. My desserts
don't have a lot of fussy decoration. Instead,
they impress with pure flavors." David
Lebovitz wrote that mouthful in his newest
cookbook, Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes
(Ten Speed Press; $35). Known for the bold
flavors of his creations and a fondness for
desserts with "screaming chocolate intensity,"
Lebovitz — who studied baking in France
and Belgium, worked as a pastry chef at Alice
Waters' famed Chez Panisse and leads culi-
nary tours of Paris, where he now lives — has
tweaked more than 170 of his favorite recipes
from previous books and his popular blog
(davidlebovitz.com ), threw in an extra dozen
new favorites and combined them with his
supremely readable tone and wit in Ready for
Dessert. A silky and sweet Butternut Squash
Pie, classic Chocolate Pots de Creme, Frozen
Sabayon with Blood Orange Soup and many
more blend beautifully with his funny stories,
inside scoops and useful tips for the home
baker. Here, a taste of Ready for Dessert.

REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM READY FOR DESSERT: MY

BEST RECIPES BY DAVID LEBOVITZ, COPYRIGHT © 2010. PUBLISHED

BY TEN SPEED PRESS, A DIVISION OF RANDOM HOUSE INC.

y for Desser

BEST RECIPES

vid Lebovitz

P 1 4 •

SEPTEMBER 2010 •

IN platinum

NONFAT GINGERSNAPS

"The name may lead you to think these are crisp
cookies, but they're not. They are snappy in another
way — there are plenty of spices in the batter, plus a
generous helping of candied ginger (find Lebovitz's
recipe in his book or use a store-bought version),
making them deserving of the snap moniker. They're
good on their own, but with such a soft, chewy tex-
ture, I had a hunch that they would make dynamite
ice cream sandwiches, so I filled a few with Tangy
Lemon Frozen Yogurt (again, find Lebovitz's recipe
in his book or use a store-bought version) and popped
them in the freezer. The next day, when I pulled a
sandwich out of the freezer and took a bite, I stopped
dead in my tracks because I was so stunned: It was
the best ice cream sandwich I've ever had."

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons plus a big pinch ground
cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup mild molasses
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 cup finely chopped Candied Ginger
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, bak-
ing soda, salt, 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, the ginger,
cloves and pepper.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment,
beat together the brown sugar, applesauce and molas-
ses on medium speed for 5 minutes. Stop the mixer
and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add the
egg whites and beat 1 minute. With the mixer run-
ning on the lowest speed, add the dry ingredients and
mix until completely incorporated, then increase the
speed to medium and continue mixing for 1 minute
more. Stir in the candied ginger. Cover and refrigerate
the dough until firm, at least 1 hour.
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the
oven; preheat the oven to 350T. Line 2 baking sheets

with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. In a
small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar and big
pinch of cinnamon.
Using two spoons or a small spring-loaded ice
cream scoop, drop heaping tablespoons of dough
(about the size of an unshelled walnut) a few at a time
into the sugar-cinnamon mixture. Use your hands
to form the dough into balls and coat them heavily
with the cinnamon sugar. They'll be sticky, which is
normal, and don't worry if they're not perfectly round.
Place the balls at least 3 inches apart on the prepared
baking sheets.
Bake, rotating the baking sheets midway during
baking, until the cookies feel just barely set in the
centers, about 13 minutes. If they puff a lot during
baking, flatten the tops very gently with a spatula, just
enough so they're no longer rounded.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets until
firm enough to handle, then use a spatula to transfer
them to a wire rack. Makes about 20 cookies.
Storage: The dough can be stored in the refrig-
erator for up to 1 week or frozen for 2 months. The
cookies can be kept in an airtight container for up to
3 days.
continued 077 page P16