Michelle Gussow: 2 books

I spent years making desserts for people who didnt want the same old thing. Sometimes, it was because someone had favorite flavors they wanted incorporated in their special cake; often, it was just a matter of what was in the cabinets. I hope you find many, if not all, of the recipes to your liking.

In 2003, when the author cobbled together her first dessert recipe book Just Desserts, she had two folders—regular ratty pocket folders, like ones you would buy at the school-supplies store, filled with loose pages of handwritten recipes and notes. She also had separate pages that listed the recipes...