Book excerpt: Recipes from the Top Chef: Just Desserts winner: “As a pastry chef for 25 years, this book inspires me to get into the kitchen and bake.” —Emily Luchetti, author of The Fearless Baker Yigit Pura is a sugar fiend . . . and a pastry dynamo. His striking desserts have sparked excitement and devotion from the top pastry kitchens of New York and San Francisco to the winner’s podium on Top Chef: Just Desserts. Now, Yigit shares his approach to pastry and his sweet formulas for the very first time. He demonstrates how fun—and simple—it can be to combine straightforward basics into beautiful, multilayered desserts. Each ingredient-driven chapter (sugar, flour, dairy, fruit, and chocolate) contains new twists on traditional recipes, such as Butterscotch Sauce, Sweet Almond Tart Dough, and Baked Berry Meringue Kisses. These playful sweets can be served on their own or combined into irresistible melanges such as the Negroni Creamsicle, a composition of Citrus & Vanilla Bean Scented Panna Cotta, Grapefruit-Campari Gelee, and Ruby Red Grapefruit Supremes, or the Sexy Chocolate Coupe, a chocolate extravaganza that marries Dark Chocolate Cremeux to Bittersweet Flourless Chocolate Cake. Brimming with innovative recipes and classic techniques that will elevate your pastry game, this book inspires you to create your own sweet alchemy.