More than Sweet

Most flavor-forward baking books offer interesting recipes. Marie Frank offers a way of thinking. The flavor chart on page 19 announces what kind of book this is: two pages of unexpected pairings, apricot with sumac, banana with fennel, quince with yuzu, designed not just to inspire but to hand bakers a framework for experimenting on their own. 

Marie Frank is a Copenhagen-based pastry chef whose training has taken her through Det Vide Hus and Østerberg Ice Cream and whose Substack newsletter, More than Sweet, has built a following among bakers curious about flavor. Her central instruction is straightforward: season to taste. The same instinct that leads a savory cook to adjust at the end applies equally to desserts, and Frank walks bakers through how to do it.

Fruit is at the center of her flavor world, and her recipes reflect a wide range. Among them:

• Rhubarb tartlets with jasmine and coconut
• Mirin-pumpkin custard tart with maple whipped cream
• Plum galette with Sichuan pepper
• Mango vacherin with mint and basil
• Hojicha snickerdoodles
• Maple brown-sugar pound cake with whipped gochujang caramel

Richly photographed throughout. For bakers who already have technique and want to develop their palate, the flavor chart alone is worth the purchase.

Hardcover. Color photographs throughout.