Book: The Square - The Cookbook, Volume 2: Sweet

By Philip Howard

This is a follow-up to the successful The Square - The Cookbook, Volume 1: Savoury by Philip Howard, chef of the Michelin two-star The Square restaurant in London. Howard worked at a chateau in Dordogne, France, before returning to England to work with legendary chefs such as the Roux brothers, Marco Pierre White and Simon Hopkinson.

The desserts are beautifully photographed, with simple, modern presentations. Howard writes an introduction to each recipe, giving an overview of every dessert, the focus of it, the key components, and timing - which lets you know what parts can (or should) be made in advance and what should be done at the last minute.

The recipes are surprisingly accessible, considering they are from a two-star restaurant. A few require quite a bit of commitment, because they call for myriad components, but the majority are fairly easy. The desserts are cooked the old-fashioned way - that is, using an oven and a stove, so you can put away that vacuum sealer and sous-vide machine. Most of the ingredients are accessible, although we'll probably have to skip the dishes that call for yellow pectin and Sosa acidic yogurt powder.

The recipes include crème caramel with golden raisins and Sauternes; rice pudding soufflé with prunes and armagnac; caramelised wafers with gooseberry fool, wild strawberries and currants; pannacotta with rhubarb and warm rhubarb ripple soufflé; port-roasted figs with crème fraiche custard, lemon beignets and olive oil; pineapple tarte tatin with lime ice cream and coconut powder; and The Square chocolate bar with peanuts, salt and caramel.