Welcome to the pleasure dome! Desserts are all about pleasure—and what's life without it?

Acclaimed chef Christine Manfield believes that desserts should appeal to all the senses. They should be utterly seductive, ethereal, and delicious, with aesthetics that capture your imagination. Desserts must also be big on personality, which is why she has christened this collection Dessert Divas—they are dramatic showgirls! In a sumptuously illustrated tribute to the desserts created at her Sydney restaurant Universal, Christine unveils the mystery, elegance, whimsy, and fantasy behind such iconic desserts as Gaytime Goes Nuts, which stepped into the limelight in the finale of the 2012 season of MasterChef Australia. Her "dessert divas" are designed to capture the four seasons, and to celebrate cheese and chocolate, ingredients people eternally lust after. A good dessert takes you on a taste journey. Let Christine Manfield be your guide as she shares the techniques, craft, and precision that go into her signature creations. Be inspired and let the seduction begin, then taste with pleasure. Includes metric measures.

Christine Manfield is one of Australia's most celebrated chefs—a curious cook, a perfectionist inspired by the culinary melting pot of evocative flavors and textural nuance, and a writer whose books include Fire and Stir. Her professional culinary life has culminated in three groundbreaking, award-winning restaurants: Paramount in Sydney from 1993 to 2000, East@West in London from 2003 to 2005, and Universal in Sydney from 2007 to 2013.