a piece of dessert history

Maida Heatter is the ultimate resource in desserts and cookies, as well as a great story teller. She gives wonderful descriptions concerning what she is about to tell you to make, as well as who gave her the recipe/ the source of the inspiration / good combinations with the prepared recipe.
I sometimes change part of the instructions- for instance, she recommends baking the Palm Beach Brownies in a pan lined with foil at 425 degrees. At that temperature, some of the edges may get too browned and have to be tossed out. Since this is a pretty expensive recipe to make, I reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake it longer, with an eye out to prevent the over browning. And a pan sprayed with Pam can allow as good a release as aluminum foil. I try to have as little aluminum in contact with baked goods as possible. A good brief chill in the freezer for 20 minutes and and knife dipped in boiling water and wiped clean before cutting produces a good removal of the brownies.
This gal has gotten many people to give her amazing recipes, and she knows dessert well enough to produce her own creations. There are no pictures in the book, which would be nice. There IS a wrap around picture on the dust jacket and a key to show the names of all the desserts in the picture. She is so good in her descriptions- you can see pictures in your mind!