Sweet & Vicious ─ Baking with Attitude

An irreverent cookbook filled with inventive recipes for baking that deliver a punch. Libbie Summers is not your run-of-the-mill cook. Growing up, she was the kind of child who dunked her potato chips into chocolate syrup to see if it might taste good (it does). That insatiable curiosity-and sweet tooth-is what fuels this book. Sweet and Vicious is all about exploring new taste sensations in the realm of baking. It is a no-holds-barred approach to baking outside the box with crazy-brilliant combinations. Savory and spicy flavors come into play often, such as in Habanero Carrot Cake, Fig and Pig Pie, and Mojito Cookies. Other times, the innovation comes in the form of a cooking method or serving presentation borrowed from another side of the kitchen, as with Meatball Muffins or Grilled Apricot Polenta Cake. There is also a healthy dose of humor sprinkled around, with recipes such as Gingerbread Working Girls, Preggers Pink Pickle Pie, and Salvation Cinnamon Rolls.

Essential to her philosophy is that sweets are supposed to be over-the-top, and that there is no point in firing up the oven if you are not making something so good it hurts. Sweet and Vicious brings a sense of adventure into the kitchen and some fun into desserts. Isn't that the whole point of dessert, after all?

Libbie Summers, fearless, funny, and frank, is the author of The Whole Hog Cookbook. She began her culinary career as a chef on private yachts and went on to become a culinary producer. Her blog, Salted & Styled, won the IACP award for Best Food Blog 2012.