Williams-Sonoma has a nice collection of small, beautiful, one topic cookbooks. These are terrific gifts for someone who really likes to cook one particular thing (they have books ranging from potatoes to pasta). The recipes range from basic to more complex and, with Williams-Sonoma, the product is usually oustanding. Some of these are older and hard to find in actual Williams-Sonoma stores, but amazon.com has a pretty good selection.
I have the Pie and Tart book, and I really like it. I haven't used it very much, but I've been getting more into pies as my dessert offering of choice--there are no leftovers! Many of them you can make ahead of time, and most are far easier than many homemade cakes or cookies. Many pies also pack in a respectable fruit serving along with their sugar/fat content. And, with my handy dandy food processor, making that pie crust is a piece of cake! (maybe I should say, "Piece of pie!").
The recipes in this little book are divided up into several sections: classics, fruit pies, holiday pies, simple pies, elegant tarts, and rustic tarts. One of my favorite, more unusual pies is the Cream Cheese Pie with Oranges. It's a terrific mid-winter offering when oranges are in season. Their Key Lime Pie is to die for. Many recipes do not call for odd ingredients, either--particularly the classic pies. At the end is a terrific, descriptive section about making pie crust, complete with several recipes (one of them being a very easy cookie crumb crust).
Pies I want to try: the Cinnamon Apple Crumb Pie makes me salivate just looking at it. The Mississippi Mud Pie is calling my name. Coconut Custard Pie, Citrus Chiffon Pie, Chocolate Pudding Pie, Fresh Mint-Chocolate Truffle Tart, Tarte Tatin, Rustic Apple Gallette, .... I need to volunteer to bring dessert next time I'm asked!
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