sweet alchemy is dedicated to my friend Sherry Yard. By kismet, sometimes the universe brings a person into our lives, and we can’t remember the time before we came to know such a soul. Your kindness and generosity of spirit is rare in this world, and I’m grateful to call you my friend. You are my alchemist. xo Text copyright © 2014 by Yigit Pura. Photographs copyright © 2014 by Frankie Frankeny. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available. ISBN 978-1-4521-0888-9 (hc) ISBN 978-1-4521-3061-3 (epub, mobi) Designed by ANNE KENADY Prop and food styling by YIGIT PURA Thank you to Gump‘s for providing beautiful tableware for our photo shoot. Chronicle Books LLC 680 Second Street San Francisco, California 94107 www.chroniclebooks.com acknowledgments Since the age of five, when I started digging around my mom’s kitchen cabinets, this culinary journey has been made even sweeter thanks to some wonderful souls in my life. . . . Seana Weaver, for co-authoring this book with me, and helping Sweet Alchemy take life. Sebnem, for always being my number-one champion! Super friend for life! Frankie Frankeny, for not only having patience in understanding my vision in this book but also bringing it to life with such gorgeous photography! Dad, thanks for pushing me to pursue my dreams. My dog, Maui, for being the best sidekick a chef could ever want. Thanks for being so perky at 3:00 a.m., and for the endless snuggles and that one-of-a-kind smile! My best friend, Ken, for pushing me forward, and having the patience to keep pushing me forward. My partners, MeMe and Janet, for being crazy enough to say, “Do you want to make Tout Sweet happen?” I am so grateful to have you two on my team. My team at Tout Sweet, who believe in my crazy vision and support me in every way they can, especially Jessica Rohrig for always being such a trouper. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Björk and Le Petit Prince for being a generous source of warmth and inspiration. My mom, Handi, for letting me lick the bottom of the mixing bowl when I was a kid. My mentors, Joanna Karlinsky, Luis Robledo-Richards, Eric Bertoia, Mark Fiorentino, and Daniel Boulud, for not only teaching me technique but also shaping me into a professional, and harnessing my crazy energy in my twenties. All the farmers who work tirelessly to provide me with the best produce this chef could hope for! San Francisco, I will always love you lustfully. Couldn’t ask for a better home. Dan Strone at Trident Media and the entire team at Chronicle Books. My agent and friend Deb Goldfarb . . . and to the marathon. And most sincerely to all of our sweet followers at Tout Sweet. Seeing your eyes light up with joy as you eat dessert is the single biggest pleasure of this chef’s life. xo