Sweet, savory, and sometimes boozy cupcakes - Alison Riede

Alison Riede marries the European concept of ending a meal with something savoury with the American tradition of ending with something sweet. She starts with the flavours and winds up with something that defies expectation. Hers are recipes for salty, nutty, spicy, savoury, tart, fruity and chocolaty deserts, making this a truly original winner of a cookbook.

Alison Riede is a 2011 winner of Food Network's Cupcake Wars. She is the owner of Santa Barbara-based cupcake shop Sugar Cat Studio and has dedicated her baking skills to creating savory flavors to offset the traditional sweetness of the cupcake. Her cupcakes were featured in the 2010 Academy Award celebrity gift baskets. Riede studied surface pattern design at Syracuse University and has since meshed that knowledge with her passion for baking.

This is a wonderful book for those looking to try something new-and very tasty.