In her first cookbook, Dessert Person, Claire Saffitz shares her signature spin on more than 100 sweet and savory recipes like babkallah (a babka-challah mashup), apple and concord grape crumble pie, strawberry-cornmeal layer cake, crispy mushroom galette, and malted forever brownies. She outlines the problems and solutions for each recipe–like what to do if your pie dough for sour cherry pie cracks (patch it with dough or a quiche flour paste)–as well as practical do’s and don’ts, skill level, prep and bake time, and foundational know-how.

Most recently, Saffitz was the host of Bon Appétit‘s “Gourmet Makes” and “Baking School” and contributed stories and recipes to the print magazine. After graduating from Harvard, Saffitz received a master’s degree in culinary history from McGill University and then studied pastry in Paris at École Grégoire Ferrandi. In conversation with David Tamarkin, digital director of Epicurious, creator of COOK90, and author of COOK90: The 30-Day Plan for Faster, Healthier, Happier Meals.