When one thinks of Los Angeles, we think of pleasant weather, beaches, mountains, valleys, Walt Disney and movie stars. These memories will continue to linger on our taste buds as we re-create them through Los Angeles Classic Desserts.

This sweet book, designed for the home cook, takes you through its culinary landscape, its ethnicities, and its history as its recipes feature both classic and contemporary desserts. Each recipe is accompanied by titillating photographs of the featured dish.

You will be able to enjoy preparing the Spanish Flaming Café Trinidad from the Los Feliz Inn, or the crispy Briouats (Moroccan pastries) from Dar Maghreb and Chef Wolfgang Puck's Marjolaine.

Though some of the iconic restaurants, such as the Brown Derby and Chasen's are no longer with us today, their memories linger through their unforgettable desserts. Perhaps we can recall Gene Kelly's mention of the Brown Derby in the classic movie Singing in the Rain as we prepare their recipe for the delightfully light Grapefruit Cake.

The opening of Disneyland in 1955 brought amusement parks to their knees and their old fashioned Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.

The ubiquitous Lawry's, which started in L.A., is still known around town for its annual "Beef Bowl" — where the teams facing off in the Rose Bowl are treated to a large steak dinner finished with the English Trifle dessert the evening before the game.