Chez Panisse Desserts, by Lindsey Remolif Shere (Random House: $17.95, 341 pp., illustrated.)

The parade of mouthwatering desserts in Shere’s book were created by Shere over the last 13 years while she was the pastry chef at Chez Panisse in Berkeley. Shere conceived the book, but Alice Waters, friend and owner of Chez Panisse, forced her to write it.

Lucky thing too. The recipes are typical of the Alice Waters genre--healthy, simple, yet with just the right offbeat touch to set them apart from the ordinary. Rose geranium pound cake, fig tart served with lavender honey ice cream, hot apple charlottes served with raspberry caramel sauce, macadamia nut and coconut tart served with tangerine ice cream. Which means that there are dozens and dozens of ice cream recipes too.

Off the subject, Shere gives credit for her inspirations to sources contained in a six-page bibliography. Something new in cookbooks.