A delightful volume devoted to the delicate, charming treats that are the soul of France's neighbourhood patisseries. With Felder's expert guidance, any home cook can now re-create the sweet enchantments and small indulgences that are the hallmark of many a holiday in France.
As a follow-up to his spectacular Patisserie, master pastry chef Christophe Felder presents Gateaux, a beautifully illustrated guide to executing perfect cakes, from delightful small bites to show stopping centrepieces.
As a follow-up to his spectacular Patisserie, master pastry chef Christophe Felder presents Gâteaux, a beautifully illustrated guide to executing perfect cakes, from delightful small bites to showstopping centerpieces. Classic French pastry represents the pinnacle of control, elegance, and technique. From jewellike canelés and madeleines in a window case to burnished brioches at the boulangerie to showstopper centerpiece desserts at five-star restaurants, everyone loves a perfect bake. Precise instructions and step-by-step photographs guide bakers through 150 mouthwatering recipes, including one-bite delights, simple cakes, Sunday breads, celebration cakes, and tarts. Felder includes French classics such as sablés, éclairs, Saint-Honoré cake, tarte tatin, and croquembouche, regional recipes from Alsace, Brittany, and Provence, as well as his own twists on Belgian (Speculoos), German (Black Forest cake), and Australian (Pavlova) desserts. Each beautiful photograph will inspire bakers of all levels while step-by-step pictures clearly illustrate techniques such as making fondant flowers, constructing a charlotte, and braiding a brioche. To build younger bakers’ skills and confidence, Felder includes a section of easy recipes for the whole family—which don’t short on proper technique.
Newly updated and expanded with 3,500 step-by-step photographs, all the classics of French patisserie are made accessible for the home cook. For every serious home baker, French pastry represents the ultimate achievement. But to master the techniques, a written recipe can take you only so far—what is equally important is to see a professional in action, to learn the nuances of rolling out dough for croissaints or caramelizing apples for a tarte tatin. For each of the 233 recipes here, there are photographs that lead the reader through every step of the instructions. There has never been such a comprehensive primer on patisserie. The important base components—such as crème patisserie, pâte à choux, and chocolate ganache—are presented as stand-alone recipes. Once comfortable with these, the home baker can go on to tackle the famous and more complex creations—such as Éclairs, Saint-Honoré, Opéra—as well as feel empowered to explore new and original combinations. An entire chapter is devoted to decoration as well as sauces, syrups, and fillings. Whether used to develop skills or to refine techniques, to gain or simply broaden a repertoire, Patisserie dispels the mystery around classic French pastries, so that everyone can make them at home.