Basics: Desserts
Techniques, Tips, and 60+ Recipes to Confidently Make All Things Sweet
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
Basics: Desserts is the second in a series that will completely demystify cooking through step-by-step photography. It is a short but comprehensive photographic primer with recipes and techniques that showcase staple recipes like pastry dough, cake batter, and cream fillings plus how to use them in your favorite classic desserts. From there, learn to bake, assemble, and decorate desserts for any occasion.
With over 70 recipes, bake your way through everything from big celebration cakes to an easy single-serve chocolate mug cake, plus fruit tarts three ways, a 3-tier showstopping pavlova, classic crème brûlée, and more.
Basics: Desserts is for anyone looking to gain confidence in the kitchen, grow their dessert repertoire, and generally add a little extra sweetness to life. It is a must-have addition to any cookbook library.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
French pastry chef Bourgeois's English-language debut is an instructive overview of fundamental techniques. Intended as a primer for the truly uninitiated, its streamlined instructions, all accompanied by step-by-step photography, offer a simplified approach to French baking. A brief list of essential baking equipment and foundational recipes for pie crusts, sponge cake, and pastry cream are followed by "Classic Desserts," including Parisian flan and chocolate mousse. A section on "Snacks, Bars, and Cookies" features coconut macaroons and no-bake chocolate truffles. Recipes encourage variations: loaf cake comes in three different flavors; fruit tarte tatin shines with blackberry, apricot, or apple; and granola bars can be made with cranberries or chocolate and hazelnuts. Showstoppers include pear belle Helene, sugar syrup–poached pears covered with dark chocolate and almonds, and an elegant but easy meringue pavlova with mixed berries. Traditional French confections such as madeleines, lunettes, and creme brulée also appear. The look-and-learn layout will appeal to beginners, but a lack of introductory notes and troubleshooting tips may make the more involved recipes intimidating. For the most part, though, this practical how-to manual will be a treat for aspiring bakers.
