OP: Emmanuel Mollois Patissier

UWA Publishing, Crawley, Western Australia, 2013. Hardcover. Very Good. First printing.

French chef Emmanuel Mollois (d. 2017), after spending the early days of his career in the Loire Valley and Paris, traveled the world in the mid-1990s and ended up in Australia. From Melbourne to Perth, Mallois worked in pastry kitchens across the continent until opening his own cafes, pastry shops, and catering business. As the face of French pastry in Western Australia, he earned his place as a celebrity chef with a television show.

Emmanuel Mollois Patissier (2013) is the spritely chef’s second book. As with many professional level cookbooks, it begins with the elements of a dessert—doughs, fillings, garnishes—which only later are combined in refined examples of their potential uses. Everything here is distinctively French—kouign amann, macaron, opera cake, tarte profiterole—but, of course, experienced cooks will take the concepts and run with them wherever they please. 

The recipes, written in metric and with an appealing brevity, at least for someone with knowhow, are stark juxtapositions to Karin Calvert’s striking photography which captures the finesse and artistry of a chef’s ability to turn the simple into the extraordinary.

Uncommonly seen in the US. First printing in Very Good condition, clean and unmarked. Without jacket, as issued. The case shows bumping and scuffing, but the binding is strong.