The Pastry Chef Handbook: Basic Techniques and Preparations
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This commanding book of more than 700 pages includes reference information on common pastry ingredients, equipment, and techniques as well as more than 100 detailed formulas for applying them in the creation of finished desserts, pastries, and confections.
The emphasis here is on classic elements of pastrywork, addressing core practices such as filling a pastry bag or preparing a souffle, although a few more modern approaches are included. For instance, there are two different methods of preparing crème Anglaise by sous-vide. QR codes accompany many of the more complex formulas, which link to instructional videos demonstrating finer points of techniques. The narration of these videos is in French, but the process is still illustrated clearly.
As comprehensive as this book is, we suggest it for use as a reference rather than a core instructional text, since it does assume basic familiarity with the workings of a pastry kitchen, as well as access to a full battery of professional equipment. There is sometimes no guidance in selecting a particular method, even when, for example, the book provides recipes for traditional puff pastry, rough puff pastry, and inverse puff pastry.
Hardcover. Color photographs throughout.
